Festbier: The Golden Party

If you go to Oktoberfest in Munich today, you will not be served an amber, malty Märzen. You will be served a golden, dangerously drinkable lager called Festbier. Developed by Paulaner in the 1970s, this style was created because the traditional Märzen was too heavy for drinking by the liter. Festbier is essentially a “Super Helles”—stronger (6.0%) but still pale and crisp.

1. Festbier vs. Märzen

Feature	Märzen (Traditional)	Festbier (Modern)
Color	Amber / Copper	Gold / Deep Yellow
Flavor	Toasted Bread Crust	Doughy, Honey, Light Toast
Drinkability	Medium	High
Example	Sam Adams Oktoberfest	Paulaner Wiesn

2. Ingredients

The Malt: Pilsner Dominance

Base: German Pilsner Malt (70-80%).
Support: Munich Malt (20%) or Vienna Malt. Just enough to add a golden hue and a “doughy” backbone, but not the intense toast of a Märzen.

The Hops

Variety: Hallertau Mittelfruh or Tettnang.
Bitterness: Moderate (20-25 IBU). It needs to be low enough to let the malt sweetness shine but high enough to keep the finish crisp.

The Yeast

Lager: WLP830 or W-34/70.
Attenuation: Needs to be fairly high (75-80%). Sweetness comes from the malt flavor, not residual sugar.

3. Recipe: “Theresienwiese Gold”

Batch Size: 5 Gallons (19 Liters)
OG: 1.056
FG: 1.012
ABV: 5.8%
IBU: 22
SRM: 5

Grain Bill

3.6 kg (8 lbs) German Pilsner Malt
0.9 kg (2 lbs) Munich Malt Type I
0.23 kg (0.5 lb) Vienna Malt

Hops

30g (1 oz) Hallertau Mittelfruh (4% AA) @ 60 min
15g (0.5 oz) Hallertau Mittelfruh (4% AA) @ 15 min

Yeast

SafLager W-34/70 (2 packets)

Instructions

Mash: 65°C (149°F). We want it digestible.
Boil: 90 minutes.
Ferment: 10°C (50°F).
Lager: 6 weeks at 1°C.

4. Serving

Glassware: The Masskrug (1 Liter Dimpled Mug).
Context: Drink while singing “Ein Prosit.”

Conclusion

Festbier is the ultimate session beer for a long day. It has enough alcohol to keep the party going but is light enough to keep you on your feet (mostly).