Your Ultimate Guide to Oktoberfest in St. Louis
A STLBeer Original Guide
Raise a Glass at These Oktoberfest Celebrations in St. Louis
St. Louis is closer to Germany than you might think. More than 165 years ago, German immigrants—including the Lemp and Busch brewing families—harnessed the region’s flowing rivers and cool caves to brew crisp, refreshing lagers, helping establish St. Louis as one of America’s great beer towns.
About Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest began in Munich, Germany, on October 12, 1810, as a massive public party to celebrate the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. Held on a meadow named Theresienwiese—where the official festival is still anchored today—the event was eventually moved into mid-September to take advantage of warmer weather and longer daylight hours. True Munich Oktoberfest beer is strictly governed by the Reinheitsgebot (the German Beer Purity Law of 1516), which restricts ingredients to water, barley, hops, and yeast, and only six historic Munich breweries are legally permitted to pour at the event. While St. Louis beer lovers traditionally associate the season with the rich, amber Märzen lager, modern Munich festival tents have largely shifted toward Festbier, a lighter, crisper golden lager built for drinkability.
Today, St. Louis craft breweries continue to honor this heritage, channeling old-world traditions into exceptional local interpretations of both classic Märzens and clean Festbiers that bridge German history straight to our regional taps.