For beer lovers around the world, fall means Oktoberfest. But you don’t have to leave New York City to get a taste of the Märzen and Festbier styles that make the German celebration so special. Here are five local breweries making Oktoberfest beers.
Gun Hill Brewing Company
The Bronx brewery makes an Oktoberfest that’s malty, nutty and designed for drinking during long fall parties. You can find the beer — Gun Hill Tried and True — now on draft at beer bars and in select bottle shops around the city, and at the brewery’s taproom. Gun Hill is also throwing an Oktoberfest party on Sept. 29 from 3-8 p.m.
Five Boroughs Brewing Co.
Five Boroughs’ Festbier is the local version of an easy-drinking German-style beer. German pilsner and Munich malts give it a light body and color, while German-grown Hallertau hops add bitterness and a floral aroma. It’s available on draft at the Sunset Park brewery and on tap at bars across New York City. For another taste of what Five Boroughs can do with the style, head to the midtown food hall The Pennsy for a special Oktoberfest collaboration called Pennsy Fest.
Kings County Brewers Collective
Bushwick’s own KCBC is bringing back Zoktoberfest, its bready, earthy and crisp Märzen-style beer made with 100 percent German malt and hops. The recipe comes from co-founder Zack Kinney’s home-brewing days, and has been refined to pair with savory food. Find it on draft at its taproom.
Circa Brewing Co.
The Downtown Brooklyn brewery is making two seasonally appropriate beers this fall, both brewed with German noble hops. The first, a traditional Festbier, will be available in early October. The second, a light and easy-drinking Oktoberfest lager, will be out in mid-October. Drink them at the brewery’s bar.
Interboro Spirits and Ales
The East Williamsburg brewery is making a Festbier with a New York twist. Tastes Like Farmhouse is a pale ale brewed with grains and hops from Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont, New York, resulting in a tart and toasty beer with a dry finish. Find it at several Brooklyn bars, including Greenwood Park, Sycamore, Cardiff Giant and Brouwerij Lane, and its tasting room by early October.
