For beer lovers in the U.S., October is synonymous with Oktoberfest-style beers showing up on tap and in stores. While in Germany, it traditionally runs from mid-September to the first Sunday in October, that schedule has been adapted to run until German Unity Day on October 3rd.
In the US, Oktoberfest is an opportunity to celebrate German heritage, with many breweries holding or sponsoring celebrations throughout October.
We’ve done another data deep-dive using BevSpot ordering data to find what the most popular Oktoberfest brands are (by volume) among bars and restaurants on the BevSpot platform. Out of the 154 different brews ordered, we’ve compiled a list of October’s top Oktoberfests, measured in ounces ordered.
Not represented on our list are 147 amazing lagers which make up 26.32% of orders.
Now, on to BevSpot’s frontrunners. Oans, zwoa, g’suffa!
Coming in at 2.69% of order volume, Jack’s Abby is a craft brewery out of Framingham, MA that specializes in lagers. In a market dominated by German beer, we are proud to see a Massachusetts brewer on our list. Prost!
Check out Jack’s Abby Copper Legend Octoberfest on Beer Advocate
Established by friars in1634, Paulaner Brewery’s festbier was introduced to Oktoberfests in the 1950s as a less sweet alternative to Märzen. At 2.98% of BevSpot volume, this beer has limited availability. Historically, it has only been available at Paulaner Oktoberfest tents but was made available for retail due to Oktoberfest COVID-19 cancelations.
Check out Paulaner Brewery Oktoberfest Wiesn on Beer Advocate
Formed in 1972 from the merger of two early 15th and 16th-century breweries, this Märzen came in with 4.55% of volume.
Check out Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen on Beer Advocate
At 8.48% of order volume, Paulaner has another offering on our list. Boasting a recipe over 200 years old, this beer is available year-round in the U.S., unlike their Weisn.
Check out Paulaner Brewery Oktoberfest Märzen on Beer Advocate
This brewery owned by the Bavarian state government is another old one, from the 16th century. It gained popularity in the U.S. after World War II, and with franchises across the U.S., their Märzen weighs in at 9.84% of BevSpot volume.
Check out Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier on Beer Advocate
As part of the Interbrew group (a subsidiary of the massive Anheuser-Busch InBev company), it’s unsurprising that this Märzen claims 19.15% of BevSpot’s Oktoberfest order volume.
Seeing a pattern here? German beers have fairly substantial penetration into the U.S. market. There are only a few breweries that are granted permission to participate in official Oktoberfest celebrations, and we see most of them represented on this list.
Check out Spaten Oktoberfest on Beer Advocate
Alrighty. It’s finally time to reveal our highest Oktoberfest by volume.
We’re not really surprised to see Sam Adams OctoberFest topping the list. Plus, we’re proud to see another Massachusetts company on the list with a whopping 25.98% of BevSpot order volume.9
Check out Samuel Adams OctoberFest on Beer Advocate
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