Hofstettner Hochzeitsbier
 

Review Date 11/16/2025 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Oktoberfest   Brewery: Hoftsetten   Country: Austria   State: N/A   $ Per OZ: $.41 (B)   ABV: 7.3%

So check this out: there I was on the Brauerei Hofstetten website, looking up information on their Granit Bock beer that I was reviewing. I noticed another of their beers was Hofstettner Original Hochzeitsbier, and I thought that sounded really interesting. Hochzeit is German for wedding, and wouldn’t it be cool to have wedding beer at your wedding?

Of course, this beer commemorates a special wedding indeed as Hofstetten explains on their website:

This beer is the result of a lively discussion between the Hofstetten Brewery and Matthias Neidhart from B. United International on beers and beer styles.

In 1810, Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxony celebrated their marriage in Munich.

We are all familiar with the images of golden beer in big liter glasses that have come to be associated with Oktoberfest, but how did the beer in 1810 really taste?

Due to the Munich’s extremely hard water, we are confident that the only beer being brewed at that time in the area was dark. Filtering would not have been common practice, and the beer would have been stronger in alcohol and well-hopped to ensure an adequate shelf life.

A malt bill of 100% Munich malt provides the darker color but also a certain amount of residual sugar, giving this beer a nice smooth body. Warm fruity notes from the hops then balance out this truly historical beer.

So there you go, a wedding beer to commemorate the wedding that started Oktoberfest. Mind you, Hofstetten is from Austria, not Germany, but it borders Bavaria, Austrians speak German, and they love their beer as much as Germans do. So there you go. Anyway, I thought, I really need to try this beer.

Except, as I found out, I already had. Yes indeed, I got a can from Craft Shack in June of 2021 and drank it that August. I took tasting notes which you see below but never fleshed them out into this review. Hey, better late than never.

Hofstettner Original Hochzeitsbier has an alcohol content of 6.3% by volume and I paid $6.49 for my half liter can. This is the only pricing I have and is about the same as the $6.98 I paid for the Granit Bock.

Hofstettner Original Hochzeitsbier pours to a beautiful orange amber color with a thick fluffy white head and an enticing nose of toasted malts. Taking a sip, the beer is medium in body, nutty malty and toasty with delightful Munich malt goodness. It finishes quite hoppy with grassy herbal aroma and a remarkable long dry bitterness for the style (Marzen). This is very good indeed and makes me want to get married all over again (OK and I love my wife, too, another good reason). Try it while listening to the Zillertaller Hochzeits march.