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