Oktoberfest 2026
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California, United States 🇺🇸
Collab with: HoppebräuLager - Märzen / Festbier Autumn
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Score
7.19
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Each year, we partner with a German brewer to create a traditional Oktoberfest, but this modern Festbier breaks the mold. A collaboration with innovative Bavarian brewer, Hoppebräu, our 2026 Oktoberfest is lightly dry-hopped for a hint of floral character, balanced by biscuity flavor thanks to Munich malt. But it won’t last long; this seasonal beer will be gone before you can say prost!
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7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Another Brewver Worldwide Top 50 for the style. 12 ounce can from Hamilton Super BuyRite. My first Oktoberfest of the season. Amber orange pour. Creamy white head. Toasted malt aroma has earthy, spicy hop notes. Flavor is crisp, malty and complex. Earthy, toasty malt. Floral, herbal hops. Great balance. Nicely done.
Tried
from Can
from
Hamilton Super Buy-Rite
on 05 Sep 2026
at 03:01
7.8/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
12 oz. can from Publix. Pours a crystal clear orange-bronze color with a khaki head and decent retention. Very limited lacing. A mix of sweet malt and light hops aroma. The taste follows the nose, with a 50/50 mix of malts and hops flavors. A bit too hoppy for my palate, but it’s okay. Oktoberfest beers should not be hoppy or bitter. Medium body and very low carbonation. Hoppy, but low bitterness.
Tried
from Can
on 29 Aug 2026
at 00:42
7.4/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 7
Canned 7/16/26, drunk 8/27/26.
Fairly rich caramel maltiness isn't too intensely sweet and there's a bit of dried herb and light floral character from the hop that helps offset the rich intensity. Not hugely aromatic, but what's there is clean, snappy, polished.
Lighter-bodied than usual for a Marzen and even for SN's collab series. I'll take it, though, because I much prefer a drier, biscuitier Marzen instead of a thick, sweet, caramel-forward one. Hops are a bit unfocused, mostly adding a dull/vague bitterness without much accompanying interesting flavor component. But it's dry enough and bitter enough (without being thin/watery) to give it an excellent drinkability.
Fairly rich caramel maltiness isn't too intensely sweet and there's a bit of dried herb and light floral character from the hop that helps offset the rich intensity. Not hugely aromatic, but what's there is clean, snappy, polished.
Lighter-bodied than usual for a Marzen and even for SN's collab series. I'll take it, though, because I much prefer a drier, biscuitier Marzen instead of a thick, sweet, caramel-forward one. Hops are a bit unfocused, mostly adding a dull/vague bitterness without much accompanying interesting flavor component. But it's dry enough and bitter enough (without being thin/watery) to give it an excellent drinkability.
Tried
from Can
from
The Wine Garden
on 27 Aug 2026
at 17:45
7.4/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Can from Livonia Liquor. Pours a clear amber with a finger of beige head that dissipates. Floral hop aromas with light bready malts. Palate is similar with a nice earthy hop undertone. Lingering floral and crackery malt notes. I appreciate the mild bitterness over sweetness in a festbier.
Tried
from Can
from
Livonia Liquor & Fine Wine
on 27 Aug 2026
at 02:14
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 8
Overall 8
Can from the Packie enjoyed at home.
Pours a brilliant deep gold color with a good sized white head that slowly dissipates. Bready crackery maltiness with a bit of melanoidin and spicy earthy hops to counter. Pretty tasty.
Pours a brilliant deep gold color with a good sized white head that slowly dissipates. Bready crackery maltiness with a bit of melanoidin and spicy earthy hops to counter. Pretty tasty.
Tried
from Can
on 19 Aug 2026
at 22:03
7.3/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 7
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 7.5
Can from Wegmans. Deep amber with orange, clear, with a low head. Fruity, toasty aroma, apple and sweet mandarin, some caramel, grass. Again very fruity flavor, more like an ale than a lager. Slightly nutty, toasty, nice bitterness. Light body. Tasty but seems out of style.
Tried
on 19 Aug 2026
at 00:34
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 7.5
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
12 oz. can
6.0% ABV
Packaged on: 07/17/26
$12.79 6-pk @ Publix
AROMA: Slightly sweet with moderate scents of caramel, bread, and malt. Overall, a nice, inviting, nose. While I had hoped that the aromas would open up a bit more, as the beer warmed, they did not.
APPEARANCE: Pours a clear medium-amber color, with a head that is very tall (4-finger), cream colored, and has a tiny-bubbled froth that dissipates moderately slow with nice lacing. I find it to be a very nice looking festival beer that invites one to take a sip.
TASTE: Initially there is light sweetness with moderate flavors of slightly burnt caramel, followed my minor flavors of malt and hops. At the very end of the finish, at the very back of my tongue, I get a very brief hint of metallic "tinge". The finish is a little dryer than I prefer in a Festbier, but not out of line for the style. And just like the aroma, there was no discernible change in flavor as the beer warmed. In that regard, I wish there had been a slight increase in the sweetness as (I think) it would have helped to alleviate the metallic "tinge" that I encountered.
MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied with a less-than-smooth texture (i.e. it's ever so slightly abrasive on the tongue). Carbonation is average.
OVERALL: This 2026 collaboration version with Hoppebräu is better than last year's (2025) collab version with Störtebeker, but not as good as the 2024 collab version with Brauerei Gutmann. The 2025 version's was too subtle, in all aspects (aroma, flavor, carbonation), for my tastes. This 2026 version is an improvement over the 2025 version in that it has more flavor and aroma. However, it is still a step down from the 2024. Mostly due to it being a little too dry for tastes, and the flavors are not as balanced and welcoming as the 2024 version.
6.0% ABV
Packaged on: 07/17/26
$12.79 6-pk @ Publix
AROMA: Slightly sweet with moderate scents of caramel, bread, and malt. Overall, a nice, inviting, nose. While I had hoped that the aromas would open up a bit more, as the beer warmed, they did not.
APPEARANCE: Pours a clear medium-amber color, with a head that is very tall (4-finger), cream colored, and has a tiny-bubbled froth that dissipates moderately slow with nice lacing. I find it to be a very nice looking festival beer that invites one to take a sip.
TASTE: Initially there is light sweetness with moderate flavors of slightly burnt caramel, followed my minor flavors of malt and hops. At the very end of the finish, at the very back of my tongue, I get a very brief hint of metallic "tinge". The finish is a little dryer than I prefer in a Festbier, but not out of line for the style. And just like the aroma, there was no discernible change in flavor as the beer warmed. In that regard, I wish there had been a slight increase in the sweetness as (I think) it would have helped to alleviate the metallic "tinge" that I encountered.
MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied with a less-than-smooth texture (i.e. it's ever so slightly abrasive on the tongue). Carbonation is average.
OVERALL: This 2026 collaboration version with Hoppebräu is better than last year's (2025) collab version with Störtebeker, but not as good as the 2024 collab version with Brauerei Gutmann. The 2025 version's was too subtle, in all aspects (aroma, flavor, carbonation), for my tastes. This 2026 version is an improvement over the 2025 version in that it has more flavor and aroma. However, it is still a step down from the 2024. Mostly due to it being a little too dry for tastes, and the flavors are not as balanced and welcoming as the 2024 version.
Tried
from Can
from
Publix - Winter Springs Town Center
on 18 Aug 2026
at 18:57