Preview: Oktoberfest

LOOKING AHEAD: 

OKTOBERFEST 

FESTBIEREN... Yes it's only September and we live in New England but soon it will be Oktoberfest in Deutschland and for your edification I have been putting in the time, at great personal sacrifice, doing my homework to spread the Good News on a handful of German Festbiers my local supplier, Inman Wine & Spirits have been so kind as to stock early in the game. Without further ado, let the head run over... 

WEIHENSTEPHANER 

Festbier 

Premium Bavaricum 

5.8% ABV

    What can you say about a Brauerhaus (apologies as I can't get my umlauts working for some reason) that's been consistently producing quality lager for just shy a millennium? It's crisp, it's sour and malty, with head and hops nuanced like us Yanks will never do. When your original, everyday beer is one of the best on the market, thank God for this time of year when the braumeister somehow makes it better, as we approach the 6,024th anniversary of the Creation (according to James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh) on October 23.

HACKER PSCHORR

Oktoberfest Marzen

    Never a big fan of HP's regular, every-day lager; this seasonal offering is a delight to the senses -- more hoppy, more sweet and sour than other Bavarian Festbiers, and therefore perhaps more suited to the quiet orangey days of Indian Summer as well.

HOFBRAU

Oktoberfestbier

6.3% ABV

    Honestly, while this is an eminently drinkable beer -- and probably better suited for extended session drinking than some of the other festbiers covered herein -- there isn't much to distinguish it from HB's usual offering, save that it is perhaps just a little less watered-down, thus accounting for the greater alcohol content -- and yet, again, without sacrificing any of the aforesaid, as the Americans put it, "crushability".

PAULANER

Oktoberfest Bier

    Crisp lager flows through a rich, creamy head down y'r gullet, hitting those thirsty taste-buds immediately with a freshly sour yeasty flavor and the delicious, bittersweet taste of malt. Old-fashioned German beer done right as per the Reinheitsgebot, the centuries-old law of the land regulating quality brewing -- if only our own dysfunctional Congress could pass a bill so beneficial to the welfare of our nation!

SPATEN

Oktoberfest Ur-Marzen

5.9% ABV

    Not at all like your typical Bavarian Oktoberfest; more akin to a crisp European lager from the former Holy Roman Empire a-la Peroni, or a Low-Country Stella Artois; excepting the sour finish of yeast, almost reminding one of the days when DABs still came in glass bottles -- ah, Deutschland; let not the hipsters and the pandemic stop you sending us Yanks the finest beer in beautiful bottles of green or brown glass, with the fun festive foil wrappers -- cans are for wankers!

    A perfect crisp refreshment for the end of summer.

AYINGER 

PRIVATBRAUEREI

Oktober Fest-Marzen

5.8% ABV

    Finally, a festbier that makes you think, and slowly contemplate rich, creamy dark mellow sweetness of caramel-like malt, subtle yeast, bitter suggestions of citrus or coriander (obviously these Krauts are selective about their hops) -- whereas most Oktoberfest simply appeals to the emotions. I like it both ways; but I think the vulgar American hipster would do well to give this one a try, as its bitter hoppiness might be more to their pallette.

 

Late Additions ---

 

WARSTEINER  Das Einzig Wahre Seit 1753

Oktoberfest

Special Edition

5.9% ABV

 

    I picked up this one after work today [9/13], after just publishing the above post to my blog this morning [and now am typing this in; I had also wanted to edit on the other laptop so I could add the umlauts that were initially missing, but that may have to wait as I am still getting used to Blogger's new formatting and I don't know where I put my notebook with the original handwritten reviews anyway] and Wow! it really knocked me on my ass in disbelief; expecting a more potent version of their flat and watery Pilsener that I sometimes pick up when I want to avoid getting drunk -- instead I'm experiencing something of an almost chocolatey, stout-like balance of sweet & bitter, only half-way through the bottle beginning to yield to the familiar German aftertaste of malt, hops and bubbles.

    "Two elbows up!"

ROTHAUS-BRAU

Eis Zapfle 

original Black Forest Marzen

5.7% ABV     12.2 fl oz.

    Sour. Malt is muted in the finish which is not overly bitter but almost piney from the hops. Distinct from all the Bavarian festbier we have covered, Dear Drinker, this is almost just a more full-bodied version of Rothaus' standard (and highly recommended) Plzn. As the summer heat is finally winding down this was a good brew for the day -- but even more apropos of a chilly evening by the fire, watching the leaves fall and fall. One added plus is the volume -- while the Germans always make quality beer, they usually under-do us on quantity, but this comes in slightly larger than the standard American bottle, at 12.2 oz.