And the winners are (Part 3)

Which one takes my top spot (Part 3)?

OKTOBERFEST has come and gone but the beers remain. For the last two weeks I started a top twelve of my favorite Oktoberfest/Fall Season brews. I listed the first eight (5-12). Today I will continue with the top numbers 4-1. Lets see how surprised you will be!!!

There were some surprises this week as well. There always is, but at least one in the top 4 will probably raise a few eyebrows. There is room for debate on the entire list but I do stand by my choices and order. Regardless if you agree with my list or not one thing is for certain: You should at least try them all (or at least a few) and then make you own assessment of the beers. Hey, if you are feeling confrontational, (HAHA) leave a comment or two and see where I may have went wrong. But once again, all the beers on this entire list are good drinking brews that are worthy of your own taste buds.

 So if you can, try to grab one of these brews before they get retired or at least leave the shelves for another year.

SO, HERE ARE THE FINAL FOUR...

#4 - PAULANER OKTOBERFEST

Let's just start by saying that this beer is one of the proud few that gets to be served at the one and only Oktoberfest event in Munich, Germany. Since 1818 they have been brewing this beer and it is fantastic. Very light and crisp, but with a darker amber hue, this lager has lower carbonation but slightly higher {ABV} than other lagers, it starts easy but finishes on the strong side. A perfect drinking/savoring brew. Pair it up with some smoked mackerel for a truly great taste experience!!!!

#3 - SHOCK TOP - TWISTED PRETZEL WHEAT- LIMITED RELEASE

This is a unique beer. A limited release, surprisingly this beverage, from a major brewer no less, takes such a high spot on my list. At first sip you are wondering what you taste: Bready, salty, slight sweetness? Well all of the above and then it hits you: You are dinking a pretzel. It is the liquid equivalent of drinking a beer and eating salty pretzels. Not too much is going on the nose. A little caramel notes and that is about it. A very nice experimental beer that while it is not perfectly balanced, and probably would turn off some beer snobs, its curiosity and definite taste texture make it claim the first of the top three. Well done for trying something different. I like to give accolades to breweries that think out of the box.

#2 - WEIHENSTEPHNER - VITUS

This is BAVARIAN BREWRING at its BEST. This light, crisp single bock goes down smooth and makes the drinker want another one. With a nose that consists of dried apricots and citrus, the full bodied liquid gives even more with a taste profile that consists of banana and spice. After tasting you might actually confuse it for a wheat beer instead of a bock. Because it is a bock, it has a higher ABV as well clocking in at 7.7%. Definitely get your hand on a few of these. It is a good drinking brew for the fall season and beyond. A VERY SOLID spot at #2. Well deserved. Very few beers are this perfect!!!!!

#1 - SHIPYARD PUMPKINHEAD WHEAT

So we finally come to the number 1 spot. Shipyard's Pumpkinhead Wheat (ironic too that this post is on Halloween) is everything that a Autumn brew should be and more. With a golden brown color that gives off a sweetness on the nose of caramel it is already starting in a good direction. What truly makes this beer stand out though is the balance that is has with the flavors. One sip, and then another and you are going to get flavors of pumpkin, clove, spice, nutmeg, and baking spice. It is almost like pumpkin pie in the bottle. But as I said, the balance is near perfect. Not one of those flavors overpower each other. After a swish around the palate, you still taste them all. No stand-outs. I really cannot recommend this brew enough. I think it is the most well balanced pumpkin wheat on the market. Very few come close. CONGRATULATIONS TO SHIPYARD AND  THEIR PUMPKINHEAD WHEAT!!!!! MY FAVORITE FOR THIS OKTOBERFEST AND AUTUMN SEASON!!!!

So there are the final four. I think I might list a few honorable mentions as well in the next few weeks before switching over to winter beers which should be hitting the store shelves soon if not already. But that just means more beer sampling for me. Nothing really wrong with that!! I hope you enjoyed my selections and I really hope that is stirs some debates in your beer drinking crowd. Because realistically, that was the point. To get out and try something new and argue!!!

AND AS ALWAYS

RAISE A PINT OF ALE (SOMETHING FROM MY LIST PERHAPS) AND ENJOY

CHEERS

And the winners are? (Part 2)

Which one takes my top spot (Part 2)?

OKTOBERFEST has come and gone but the beers remain. Last week I started a top twelve of my favorite Oktoberfest/Fall Season brews. I listed the first four (9-12). Today I will continue with numbers 5-8.

There were some surprises this week as I was trying to figure out which ones made the list and the order. But all things considered, they are all good brews that are worthy of your own taste buds.

 So if you can, try to grab one of these brews before they get retired or at least leave the shelves for another year.

SO, HERE ARE THE NEXT FOUR...

#8 - LEFT HAND BREWERY, MARZEN - LAGER

Very nice balance on this brew. Biscuity up front, with a bread-like nose, it is rounded off at the end with a dry, slightly spicy finish thanks in part to the Noble Pedigree Hops. Finish the stein and have another!!!!

#7 - SIERRA NEVADA / BRAUHAUS MILTENBERGER COLLBORATION

This is the 2nd year (that I know of) that Sierra Nevada partnered with Brauhaus Miltenberger to create an original Oktoberfest. The 2016 version was fairly nice, but the 2017 is that much better. I really liked this beer. The Amber Hue gives off a nose of toasted malt with a bready backbone. With a VERY slight bitter finish (and I mean almost hardly noticeable) it is extremely crisp that gives off cereal notes to your taste buds. 

#6 - SHORTS BREWING - NOBLE CHAOS

The taste of the Autumn Season in a bottle!!!!! With toasted malt, caramel flavors and its subtle hop bouquet, this beer definitely stands out. It could be VERY easy to drink a six-pack and not know it. It is well balanced and has a clean and neat finish. The only problem is that this beer is hard to come by unless you live in Michigan. Those damn distribution laws!!!!

#5 - KARL STRAUSS OKTOBERFEST

Another good beer for the price. With a deep golden color, that is produced from the Vienna and Munich Malts, there are nutty overtones and toasted malt that are so well balanced you might think that the beer came straight from Germany. The Perle Hops rounds out the neat finish. This beer definitely nails it considering the size of the production. See, bigger breweries can make an great product if they try.

So there are the 2nd four. Check back next week and I will rate numbers 4 through 1.

 SEE WHAT BREW TOOK THE TOP HONOR. YOU MAY BE SUPRISED!!!

AND AS ALWAYS

RAISE A PINT OF ALE AND ENJOY

CHEERS

And the winners are (part 1)......................

Which one takes my top spot?

So now that OKTOBERFEST is officially over, (and as grueling as it was:), I was fortunate enough to taste a large amount of Autumn style beers at different events,  breweries, and at tastings throughout the Midwest and West Coast.

There were some definite highlights, such as Great Lakes Brewing's (out of Cleveland, Ohio) Oktoberfest, which has a nice balance of toasty malts with a little bit of spice, and a uniqueness of have having raisins added which gives it a little sweetness on the palate. But yet there were some letdowns as well.

Now of course there will always be the staple beers such as the varieties from Paulaner, Weinhepstephaner, and Spaten, so those of course are going to be great. Hey, they were made for Oktoberfest and the fall weather!! But it was some of the lesser known ones that blew me away.

 

In the next few posts, I will rate my top twelve Autumn Brews that I thought met or exceeded expectations. I will try to focus on the non-mass marketed beers but I have to say,  there were some stand-outs from the bigger breweries as well. Some of them made my list, and that is what makes this fun. You just never know!!!

SO, ON WITH THE LIST...

(well the first four anyway........)

#12 - AYINGER, OKTOBERFEST - MARZEN
This beer has a nice Amber Hue with a lot of malt flavor going on, but it also has a sweetness accent (because of the Bavarian Malts). It finishes with a bit of dry spiciness on the palate and a very subtle hop background.

#11 - AVERY BREWING IMPERIAL OKTOBERFEST
Right off the bat, I really liked this beer. Unfortunately, I cannot rate it higher because to me it is more of a winter brew considering that it is and "imperial" which means a higher alcohol (9.7% ABV) content. But is was marketed as an Oktoberfest so it made the list. The HEAVILY toasted malt is overwhelming at first, but there is a toffee sweetness that meshes in the mouth as well. This beer is definitely a throwback to a dopple bock style. It is too bad that Avery has discontinued this beer. If you are lucky, you might be able to still find a bottle or two.

#10 - LEINENKUGEL'S HARVEST PATCH SHANDY

This one is a bit lighter than most on this list because it is a shandy, but it is great when you have those Autumn temperatures of 90+ degrees (which it was in the Midwest in September). With notes of allspice, nutmeg, and pumpkin there is definitely the flavors here but the balance is a bit off. Possibly because of the higher production volume. But it is still nice and light!!!

#9 - SHINER OKTOBERFEST
For the price point, this is a good beer. Is it great? Well probably not, but it is not bad either. The dark orange/yellow color gives off some nice malt with faint hop overtones. Maybe a few more tries with the recipe and they will nail it. Once again, it is the price that has it on this one.

So there are the first four. Check back next week and I will rate numbers 8 through 5.

AND AS ALWAYS

RAISE A PINT OF ALE AND ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!

CHEERS

Just in case you missed it last time......

The One and Only Original Oktoberfest {AGAIN}!!!!

To spare everyone the task of doing research on looking up the origins of the original OKTOBERFEST, I did the research for you: And also so you do not have to scroll through older posts to find it, I am going to repost my OKTOBERFEST origin story. So read on fellow beer geeks and enjoy!!!!!!

Well fellow beer snobs, it is that time of year again. The wonderful time of year to celebrate the coming of autumn, Halloween, and the colder weather. What better way to celebrate this time then with an selection of fine fall brews at an Oktoberfest celebration. That is the best way I can think of to ring in the season!!!!!!

Now of course, if you can make it to Germany (the birthplace of the Oktoberfest) then more power to you. If not, throw one of your own parties. All you really need is some good friends, good food,  and a great selection of Oktoberfest beers.

Munich, Germany is THE home of the celebrated event of the fall season. Started in 1810, it is a 16 day festival that starts towards the end of September and runs through the first week of October. The festival attracts more then 6 million locals and tourists every year and it keeps on getting bigger. With carnival rides, games, mountains of food, and of course rivers of beer (in 2007 nearly 7 million liters of the golden liquid were consumed), it is definitely one of the biggest parties in Europe. Originally, the festival ran through the first Sunday in October, however, with the reunification of Germany in 1994, the schedule was altered a bit and now the festival culminates on October 3rd (and a perfect day to post this article!!!!!!) which is German Unity Day.

Started in 1810, the first party was actually for the wedding of King Ludwig to his new Queen Theresa. Held in what was know as "Theresa's Gardens" (and still is), all of the citizens were invited to attend. In the years that followed, an agricultural show was added as well as horse racing to promote German culture. The annual opening kick off parade which started in 1850, has roughly 8,000 marchers all dressed in traditional German costumes, is one of the highlights of the entire event. One new tradition that started in 1950 was the tapping of the first keg. At 12:00PM, the mayor taps the keg which is accompanied by a 12 gun salute. That is respect for the brew!!!!!!!!!

Traditional German food is always served which includes, Hendl (roast chicken), Schweinebraten (roast pork), Schweinshaxe (grilled ham hock), Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick), Knodel (potato or bread dumplings), and Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes). You will also find the assortment of sausages, krauts, and Bavarian delicacies as Obatzda which is a spiced cheese-butter spread.

STOP: HOLD ON: Now this is a very important fact. Only beer that is brewed in Munich and which conforms to the Reinheitsgebot may be served in the tents at Oktoberfest. What is the Reinheitsgebot? This important (and hard to pronounce - if you do not speak German) word is the Purity Order of Bavaria. Sometimes referred to as the German Purity Order, it is a regulation of the production of beer in the Holy Roman Empire. Instated in 1487 by Albert IV, Duke of Bavaria, this order stated that beer could only be made with 3 ingredients: Water, barley, and hops. The order was passed to keep the other grains available (such as wheat and rye) so they could be used for baking bread, and thus not have a shortage and a spike in bakery prices. We Germans do like to drink!!!!!!!

The brewers that can produce beer under this order are Paulaner, Spatenbrau, Lowenbrau, Hacker Schorr-Brau, and Augustiner-Brau. These beers will be the only beer that one will find being served at Oktoberfest. Any of these fine beers pair very well with the German cuisine that is served. Or if one prefers, they can always skip the food to save more room for the liquid diet. Although, that could have some very intoxicating effects which are accelerated.

While I have never been to Munich for Oktoberfest, I was fortunate enough to attend the Oktoberfest in Dublin (hey, the Irish drink like fish too!!) on the Docklands 4 years ago. Judging by how insanely fun and festive that was (once again the Irish) I can only imagine Munich is escalated by a factor of 100. This is one party that is definitely on my bucket list. Munich AND ESPECIALLY the beer tent better be ready for me when I arrive. 

So get ready to throw back a couple of Oktoberfest brews and have a great time.


AND ONCE AGAIN

Loosen your LEDERHOSEN and unstrap your DIRNDLS and get out to an OKTOBERFEST!! And as always, RAISE A PINT OF ALE (well this time a GERMAN LAGER) AND ENJOY!!!!!!!!

CHEERS