Joe Schutzman is a Newport firefighter who loves Northern Kentucky’s culture, sense of place – and beer. Find Joe’s previous columns and more on NKY dining here.
I find that March in Northern Kentucky can often be a confusing time. The weather doesn’t know whether it wants to keep spring at bay a little longer, or if it will embrace the coming change of season and leave the doldrums of winter behind.
For me, March means that Oktoberfest is only six more months away. This is the halfway point, and much like the grass beginning to show signs of new life as the budding spring sun graces it with the first few warm rays of the year, I, too, feel revitalized, knowing that if I’ve made it this far, I can make it the rest of the way to my favorite time of year.
And what better way to celebrate that halfway point than with Hofbräuhaus’ seasonal Märzen beer? Actually, as we speak, I sit adrift in Hofbräuhuas, clinging to the bar like Jack clinging to the flotsam at the end of Titanic, a fresh liter of Märzen, my Rose, carefully resting atop.
You often hear the terms Märzen, festbier and Oktoberfest bier thrown around almost interchangeably, and for government work, it’s fairly close. But for those among us who like to get a little more nerdy and technical, we can differentiate a little further to hopefully help clarify. But fair warning, I’m a beer drinker, not a beer expert.
I’m going to attempt to do this without confusing myself any further than I already am, and I’m hoping I have a few of these facts straight. If I’ve gotten anything wrong, please feel free to drop me a line. I’ll owe you a beer and we can discuss where I went wrong. I love good beer history and lore and am always interested in learning more.
Hofbräuhaus in Newport actually serves all three styles of beer that we are talking about, Märzen, Festbier and Oktoberfestbier, at some point throughout the year.
Let’s start with the Märzen, their March special (the German word for March is März). This beer, as they describe themselves, is “an amber colored lager with a medium body and a smooth, malty character … with characteristics of both biscuit and caramel.”
The reason you might sometimes hear festbier referred to as Märzen is that it used to be the style of beer served at Oktoberfest. This is no longer the case, however. Festbier and Märzen beer are two distinct styles.
Festbier these days has more in common with a traditional German lager than a Märzen, the main difference being that a festbier has a little more kick and slightly higher alcohol content than a regular lager. It’s also gold in color like one too, with no amber color or caramel tasting notes that are found in a Märzen.
Genuine Festbier is only brewed by the six approved Munich breweries (Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, Spaten and, of course, Hofbräu). They only make it once a year, specifically for the Oktoberfest celebrations in Munich. Hofbräuhaus Newport receives a shipment of this liquid gold from the Hofbräu team in Germany each year. So luckily for all of us here in NKY, if you can’t make it to Munich, you still have the opportunity to taste a genuine festbier right here in Newport every September.
Now finally, let’s add a little more confusion to the mix. Locally, Hofbräuhaus Newport does not call the Festbier they receive each year from Munich, Festbier. They call it Oktoberfest. While I don’t know any of this for certain, I’m assuming that this is simply a marketing decision. Samuel Adams prolifically advertises their very recognizable “Oktoberfest” beer, which is actually far closer to a Märzen than a current Festbier, each fall, and since the festival is, after all, called Oktoberfest, it makes a lot of sense to give the beer the same namesake for ease of recognition.
They serve the Festbier, which they call Oktoberfest bier, in September. Their October beer special is a beer that they call “festbier,” which is actually not Festbier by modern standards but is actually a Märzen that harkens back to the original beers brewed for Oktoberfest. You got that? Everything make sense? I didn’t think so.
But that’s okay because this a conundrum easily alleviated by a second liter of Märzen, Festbier, or Oktoberfest bier. Above all, please remember this. Regardless of which one you order and regardless of which one they bring, rest assured that all three are delicious and will most certainly get you where you’re going. Here’s to the halfway point and here’s to only six more months to Oktoberfest. Prost!