OnTap Magazine

GAUTENG, NORTH WEST AND MPUMALANGA Afro Caribbean Brewing Company: Oktoberfest Berg River Brewery: Dunkel Weizen Doppelbock & Chambok Brown (non-traditional.) Cape Brewing Company: Oktoberfest TukTuk Microbrewery: Oktoberfest & Vienna Lager Mountain Brewing Company: Klipbok Doppelbock & Copper Dawn Vienna Lager Long Beach Brewery: Märzen Urban Brewing Company: Oktoberfest Saggy Stone Brewing Company: Dark Horse Lager (Munich Dunkel) & Oktoberfest Barrington’s Brewery: Oktoberfest lager WESTERN CAPE Mad Giant: Festbier OC Brewery: Das Schunkel Bier Copper Lake Breweries: Dark Lager (Dunkel) Three Stags Brewery: Old Mule Oktoberfest Hazeldean Brewing Company: Vienna Lager Brauhaus Afrika: Märzen & Dunkel Sabie Brewing Company: Long Tom Munich Dunkel EASTERN CAPE AND KWAZULU-NATAL Brewhaha: Jubilee Festival Beer Featherstone Brewery: Festbier Clockwork Brewhouse: Märzen Lager Lions River Craft Brewery: Festbier SOME DIGITAL ASSISTANCE Familiarise yourself with the printed map as a rough visual guide to the Oktoberfest trail. When you are ready, scan the handy QR code and it will take you to a digital interactive map so you can plan your own trip in more detail and explore it your way. Prost! DON’T FORGET TOTAG US INYOUR PICTURES Facebook: #beerrouteza Instagram: @beerrouteza FINDINGYOUR FESTBIER No other festival has sparked so many copycat events around the world. Come September, it doesn’t matter if you’re in Cape Town, Canberra or Copacabana; it seems that every second bar or brewery has some sort of homage to the Wiesn. But even if there is no such mini-Oktoberfest event near you, that shouldn’t prevent you from doing your own exploration of some really awesome German beer styles on offer in South Africa. So, by my slightly beer- obsessed logic and since Fest season is upon us, it only seemed natural to try and compile a list of craft breweries that make some form of Festbier, be it regular or seasonal. And following this same beer-logic and considering that a map might look a little sparse in South Africa with Festbier alone, I expanded the list a little to include other celebratory German and Austrian beer styles available in SouthAfrica, including Vienna lager, Märzen, Doppelbock and a few Dunkels along the way. Confused? Well, here’s a cheat sheet to the various styles. MÄRZEN This was the standard festival beer until the 90s. The name means “March Beer,” because it is brewed in March at a slightly higher strength (for preservation) and then aged in caves until the autumn. Amber to reddish in colour, Märzens have more malt depth than a Festbier. FESTBIER The Festbier is actually a relatively modern addition to Oktoberfest, only introduced to the festival by Paulaner in the 70s. It is golden in colour and similar to a Märzen in flavour and aroma, although less rich and intense. It was introduced as a less filling alternative to the traditional Oktoberfest beers of the time, designed to be drunk in quantity. VIENNA LAGER The Vienna Lager is similar to the Festbier andMärzen in flavour, but lower in alcohol and with less malt intensity. In fact, a good Vienna Lager has a moderate malt intensity with low hop aroma and only a hint of toasty and malty characters. These malts also contribute to the light-reddish amber to copper colour of the beer. MUNICH DUNKEL The word Dunkel means dark and in beer terms this can be applied to various German beer styles. A Munich Dunkel is defined by its use of German hops and lager yeast, giving it a dry finish. You should get a lot of deep toasty flavours but without roasted or burnt flavours. DOPPELBOCK When compared to Märzen and Festbier, the Doppelbock is the most intensely malty. It is rich and sweet, albeit with a dryish finish, making it very easy to overindulge in. The colour can range from golden to dark brown, but the golden versions tend to be dryer than the darker Doppelbocks. This is very much a Munich and broader Bavarian specialty and, although this beer was traditionally consumed by Monks during the “Lenten fast,” it has become a popular German beer style, particularly in cooler weather. ontapmag.co.za | Spring 2022 | 51