Beer Styles

What's the difference between Märzen and Festbier? Both are bottom-fermented Bavarian lagers of similar strength, and both show up in steins at Rosenheim's autumn festival. The difference lies in color and character.

Märzen is the older style. It runs 13.3 to 14.7 degrees Plato, 5.6 to 6.3 percent ABV, and ranges in color from deep gold to copper. It tastes of bread crust and malt, with restrained bitterness at 18 to 24 IBU. Auerbräu bottles a Herbstfest-Märzen, and Flötzinger Brewery also brews a Märzen for the festival.

Festbier is paler. It shines golden yellow, tastes a touch milder on the malt, and drinks smoother, at 5.8 to 6.3 percent ABV. At the Munich Oktoberfest, this golden Festbier has replaced the amber-colored Märzen.

Even so, you won't find Oktoberfestbier in the Rosenheim tents. The name has been protected as a PGI since 2022 and is reserved for breweries within Munich's city limits—namely Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten. Rosenheim brewers therefore call their beer Märzen or Festbier.

These figures come from competition guidelines. Individual beers may fall above or below them; exact values are printed on the label. Märzen and Festbier are also not legally protected names—they simply describe the brewing style.

Helles sits at a clear distance: it runs 11 to 11.9 degrees Plato and 4.7 to 5.4 percent ABV, making it noticeably lighter. Anyone settling in for a long evening in the tent will notice the difference in mouthfeel and malt sweetness.