Festbier: German and U.S. Brewers Explain How to Make a Quality One

Photography courtesy of Goldfinger Brewing Company

Ebner says to think of Festbier along the lines of helles, but stronger, with more mouthfeel and a touch more hops for both flavor and bitterness.

“It should be dry, not sweet, and easy drinking,” says Ebner, who notes that the beer is produced specifically for a raucous atmosphere. “[Party-goers] want an easy-drinking, crisp beer. But when you add food, you want something more impactful than something as light as a Helles. That is why we designed it this way.”

Ebner further compares the modern-day Weihenstephaner Festbier to helles, saying it is a little bit darker with about a 5.9% ABV and 25 IBUs compared to about 5.1% ABV and 20 IBUs for helles.

“It’s more than a helles,” Ebner says, “but less than a traditional Festbier.”

It should be dry, not sweet, and easy drinking,

Matthias Ebner - Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan

Goldfinger Owner and Brewer Tom Beckmann says that Festbier was designed for maximum drinkability.

“Which means the beer has to strike a perfect balance of sweet and dry at a lower ABV than you’d find in a Märzen,” Beckmann says. “Letting maltodextrins shine to provide familiar toast and honey maltiness, but balancing it out by good attenuation and utilizing Noble hops to provide an herbal and floral freshness.”

Jack’s Abby Co-Owner and Brewmaster Jack Hendler admits that there are many interpretations of Festbier, but he likes the more modern take, which is golden and essentially a stronger helles, as opposed to how many Americans interpret it, which is more of an amber, sweet beer similar to Märzen.

“It’s just a different flavor profile,” Hendler says. “From the context of drinking this at a festival, Märzen is heavy, has residual sugar, and is filling. It’ll be tough to drink many.”

Hendler adds, “The modern interpretation lends itself better [to a festival setting].”

Hendler says he is a fan of both, and each interpretation has a place. So Jack’s Abby brews both—one like a helles, but stronger, Munich Fest, and another that is somewhere in the middle of the traditional Märzen-Weisn interpretations, Copper Legend.

Photography courtesy of Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers

Hendler says the modern take on Festbier is an act of restraint.

“It’s Pilsner malt and Noble hops with a low IBU count,” Hendler says. “It’s a test of excellence. It has to taste great with just that.”

A more traditional interpretation has a higher hopping rate based on a bigger body.

“More craft beer brewers tend to gravitate to that because they typically like to use more ingredients,” Hendler says. “And there’s a value proposition that consumers appreciate.”

Ebner says there are a number of things to consider, but it all depends on your interpretation.

“If you want more traditional, you need to choose your malt wisely,” Ebner says. “You also need a strong yeast. How you treat it and how fit it is for the beer is very important.”

Color, ABV, attenuation, and hop expression are the key,

Tom Beckmann - Goldfinger Brewing Company

Ebner says that in the traditional, more amber interpretation, the pick of hops doesn’t play a huge role as long as you aim for more classic notes with traditional Bavarian hops.

“This is what makes the Festbier—more floral blooming notes and not tropical fruit or something like that,” Ebner says.

He adds, “Soft water helps with this style, but the most important thing for a Festbier is long maturation.”

Beckmann says to remain focused on making the Festbier its own thing and be sure to differentiate it from a Märzen.

“Color, ABV, attenuation, and hop expression are the key,” Beckmann says. “Color should be on the paler side; ABV should be less than 6%; the beer should have malt sweetness but not cloying sugars; and the hops should come out more expressively than its Märzen counterpart.”
Beckmann adds, “Build a recipe around the aforementioned goals of the beer, and see if you can extract subtle characteristics that are still a nod to its origins as a Märzen.”

Photography courtesy of Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers

Hendler says that 100% Pilsner malt works. And that’s what they opt for in one of their more contemporary Festbier offerings. The grist changes for the traditional style of Festbier.

You’ll need to make a bigger bill to get the ABV you want,

Jack Hendler - Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers

“There is a Munich malt addition that is a big part of the traditional style,” Hendler says. “Cara or Crystal malt gives it malt complexity. You would use less than ten percent Cara or Crystal, and up to fifty percent Munich.”

But Hendler cautions that once you start adding those malts to the recipe, the fermentability isn’t high, so there will be residual sugar.

“You’ll need to make a bigger bill to get the ABV you want,” Hendler says. “And there will be a big flavor difference.”

Ebner says you can create a very good Festbier just using Pilsner malt. But they take a different approach.

“We add a little bit of Munich malt,” Ebner says. “Just to give it a little touch of color. But it doesn’t make that much of an impact.”

Where you do get an impact, especially in the color and palate, is through decoction, Ebner says.

“The brewmasters decided on it for traditional reasons,” Ebner says. “We do double decoction. It’s important because you bring non-fermentable dextrins to give it more body and intense mouthfeel.”

Beckmann says to play with varying ratios of Pilsner, Munich, and Vienna malts to get your desired malt flavor. They also opt for intensity of flavor through decoction.

“Our Festbier is a single decoction,” Beckmann says. “We’d recommend a decoction, or at the very least a thorough step mash.”

Hendler says Jack’s Abby uses the decoction method for both its Festbiers.

“We do a single decoction for Copper Legend,” he says. “For Munich Fest, we do a double decoction.”

Photography courtesy of Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers

Ebner says that Weihenstephaner adds the main bittering hop addition just before the wort begins to boil, using Hallertau Perle and Saphir hops.

“We add another [hop addition] shortly before the end of the boil—about five to ten minutes,” Ebner says. “Then we do a whirlpool addition to get flavor from the oils.”

Ebner adds, “We stick to pretty traditional hop additions. The Perle brings an old-world-style aroma and a decent amount of bitterness. It’s great for making a classic Festbier. We spice it up with Saphir for floral notes.”

Hendler says that Jack’s Abby Festbiers have multiple additions. The Copper Legend has two additions, and the Munich Fest has three additions.

“For Copper Legend, we use Seitz Family Farm hops, [a small farm in Bavaria that carries noble German varieties], which might rotate based on the harvest. One for bittering and one for aroma,” Hendler says. “For Munich Fest, we use Hersbrucker hops in the three additions.”

Hendler says the hops used vary from year to year. Jack’s Abby has used Hallertau and Mittelfruh as well. Copper Legend ends up at around 22 IBUs, and its Munich Fest is a little lighter on bitterness at 19 IBUs.

Beckmann says to stick with boil additions for hops.

“I would advise against any whirlpool and dry hops in this beer,” says Beckmann, who did not immediately share the hops they use in their Festbier. “You can achieve a nice hop presence from a few additions on the hot side.”

Beckmann adds, “The goal isn’t to mask malt flavor with hops; rather, use the hops to help dry the beer and give it a refreshing quality.”

Photography courtesy of Goldfinger Brewing Company

Ebner notes that generations ago, brewers would brew their Oktoberfest in March or April, let it mature through the summer, and then pour in September and October. Now with temperature control and better overall technology of brewing, “You don’t need to do it that long anymore,” he says.

Ebner notes that maturation is extremely important for beers like helles, pilsners, and especially Festbier.

“The secret [to making a great Festbier] is to give it the time it needs. It gives balance and roundness of flavor,” he says. “If you speed it up, the outcome won’t be the same as Bavarian brewers here. Let the beer do its work.”

Ebner adds, “Festbier needs at least forty-five days of cold maturation.”

Beckmann concurs with Ebner on the maturation time.

“The beer should be no less than a two-month turnaround time,” Beckmann says. “That would be my suggestion [for tank residency] from brew to package.”

Hendler says that the turnaround time for its Festbier is around six weeks.

“Fermentation takes seven to ten days,” Hendler says. “We drop it to forty degrees Fahrenheit and add a spunding valve around day seven or eight, depending on fermentation; Oktoberfest takes a little longer to ferment, so maybe even on day nine.”

After fermentation, Hendler says they give it another few weeks to pass diacetyl testing and then drop the beer to thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit and cold condition it for another two to three weeks.

“It’s a commitment to time,” he says. “But that’s the best way to get the best flavor.”

Part of that extended time is letting the beer naturally carbonate, something Beckmann recommends should be done with all lagers.

“The naturally created CO2 bubbles help round out the body,” Beckmann says, “and deliver the precise aromatics for a truly deep and expressive lager.”

All three experts say W-34/70 lager yeast—a strain invented in Weihenstephan—is the go-to yeast for festbier.

“The W-34/70 [strain] is a perfect compromise to making lager beer,” Ebner says. “It’s not too fruity, not too boring, good attenuation, good [temperature] tolerance. W-34/70 is a perfect compromise in any direction.”

The Beer Judge Certification Program says that a Festbier should sit somewhere between 5.8% ABV and 6.3% ABV. Beckmann makes his Festbier a little outside that range.

“We prefer ours to be right around the 5.5-5.6% ABV,” he says.

Ebner says that Weihenstephaner is on the lower end of the scale, even though he most often sees 6% ABV or higher.

“We are one of the few that are below that. We are at 5.8% ABV,” Ebner says. “That was a decision made many years ago. Over the last few years, we have seen success in that; people want a beer but not at 6.5% ABV. It’s had a positive impact.”

Tom Beckmann - Goldfinger Brewing Company

Tom Beckmann - Goldfinger Brewing Company

Hendler also likes his Festbier sub-6% ABV.

“We like it in the high 5s [for ABV],” Hendler says. “Once you start getting over 6% ABV, people aren’t drinking multiple. The range from 5.6% ABV to 6% ABV is low enough to have a few but high enough to differentiate from helles or pilsner.”

Photography courtesy of Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the Weihenstephaner Festbier, which the Untappd beer page describes as a true representation of the Bavarian celebration. The seasonal lager is 5.8% ABV and 26 IBUs.

“What makes ours special—we’re the world’s oldest brewery—is this is an actual interpretation of the beer,” Ebner says. “It’s interesting and very drinkable.”

Weihenstephaner and Jack’s Abby teamed up to make a 6% ABV Festbier, Fest of Both Worlds. Jack’s Abby says in the Untappd page, “The goal for this project was to brew a beer that honored historical brewing methods while infusing it with modern innovations to create a delicious fest.”

Jack’s Abby also created Copper Legend and Munich Fest. The former, a 5.7% ABV and 22 IBU lager with caramel and toasted malts. The latter, a 5.4% ABV golden, unfiltered lager. Depending on what he’s hoping for on a certain day, Hendler prefers one or the other.

“If I’m going to have a single beer, I’ll go with Copper Legend,” Hendler says. “If I’ll have many, I’ll drink the Munich Fest.”

Goldfinger makes a Festbier annually but switches up the hops each year. The 2024 Festbier is made with Hersbrucker and Hallertau Mittelfruh and sits at 5.4% ABV.

“It has just the right balance of honey, toast, and bready malt quality accompanied by a tamed floral and herbal bouquet of hop character,” Beckmann says. “The bitterness is on point, helping to cut through a little of the malt sweetness while not lingering on the palate for too long.”