Ever popular craft beer brand Sierra Nevada is announcing its newest release for Oktoberfest season, and appropriately enough, it’s a Festbier. Despite the name, Oktoberfest traditionally kicks off in Bavaria, Germany in late September, so Sierra Nevada is rolling out its new offering now.
The Californian brand traditionally collaborates with a German beer brand for its release each year, and this year it is working with family-owned brewery Brauerei Gutmann. Based in the village of Titting in Bavaria, this brewery is famed for its hefeweizen style beers. But together the brands are creating a festbier, which is more like a robust lager style. It will include a hint of wheat malt though, as a nod to the Gutmann wheat beer style.
“Fans of this beer may not realize there is a deeper story of collaboration and friendship behind it. It’s a delicious take on the Festbier style, and there is a direct and authentic Bavarian influence in it through our collaboration efforts with Brauerei Gutmann,” said Brian Grossman, Chief Brewer and second-generation owner at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. “A lot of effort and meticulous care goes into crafting all our beers, and especially so with Oktoberfest because of the collaboration process, and the back-and-forth discussion of the recipe and brewing techniques. At the core we’re brewers, we love brewing beer and doing it with precision and authenticity. It’s even more fun when we get to do it with friends who share our passion for great beer.”
The 2024 Oktoberfest Collaboration Beer comes in at 6% abv and 30 IBU, and is on sale in retail locations from now through October.
