Oktoberfest beer is a German lager , specifically associated with two closely related styles: Märzen and Festbier.

Quick Scoop

  • Traditionally, “Oktoberfest” meant Märzen: an amber, malty, medium‑bodied lager brewed in March and stored cold until fall.
  • Today in Munich, most beer served at the Oktoberfest tents is Festbier: a golden, smoother, slightly stronger lager that’s easier to drink in big steins.
  • Both are clean, bottom‑fermented lagers brewed by the big Munich breweries like Paulaner, Hofbräu, Spaten, Hacker‑Pschorr, Augustiner, and Löwenbräu.

What kind of beer is “Oktoberfest”?

In style terms, when you see “Oktoberfest” on a label, it is almost always:

  1. An Oktoberfest Märzen (amber lager, toasty and malty), or
  2. A Festbier (paler golden lager, a bit lighter but still malty).

Both sit around 4.8–6 percent alcohol, with moderate bitterness and a focus on bready, toasty malt rather than strong hops or fruitiness.

How people use the term now

  • In the U.S. and many other countries, most fall “Oktoberfest” releases are Märzen-style amber lagers, because that’s what drinkers have come to expect.
  • In Munich’s actual festival, the beer in your Maß is almost always golden Festbier, not the darker amber Märzen, even though both count as “Oktoberfestbier.”

So if you ask “what kind of beer is Oktoberfest?” the simplest accurate answer is: it’s a German lager, usually Märzen or Festbier, brewed in the Oktoberfest tradition.

TL;DR: Oktoberfest is not a single brand but a style of German lager—traditionally amber Märzen, now often golden Festbier—malty, smooth, and brewed for the Munich festival.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.