The following Last Call article is part of our special digital Oktoberfest issue. You can read this special issue here. 

Party Hat, the Oktoberfest from Byers Brewing Company in DeKalb, is a great beer for fall. I had never tried it until a friend brought some to our NIU football tailgate last September, and I quickly had to go buy some more to stock my fridge with. Easy drinking Marzen and a fun brewery in downtown DeKalb as well.

— Brent G.

I obviously am mass consuming Oktoberfest beers from the likes of Spaten, Hacker-Pschorr, Ayinger, Weihenstephaner and more right now, but there are some REALLY excellent choices locally as well. My three go-to local Oktoberfest options are More Brewing‘s Oktoberfest, Hopewell’s Endgrain and Revolution’s Oktoberfest. All three just hit those perfect notes and leave you with a warming in your chest that’s needed on a chilly fall day, but are also easy to drink multiples of in one sitting.

Although not necessarily local, New Glarus’ Staghorn has to be in this list. It is absolutely outstanding, and somehow (I think maybe due to the use of Midwest and European malts) actually comes off distinct from any other Oktoberfest I drink during the season. I purposefully make a trip north each year to load up on a case.

— Aaron Keefner

Urban Chestnut out of St. Louis does a really good job with traditional styles of beers that don’t seem overly complex but are still incredibly solid. Their O-Katz Oktoberfest lager has been moving pretty good for us at the restaurant. They’re a tried-and-tested brewery for us. They seemed like a shoe-in for breweries that might nail an Oktoberfest, and we were right. 

— Dan Boland, owner of Daniel’s Charcuterie in Park Ridge, IL

Haymarket Brewery

The Oktoberfest beer style is one of my favorites — full bodied, lightly hopped with a bready or toasty taste. Chicago is the home of several of the best Oktoberfest beers in the country. The best of the best for me are 3 Floyds’ Munsterfest and Haymarket’s Festbier. Both have that toasty malt with caramel sweetness, with a refreshing finish that has a subtle lemon flavor.  Haymarket has slightly more caramel sweetness, which I think is more of the classic flavor of Oktoberfest. You can drink a lot of these!

— Dan Taylor is author of the craft beer blog Chicago Craft Beer Hunters

Up until this year, Octoberfest was not a big priority for me, but that has changed as we’ve evolved. I credit the head brewer at Two Hound Red, Steve Wortendyke, and a handful of other brewer friends for pushing us to expand our horizons and helping us see the light when it comes to classic German styles. I dig Goldfinger (on our list to visit) as well as anything really from Art History this time of year.

The Phase Three P3 helles lager is another of my faves, and the Kayak Pils from Riverlands is dynamite. I’m also good with anybody that adds a little smoked malt to any helles. Oh, and did you say brats? Yes please, but throw mine on the grill and make sure there’s some giardiniera on them. Can you tell I was born in the city?

— Romeo from Romeo & Brewliet on Instagram

Romeo & Brewliet

I am quite vocal about my love of sweeter and fruitier beers, so I can understand if I am not the first person you think of when you hear Oktoberfest. Joke’s on you, because I LOVE this season in the craft beer world! Oktoberfest kicks off the fall season and brings in the darker and richer brews, which are a delight to have when the fall breeze starts to blow in. If you want to experience some true-to-form and delicious traditional German beer, I’d suggest Goldfinger Brewing Company. They currently have the pils on tap, and coming up they have a dunkel and an Oktoberfest called Ur Marzen.

I’d also strongly suggest checking out Solemn Oath, which passes the vibe check for Oktoberfest with brews like Oktoberface and Foederface. Have fun and drink responsibly!

— Brewliet from Romeo & Brewliet on Instagram

Revolution’s Oktoberfest

Is it just me, or does the release of Oktoberfest beers start earlier every year? In this case, not a bad thing at all, as the traditional American style of Octoberfest, known as a Marzen, is a great beer. My go-to standard for this style is the very consistent offering from Revolution Brewing. It has a great golden-red color with hints of apple and caramel on the nose. The balance is good, with a light bitter toffee start followed by a sweet-to-bitter finish. It’s a great standard for the style and reference for the ever-expanding range of Oktoberfest beers.

— Geoff Hutchins

I really enjoy More Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest. It’s got a real nice balance of toasted bread malty goodness with a bit of bitterness that makes it a way drinker. 

— Ben Ault