Name: Oaktoberfest
Brewing Company: Firestone Walker Brewing Company
Location: Paso Robles, CA
Style: Festbier
ABV: 5.2%
Firestone Walker brings a nice touch to their take on the traditional Fall German Lager for the first, welcome national release of the beer in years.
From Firestone Walker’s landing page for the beer:
One of our seasonal classics has made a celebratory return this fall with the release of Oaktoberfest, an oak-inspired homage to the great Bavarian tradition of Oktoberfest. “Some recipes endure for a reason, and Oaktoberfest is a perfect example,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “We’ve been making this ‘Paso Festbier’ periodically for more than 15 years, and it has stood the test of time.” This year, though, it comes with a twist
While similar in style to previous editions, the 2021 Oaktoberfest is our first in packaged form to have been lagered in French oak barrels from a premium Napa Valley Cabernet producer. The beer’s light amber color foreshadows its toasty, biscuity flavor. The oak-barrel lagering allows for an even smoother mouthfeel, all while remaining true to the beer’s crisp malt profile and hints of noble German hops.
The origins of Oaktoberfest date back to 2005, when we hosted our inaugural Oaktoberfest event. Ever since, the beer has come into periodic rotation, most recently as a draft-only offering in 2019.
Following in the tradition of classic German festbiers, Oaktoberfest is ultimately made to be enjoyed in a festive state of mind. “This beer has tons of flavor, but it’s super smooth and easygoing, too,” Brynildson said. “It’s a perfect fall sipper. Grab your stein and enjoy!”
Firestone Walker is one of the most respected breweries in America across all the styles they brew. One of their beers I’ve been wanting to try for a few years (called out very briefly in my very first Oktoberfest feature) is their fall lager, Oaktoberfest. For whatever reason this beer (and their flagship Double-Barrell Ale) haven’t been on the shelves in NJ for a very long time (if ever), so I was very pleased to see it in shops near me.
I’ve gone on about the differences between the fall lagers classified as “Märzen” vs “Festbier,” this one is a Festbier. The Festbier is not quite as malty, more copper in color than amber, and usually slightly lower in ABV. So here goes, my anticipated sampling of Oaktoberfest.
The beer pours a lovely copper / caramel into the dimpled mug with a fairly thick head thanks to the relatively vertical pour I gave it. The beer looks spot on for the style. Aroma? Mainly the smell of beer.
That first sip impression? This beer will deliver what I hope it will deliver: a flavorful, lager. As I drink more, I get some of that oak character layered in with the sweet maltiness of the style. Maybe a little bit of vanilla from the oak? Maybe toffee? Slight hints, nothing too overpowering. Festbiers, at least those I’ve enjoyed, have a slightly more crispy finish than the smooth finish of a Märzen.
Oaktoberfest delivers that crispiness, but I think the oak lagering/aging smooths it out just a tad for a very, very pleasant after effect. The Festbiers in Germany traditionally are made for enjoying pints and pints and pints of them over the course of an afternoon and the Brew MASTERS of Firestone Walker have taken that theme to heart with this beer. It was delicious and I couldn’t help finishing it rather quickly.
Suffice it to say, I am very pleased that Firestone Walker decided to package and distribute this beer nationwide this year. The beer lived up to the anticipation I had for it, but the quality of Firestone Walker’s beers never really surprise me.
I also have to say I’m glad this one was distributed in bottles. The majority of beer is in cans these days, so it is a refreshing change of pace and throwback to have a beer out of a bottle.
Oaktoberfest is a fantastic nationally-available Festbier/Fall Lager.
Recommended, link to Untappd 4-bottle cap rating.
Untappd badges earned with this beer:
Oktoberfest (Level 14)
The Tap Takeover 