For many years, the U.S. brewery Sierra Nevada has been brewing a festive beer for the fall in collaboration with a different German brewery each year. It’s called “Oktoberfest.”
This year, Markus and Nini Hoppe traveled to Sierra Nevada’s brewery in Mills River, North Carolina. They brought their Hoppebräu Märzen recipe with them. Together with Brian Grossmann, Sierra Nevada’s chief brewer and owner, they fine-tuned the recipe. As always, the goal is to blend traditional German brewing culture with American brewing culture and give it “liquid” expression.
At his brewery in Waakirchen, Hoppe relies on Munich and Pilsner malts and Hersbrucker hops; Grossmann adds Cascade hops, both during the cold hop stage and in the form of dried cones. The result is a relatively dark, dry-hopped Lager with a hefty 6 percent alcohol content. The malty body of the Bavarian Märzen serves as a solid backbone for the aromas of the flavor hops, which bring citrus notes to the nose. Sounds good and exciting.
Only in the U.S.
In Europe, “Oktoberfest beer” has been registered as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) since 2022 and is reserved exclusively for the six major Munich breweries: Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten. The term “Oktoberfest” itself is also protected by trademark law and belongs to the City of Munich. For all other breweries, the solution is to get creative—using terms like “Festbier,” “Märzen,” or even “Oktoberfest-style.”
That’s why official sales of the collaborative beer are limited to the U.S. market. Such regulations don’t apply there: In the U.S., “Oktoberfest” is considered a common style designation for Märzen or festival beers and may be used freely as long as it doesn’t suggest a false origin.
Too bad for all German beer lovers. They’ll have to do without—or travel.
Cheers!
Source: Sierra Nevada @ Facebook
Photos: © Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Text: Birgit Rieber
