Beer of the Week: Wiesnbier

Oh, thank the lager gods in heaven, we are smack dab in the middle of Oktoberfest. Munich’s festival to end all festivals since 1810, this year’s multi-day party period started on September 19 and will run through October 4. This time of year, breweries across our fair county bust out their interpretations of various German lagers, including Oktoberfest staple styles such as copper-hued Märzens and pale Wies’n-style festbiers. And not just the brewing companies that regularly conjure such bottom-fermenting fare. Come the start of autumn, everyone gets in on the act…even spots which almost exclusively brew hop-heavy West Coast IPAs and pale ales. As one might expect, those aren’t the businesses that tend to churn out the finest Oktoberfest lagers (though, to be fair, if a beer is brewed in San Diego, it’s usually good-to-great, quality-wise). In my experience, it’s the operations that regularly produce lagers, specifically those of the German ilk (as opposed to light American, Mexican and Japanese adjunct lagers) that really nail these celebratory styles. For proof, one need look no further than this week’s featured offering, Wiesnbier. This 5.8% alcohol-by-volume festbier is the handiwork of Barley & Sword Brewing. Established in 2023, the business has done well for itself, enough that earlier this year it was able to expand to North County, opening a larger production facility and tasting room in Escondido. What makes all of that even more impressive is the fact owner Mike Howell and his staff were able to achieve that with a portfolio of Old World beers, the likes of which aren’t typically found at many San Diego breweries. On any given day, Barley & Sword’s beer list may include a Bavarian hefeweizen, Berliner weisse, Kölsch, helles lager or any number of other Deutsch beers, which makes it so fitting to look to them when it comes time to party like a Münchner. Doing so with a Wiesnbier in hand is a heck of a good way to do so. Balanced and easy-drinking with a touch of earthy sweetness and cereal-grain character, it’s up there with the festbiers I partook of when visiting Munich for Oktoberfest in 2024. Even with the elevated price of fuel, driving to Escondido is much more cost-effective than flying to Germany, so, you know…win-win!

A departure from our previous California inspired Festbier, our new brew is a golden example of the style as it should be: all-German, all-traditional, all-fest. This crisp lager brings an inviting Mittelfrüh hop floral character supported by a Magnum bitterness backbone. Each sip begs you to take just one more. This is a brew that could be savored slowly at a quiet table while enjoying a board game or, more likely, enthusiastically quaffed from a stein while yelling, “Zicke zacke zicke zacke hoi hoi hoi!” with 500 of your closest friends.”

Mike Howell, Owner & Head Brewer, Barley & Sword Brewing

Barley & Sword Brewing’s taprooms are located at 800 West Grand Avenue in Escondido and inside the CRAFT by Brewery Igniter facility at 3052 El Cajon Boulevard, Suite 102 in North Park