532. New Glarus Staghorn Octoberfest

This is officially treasure-trove of deliciousness, part two. Although there’s not much left of that treasure-trove. In addition to last week’s Saison, we’ve also tried Raspberry Tart, Belgian Red, and Fat Squirrel Brown Ale from New Glarus.

Staghorn pours a crystal clear harvest-hued copper with lots of orange and yellow. I’d normally just call it amber, but since they used that in the description, I didn’t want to come across as derivative. The head is thin, eggshell, and has decent retention—it is, in all honesty, quite lager-like in the partial coverage of skiffs and small islands. There are bright, small bubbles running up the sides of the glass, and the nose is biscuit and bread dough from the malt, and just the faintest waft of hop bitterness—I’m almost tempted to call it earthy and musty. As the beers opens up, some graininess and huskiness also emerges from an otherwise clean beer. Flavors start with biscuit malt and drop into dry cracker in the middle; the carbonation bite drops to cleanness, offering the faintest kiss of sweetness from the Munich malt. As the slight sweetness fades, the hop bitterness comes to the foreground, closing with a touch of graininess and biscuit mixed in at the end. I get less of the lager hop soapiness I find in other lagers/Oktoberfests, but this is certainly a lager—my guess is the touch of sweetness covers it over, even as I would still describe the finish as dry and crisp. The ever so faint grain-derived grape fruitiness—and I want to emphasize that it is faint—is there, albeit less than there was in the Lakefront Oktoberfest. Lakefront is also a good comparison overall: I like New Glarus Staghorn slightly better, while Elli prefers Lakefront a bit more, but both beers are the cream of the American Oktoberfest crop. The old school label on the bottle—the deer in silhouette in front of a harvest moon—is another nice touch on a beer that offers the total package: a crisp, clean, and malty Oktoberfest that fits well with the brisk bite of chilly evenings. Prost!

From the bottle: “100% Natural—great Midwest barleys, the world’s most expensive hops, fresh yeast from Germany, and dear Wisconsin water make our Staghorn Octoberfest ‘Wisconsin’s Real Red.’ You will find absolutely no additives, preservatives, or artificial agents of any kind in this bier. Staghorn is brewed using the time honored methods and Krausened to release the smooth flavor of our roasted malts. This Octoberfest combines a smooth amber body with a clean crisp finish. Be sure to hold this one up to the light of nay harvest moon and enjoys ‘Wisconsin’s Real Red.’ Vielen Dank!”

ABV: 6.25%

Great Saison Chain of Being. That’s still awesome.

(9/25/2012)

530. Lakefront Oktoberfest

It is that time of year again—you know, when it is acceptable to publicly listen to polka and wear lederhosen in a non-ironic manner. And while I find both of those things psychically scarring, the reciprocal beer options connected to the same time of year make that trauma a little less painful to bear. Just ask my brother, Jason, who lives in Leavenworth, WA, a so-called Bavarian theme-town that makes its living off of marketing a faux-German identity. The town’s mascot is Woody Goomsba, and he has his own YouTube videos. I shit you not. Look it up—after all, that’s what the internet is for, isn’t it? Well, that and squirrels on water-skis or keyboard playing cats. Play ’em off, Keyboard Cat! Which brings me back to the beer, specifically Lakefront Brewery’s Oktoberfest. We’ve seem Lakefront before with their IPA, and they didn’t disappoint. Speaking of awkward, I feel compelled to make some sort of Laverne & Shirley reference, but I can’t think of a suitable transition, so I’ll just move on to the beer.

Lakefront Oktoberfest pours a slightly hazy copper infused with a fair amount of orange. Or, in other words, it’s Oktoberfest in my glass! The head is creamy eggshell; it hangs out a bit, but slowly dissipates to a ring with some skiff islands. In the nose, the beer features biscuit malt with toast and bread crust; there is also a slight hint of fruit/grape hiding in the back, but it fits well with the other aromas—I think it derives from the Vienna malt, but I’m not certain. It is, however, malty goodness in a glass. Flavors open with a combination of bread dough and biscuit malt, before giving way to the slight tang of hop bitterness in the middle that cuts through the malt and cleans the palate. There is a slight fruitiness in the first part as well, but less distinct in taste than it was in the nose; it could also be a combination of nutty and melanoidin or from the Vienna malt—I can’t quite pin it down. It finishes dry and clean, with the slight soapy hop finish I like in a lager, plus a touch of biscuit and nutty malt sneaking through to round the beer as a whole. Carbonation is medium, and picks up bite over the profile of the beer—the malt holds it in check in the front, but it comes through in the finish. This is a well made and enjoyable beer; it is one of the better American Oktoberfests I’ve had—for example, I like it better than Great Lakes Oktoberfest. More importantly, it is actually a lager, unlike some of the other beers passing themselves off as Oktoberfests out there. Nice work on this one, Lakefront.

From the Lakefront website: “This traditional lager is brewed with generous amounts of Munich malt, giving it a wonderful orange hue with a rocky, off-white head. Light hop aromas balance out a slightly floral nose from the German lager yeast. Balanced hop bitterness offsets the substantial malt body, while the lager yeast adds a subtlety of flavor that makes this a great rendition of a German classic. Prost!”

ABV: 5.7%

P.S. Get your Goomsba up. Seriously. If I had any German American heritage, it would be rolling over in it’s grave right now. Oh wait, I do. And it is.

P.S.S. I still hate Bud Selig.

(9/3/2012)

489. Weihenstephaner Festbier

What would Fall be without German beer? Let me tell you—someplace dark, strict, and terrible. Sure, the whole lack of hops thing coupled with Reinheitsgebot does create some problems, but without the larger benevolence that is the dream of Oktoberfest, we’d be relegated to some sort of creepy Amish nightmare world, shunning technology and recounting previous days of Rumspringa as the only recourse to staving off the vengeance of assaulting our fellow Amish and shaving off their beards. Oh wait, that already happened. My bad. Plus, all of us non-Amish still have to deal with the aches and pains of adult responsibility, technologically driven or no. But you know what separates us from the Amish, don’t you? That’s right, my friend. Beer. Sweet, delicious beer. Which brings me back to Germany. So thanks, Germany, from keeping us from ending up like the Amish. Or the Shakers. Or even (and more importantly) the Mormons. I wish I could lay claim to beer being the solution to all of our fundamentalist religious problems, but that might be going too far. But it would make a good start, wouldn’t it?

Weihenstephaner Festbier is our fifth beer from Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan in Freising, Germany. We already sampled the magic of Korbinian, Hefe Weissbier and Dr. Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse. Festbier pours a clear gold with a brilliant white head that slowly reduces to a ring; the nose features bread crust and dough malt aromas coupled with a light hop bitterness dancing in the background. There is also an ephemeral candy sweetness in the nose that took me most of the beer to pin down. Flavors start soft and gentle on the palate; the carbonation is there, but more as a rounding characteristic. Malt flavors include bread and a slight graininess; the hop bitterness manifests in the middle, dropping off before the finish and reappearing as a palate sensation of lingering bitterness at the conclusion of the beer. There is a slight rise in sweetness in the middle right before the carbonation strips the flavor away, leaving a graininess and huskiness that melds with the bitterness of the finish. There is a touch more malt character than some of the other Weihenstephan beers, but it still has a delightful balance—the traditional hop character of a lager beer lurks behind the malt character, asserting itself as the beer starts to warm. But the overall character of the beer is clean and crisp—it says drink me on a brisk fall afternoon with the smell of dead leaves and change in the air, and I’ll remind you that the pleasure of seeing and experiencing the closing of the year connects you to the natural rhythms of the world. And while that may seem like a lot for a beer to do, maybe you need to get the hell out of the house and drink more beer outside by a fire with the crisp bite of fall in air to understand what the hell I’m talking about. Either that, or start planning now for your mid-life crisis so that the fireworks of your lost detachment can outshine the futility consuming your life. Here’s a better plan—get out there and live.

From the Weihenstephan website: “A full rich bodied, hoppy, seasonal lager. Especially brewed for the Festbier season. This beer truly represents the Bavarian way of celebrating. Deep gold color, great mouthfeel and lots of flavor. Prost!”

ABV: 5.8%

(10/31/2011)

414. Two Brothers Atom Smasher

Our first Oktoberfest-esque beer of the new year, this one from Two Brothers. The long litany of beers from Two Brothers includes Hop Juice, Long Haul Session Ale, Resistance IPA, Domaine DuPage, Bitter End, Heavier-Handed, Moaten, and Cane & Ebel. This makes nine, unless our math has gone horribly, horribly astray somewhere. Which is possible.

Atom Smasher pours a hazy copper caramel color with a thin white head and a fruity, oaky nose—it is more subtle and gentle than American oak, although we’re not sure where the fruitiness is coming from. There is a bit of sweet maltiness to the nose as well, but it is secondary to the fruit and oak aromas. The body starts with a slightly sweet malt character that is both restrained and soft on the palate; in the middle, more of the fruit and oak combination detected in the nose emerges, along with a slight hop spiciness. There is a slight juiciness to the finish that seems in contrast to usual parameters of the style, with a drying oak bite that cleans up the palate but does leave a bit of lingering spiciness and fruitiness on the tongue and the back of the throat. Atom Smasher has a medium body that has a slight cloying sticky sweetness to the mouthfeel (although the oakiness helps mitigate and minimize the cloying part) and a medium to low carbonation that gives a slight zesty touch in the final third while still feeling somewhat under-carbonated. We tend to like Two Brothers, but this beer did not really interest either of us—I guess we can see what they’re doing, but we’re not really sure it worked out the way it should. Overall, slightly disappointing for a Two Brothers beer.

From the bottle: “With a little tip of the hat to our scientific, pioneering neighbors we created the innovative Atom Smasher limited run artisan beer. A hefty, full bodied lager reminiscent of Marzen beers from days gone by. However, this beer is aged in our oak foudres to add a complexity unmatched by the imported versions of Oktoberfest beers today. Just add Lederhosen! ”

ABV: 7.7%
IBU: 22.6

Everyone loves a Lederhosen reference!

(9/27/2010)

136. Snoqualmie Falls Harvest Moon Ale

Our first beer from Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company in Snoqualmie, WA.

Harvest Moon is described on the label as a German Style Festbier; it has a light bready malt nose with a cloudy caramel orange color (I did inadvertently dump the yeast from the bottle into the glass, so my bad) and an ivory head that laces the glass. There is some sweetness in the front of the beer that mixes well with the bready and toasty malt flavors; the middle has low levels of bitterness and an emphasis on the bready malt flavors, and Harvest Moon closes with some lingering candy sweetness, but also dry. The mouthfeel is creamy and chewy with a medium body; the carbonation helps round out the beer, and rolls well across the tongue. Well-balanced overall, but harvest Moon has a bit bigger of a body than most of the other fest and Oktoberfest beers we’ve had this year; it is good, but not very lager-esque at all, and a bit sticky in the overall mouthfeel—none of the crispness you’d expect. While not as finished or refined as it could be, Harvest Moon is still an interesting and enjoyable beer.

From the Snoqualmie Falls website: “We used highly kilned Munich, Two-row Pale and light Crystal malts to create a Harvest Moon Festbier, a fire-orange beer flavored with German noble hops. Enjoy the rich color and exceptionally clean, satisfying taste of this seasonal ale with your favorite foods.”

ABV: 5.3%

OG: 1.056

IBU: 24

(11/13/2009)

113. Stegmaier Oktoberfest

“It has all the downsides of an Oktoberfest, with none of the upsides.”

Stegmaier Oktoberfest is brewed by Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Stegmaier was “aquired” by Lion Brewing in 1974. I put the scare quotes around aquire.

Stegmaier Oktoberfest has a bready malty sweet nose with some faint lager aromas; the dark amber color is covered by a light ivory head that partially laces the glass. Opening rather sweet with some off tastes in the middle (mostly DMS) that muddle the malt flavor, Stegmaier Oktoberfest ends a bit cloying with the sweetness. While there is also some crispness, it is not enough to balance out the thick sweetness or to give it the crisp ending required in a good Oktoberfest. Also, there is no hop bitterness discernable in the end; the closure is more sweet than dry. The mouthfeel is soft with a medium body and mild carbonation, although a bit sticky across the board. Overall, this would be a nice beer at a baseball game when I didn’t expect any better, but not so much as an Oktoberfest. While the balance of an Oktoberfest tends toward sweet, the balance on this beer doesn’t work—the sweetness carries across the palate without enough complexity or malt interest, leaving it a bit too syrupy. This one is a Top 10 Worst candidate.

From the Lion website: “Stegmaier Oktoberfest, a classic Oktoberfest/ Marzen beer, has an initial malty sweetness with a dry finish. It is a smooth clean malty beer with a complex, distinctive malt character. We use the finest two-row, Munich and Vienna malts and a touch of Noble hops to balance the sweetness.”

ABV: 5.7%

(10/21/2009)

103. Rogue Maierfest Lager

Our second beer from Rogue; our last one was Capt’n Sig’s Northwestern Ale. More Rogue = good times. And around here, we’re all about the good times...

Maierfest is a hazy soft orange copper color with a creamy ivory head. The nose is bready, malty, and sweet with no discernable hop aroma. The sweet front starts more bready than toasty and then move into a toasted malt middle with some bite from the carbonation, closing with light spiciness and bitterness (very light) and a clean finish—it has the usual lager finish, but it hangs on the palate more. Bitterness does emerge on the tongue well after the beer has been swallowed and is gone; as the sweetness departs, the hop bitterness does come to the forefront, which we thought was a rather neat trick, intentional or not. The mouthfeel is soft and creamy, and the carbonation is pleasant and well-rounded on the mouth. Maierfest is well balanced across the palate with an interesting malt profile that carries the beer well. And chiggity-check John wearing that sweet hop vine on the label.

From the Rogue website: “Over the years, the traditional Oktoberfest style from the major Munich breweries has lost a lot of character and has turned into almost a ‘Helles’ style. Maierfest is dark gold in color with a solid off-white foam stand. It has a rich German malt aroma and a very distinct and complex maltness. The finish is dry.” Rogue Brewmaster John Maier

OG: 14º P
IBU: 29

Malts: Durst Pilsner, Durst Munich and Weyermann Acidulated
Hops: Oregon Perle
Yeast: Oktoberfest 2633

(10/11/2009)

90. Harpoon Octoberfest

Our fourth beer from Harpoon—besides the Leviathan Saison Royale, we’ve tried the Glacier ’08 Wet Hop and the IPA. I think I am about out of cheeky maritime references, especially ones with an Oktoberfest-inspired twist. I’ll keep thinking about it, though...

Harpoon’s Octoberfest has a dry sweet malty nose. The rich maple color is vibrantly clear, and it has minimal head and head retention. Starting dry, crisp, and nutty on the front, Octoberfest opens cleanly before moving into some malt sweetness with toasted notes and some carbonation bite in the middle, and finishing dry but not completely clean—it ends a bit too sweet. It doesn’t have that distinctive “I’m a lager taste” to it at the end; there are also some slight sour notes mixed with lingering hop bitterness in the tail end of the beer. Overall, the beer has a clean, smooth mouthfeel with decent bite from the carbonation, but the first half of the beer is much better than the second half.

From the bottle: “Harpoon Octoberfest features a malty, full-bodied taste and deep garnet-red color. We brew this marzen-style beer with festivals in mind. Celebrate with us. Prosit!”

From the Harpoon website: “Octoberfest beers are brewed with festivals in mind, and Harpoon Octoberfest is no exception. The Marzen style dates back to the days when refrigeration did not exist, making brewing in the summer impossible. The term Marzen refers to the month (March) when the last beer was brewed before summer. This beer would be lagered (stored) in ice caves until brewing resumed in the cool air of October. At this time, kegs of Marzen were tapped and enjoyed at harvest festivals. In 1810 at the wedding of Bavarian Crown Ludwig to Princess Theresa von Sachsen-Hildurghausen, the entire city of Munich celebrated with Marzen beer and the Octoberfest tradition was created.

The character and complexity of Harpoon Octoberfest comes from the malt and hops. When looking at a freshly poured Harpoon Octoberfest, you will notice the garnet-red color with a firm, creamy head. The beer’s color is from a blend of Munich, chocolate, and pale malt. The thick head results in part from wheat malt added to the grist. The hop aroma of this beer is not overpowering but it is present. Tettnang hops add a subtle spice nose that blends with the malt character. This beer is full-bodied, smooth, and malty. Willamettehops are used to provide a gentle bitterness and to balance any residual sweetness present from the malt. The finish is soft and malty with a mild bitterness.”

ABV: 5.5%

IBU: 30

OG: 14.5° P

(9/28/2009)

88. Stoudt’s Oktoberfest

Our fourth beer from Stoudt’s Brewing (our last one was their American Pale Ale), and our third Oktoberfest of the year—don’t worry, more are on the way.

Oktoberfest smells lightly malty with some toastiness; it has a clean white head, nice small bubbles and active carbonation, and brilliant clarity to go with the orange-yellow color—it is not as deeply colored as some other Oktoberfests we’ve had. Starting with a toasty malt flavor, Stoudt’s Oktoberfest reveals some light bitterness in the middle that accompanies the developing malt profile—it gets richer and breadier in the middle as it moves towards the end—before finishing rather clean and dry. With a medium body, the mouthfeel is smooth and mellow, with only minimal carbonation bite. It does have just about the perfect amount of hop bitterness in it. The solid lager flavors in the second half do round out the beer well; the malt profile is rich but not as complex as it could be—while balanced toward the malt side, as any Oktoberfest should be, it could use more sweetness to bulk up the flavor profile. Nonetheless, a well-balanced and enjoyable beer.

From Stoudt’s website: “This medium-bodied amber beer elegantly combines a touch of malty sweetness with a pleasingly subtle aromatic hop character. A traditional German-style Oktoberfest beer brewed from the finest imported ingredients.”

ABV: 5%

IBU: 26

Malts: Two-row & Munich

Bittering Hops: Perle & Hallertau

Aroma Hops: Saaz & Hallertau

Today was the second meeting of my BJCP class; our focus was grain and malting, and we sampled Ambers, Dark Lagers, and Bocks. We started with the basics: the anatomy of barley, including the germ, endosperm, acrospire, rootlets, and the husk, and how malt and kiln grains (well, in theory—we weren’t actually malting and kilning, although that would be fun to try). We also discussed adjuncts, and the different malt characteristics that you want to consider when choosing a malt along with malt types and styles: base malts (like 2-row and 6-row, and also Vienna and Munich malt), caramel and crystal malts (no enzymes, used to add sweetness to a beer), and specialty malts and grains (chocolate malt, black patent malt, and roasted barley).

Today we sampled:
3A. Vienna Lager: Negro Modelo
3B. Oktoberfest/Marzen: Ayinger Oktoberfest/Marzen
4A. Dark American Lager: Blackened Voodoo
4B. Munich Dunkel: Hofbrau Dunkel
4C. Schwarzbier (Black Beer): Kostriker Schwarzbier
5A. Maibock/Helles Bock: Hofbrau Maibock
5B. Traditional Bock: Stegmaier Brewhouse
5C. Dopplebock: Ayinger Celebrator
5D. Eisbock: Kulmbacher Eisbock

15C. Weizenbock: Schneider & Son Aventinus

(9/26/2009)

77. Great Divide Hoss

We’re back to Great Divide yet again—Hoss is our sixth beer from Great Divide Brewing, and wise money bets says it won’t be our last. We had this with our dinner of roasted red pepper pasta with fresh tomato basil pesto we made from the fruits of our community garden plot. The red pepper pasta came from Pastafinity at the Second St. Market. Do note the sweet John Deer bowl as well—who doesn’t love tractors?

Hoss has a spicy rye nose with a bright, clear, and clean burnt sienna color, and an effervescent white head. Starting with a creamy soft and smooth malt front with richness that builds into a well-rounded spiciness from the rye, Hoss also has some crispness and a carbonation bite with a slight hop bitterness to round out the beer. It ends a bit dry and biscuity, and pretty clean; there are also some light raisin fruit notes mixed in with the malt closure. Another excellent offering from Great Divide—if this is their vision of an Oktoberfest/Harvest-style beer, then count me in—the spiciness pushes the beer’s flavor and complexity in interesting and enjoyable ways.

From Great Divide’s website: “Hoss is based on the Marzen lages of Germany. Rich, layered malt notes, with hints of cherry and dark fruits, dominate, while the unique addition of rye imparts a slightly earthy, spicy character. Hoss finishes crisp and dry, and its brilliant red-orange color is a toast to the late-summer sunsets that make the perfect backdrop for this beer.”

Um, don’t take this the wrong way, Great Divide, but the addition of rye ain’t that unique—the GABF medal you just won was in the rye category. Category equals not unique. Sorry to point out the obvious. Our meal was excellent, but not the best fit with the beer—the colors work nice, but all of the flavors didn’t quite marry.

ABV: 6.2%

(9/15/2009)

61. Great Lakes Oktoberfest

Here’s to Oktoberfest—ugly facial hair and tight tight lederhosen!

Great Lakes Brewery Company is in Cleveland, OH. Great Lakes’ Oktoberfest starts with a toasted malt nose, and has a rich amber color with a light white head on it. It begins with a lightly sweet and toasty malt front, moves into a smooth rounded middle, and ends with a crisp lager bite, both from carbonation and hops, finishing clean. We called the middle smooth and rounded because there was not much between opening and ending flavors, just a nice smooth transition from front to back. Mouthfeel is smooth and clean with a light body; Great Lakes’ version of an Oktoberfest is a little on the sweeter side, but very pleasant and enjoyable—the body is suitably complex with the lager taste and crisp bite at the end. So here’s to Oktoberfest in my mouth.

From the Great Lakes website: “Cleveland’s commemoration of Oktoberfest dates back to the mid 1800s when German immigrants celebrated at outdoor beer gardens like Haltnorth’s Garden and Kindvater’s St. Clair Garden. Oktoberfest is Vienna’s stronger brother. Gabriel Sedlmayr adapted the Vienna style for brewing in Munich. Because refrigeration had not yet been invented, March was traditionally the last month in which lagers were brewed. Sedlmayr’s beer was made in March to last until September and was served in autumn amidst traditional celebrations.”

ABV: 6.5%
IBU: 20

(8/30/2009)

53. Bell's Octoberfest

Our second beer from Bell’s Brewery, which is still located in Kalamazoo, MI. As this beer indicates, Oktoberfest will soon be upon us, which means that seasonal beer season begins in earnest. And while I know that the reporting on this comes late, just recall the joys of Oktoberfest, and you’ll be transported back in time to the most wonderful time of the year. Which, regardless of Andy Williams’ sentiments, will always be in early fall for these two contrarians. So take that current holiday season.

Bell’s Octoberfest has a bready malt nose and a crystal clear orangish tan/amber color (seriously—check the clarity on that photo) with a lacy white head. It starts with a soft bready malt flavor, moving into light sweetness in the middle, and finishing with the light hop bitterness and lager-ish crispness indicative of the style; for me, that lager hop flavor is always has a slight soapy quality. The mouthfeel is smooth with light carbonation and something of a grainy taste that adds to the overall lager qualities of the beer. Like with all of the Bell’s products, this is a well-crafted and well-balanced beer—an enjoyable example of what an Oktoberfest beer should be.

From the Bell’s website: “A coppery amber lager that showcases a full bodied, malty flavor that is balanced by a refreshing bitterness derived from fine noble hops.”

ABV: 5.5%

OG: 1.056

P.S. It’s OK—go ahead and Google the Andy Williams reference.

(8/22/2009)