New Oldsmobiles are in early this year! Remember when Dan Aykroyd, in his Elwood Blues character, said that whilst driving through a mall in the 1980 classic film, The Blues Brothers? These days, he could just as easily say that about Oktoberfest beers, which seem to show up earlier and earlier every summer.
Oktoberfest is, of course, a fall celebration, and while it has Oktober in the name, most of it occurs in September. That doesn't stop brewers (German and American) from putting their Oktoberfest beers out early. One of the first I usually see is Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest, each year a collaboration with a German brewer. This year was no exception, and when I saw someone on Untappd had checked into Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2026 there on August 1st, I was on a mission to find some.
That day being a Saturday, I checked the Total Wine website, and sure enough my local store had it. Off I went, then, to pick some up, but that's all I will get, I told myself. I have so much beer at home already, I told myself. OK, maybe I will get a few singles, too, I told myself. I arrived, and $168 later...
Isn't that another story in and of itself? I brought home about two and a half cases of beer at an average price of $67 a case. Of course, that is a function of how we beer geeks buy beer, lots of singles, you see. Anyway, a six-pack of Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2026 was included, and this year it is a collaboration with Hoppebrau, a brewery new to me. This is a smaller brewer, only established in 2010, which In Germany is like 5 minutes ago. This is one of the youngest brewers Sierra Nevada has collaborated with, just barely beat out by Kerhrweider Brauerei, founded in 2011. these breweries have been:
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2015 with Brauhaus Riegele
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2016 with Mahrs Brau
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2017 with Brauhaus Miltenberger
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2018 with Weihenstephan
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2019 with Bitburger
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2020
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2021
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2023 with Kehrwieder
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2024 with Gutmann
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2025 With Stortebeker
No collaboration occurred in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid.
Sierra Nevada does not have this beer listed on their website yet, but from the can label and six-pack carton I can tell what you they say about it (see the Sierra Nevada Says section of this review).
I do always worry I will not be able to find this one. That happened in 2022 and I still have not recovered from that. And while this beer used to be the first one I see each year, it has been joined by more and more such brews each August, as you can see from the photos below.
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2026 has an alcohol content of 6% by volume . I don't have the ingredients yet but will add them to this review later once Sierra Nevada lists them on their website. My six-pack carton has a sticker saying that they check this into stock on 7/24/2026, about a week before I bought it. My cans are stamped PKGD 071726 on the bottom, no doubt at Mills River.
About Sierra Nevada Brewery
When we started in 1980, we could never have imagined what Sierra Nevada would become. But while much has changed, some things have stayed the same, like our unwavering commitment to quality and our independent ownership. Join us in Mills River and Chico as we raise our glasses to 45 years of finest-quality beer.
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2026 in a Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Glass
Tasting Notes
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2026 pours to a brilliant orange jello color with a thick fluffy white head and a nose of fresh bread and lemony grassy/lemongrass hops. Taking a sip, the beer is fresh bready like the nose promised, but not for long. The malt is quickly overwhelmed by the hops. Citrusy lemony, earthy herbal, grassy, and long dry and lingering bitter in the finish. I love these types of hops, so this is outstanding, but it's not your average Festbier.
Value & Verdict
I paid $12.49 for my six-pack at Total Wine.
A hint of floral character, Sierra Nevada? I think you're guilty of understatement there. If though you love German hops in all their glory, this beer is definitely for you.
