One big thing I like about fall is the great selection of seasonal beers this time of year always brings. There's always the great Oktoberfest beers to try, and we also see the beginning of a lot of the winter seasonal beers coming onto the shelves of stores, as well.
Historically, Oktoberfest beer was brewed in March and was usually darker and stronger than most of the pale lagers it was based on. That style of brewing dates back to 17th century Germany where brewers were looking for a strongly brewed beer that would last through the summer months for fall consumption. This style of beer - also known as Marzen style (since it was brewed in March and the German word for the month is Marz) - is what many breweries called their Oktoberfest beers. However, with today's modern methods of brewing beer, most of the Oktoberfest beers are brewed in the summer months.
I've been on the road an awful lot lately and I've been able to stop and find some great fall beer varieties at a number of liquor stores and beer shops across the Midwest. Here's a list of some that I've picked up:
Beck's Oktoberfest - This Marzen style beer has a very malty taste to it, but it's not as forward of a taste that I like in my Oktoberfest beers. It's OK, but definitely not my favorite. Still very drinkable, however.
Warsteiner Oktoberfest - Another disappointment as the Warsteiner Oktoberfest doesn't have the forward taste the other fall beers have. It's definitely not as dark as the other Oktoberfest's I've had. But it's smooth and would be appealing to those who don't like the malty taste of an Oktoberfest beer. However, to me, it's lacking in flavor. It definitely doesn't taste like an Oktoberfest brewed beer.
Spaten Oktoberfest - An excellent Marzen style beer, and it should be as Spaten Oktoberfest is a Marzen style originally brewed in 1872 for Munich's Oktoberfest. I'm very impressed by the smoothness and the lingering after taste. Very toasty malty flavor to it. I should have picked up more of this stuff.
Samuel Adams Octoberfest - I'm not big on Sam Adams beers, but on the recommendation of one of my dealers in Springfield, MO, I picked up a sixer of this stuff. And I'm glad I did. It's a surprisingly good beer. It has a very nice dark copper color to it, it's full of body and has a very malty taste to it. In fact, Sam Adams uses four different varieties of malt in their Octoberfest beer. It's very good.
Capital Brewery Oktoberfest - An excellent Marzen style beer and one that Capital takes great pride in brewing. It has a full body with a very toasty malt flavor to the beer. Very smooth beginning with a taste explosion in the mouth. And it has a great lingering aftertaste. This beer has won a number of awards of the years, and it's one of my favorite Oktoberfest beers. Too bad I've drank myself out of it already.
Leinenkugel Oktoberfest - I find myself reaching for the Leinie's Oktoberfest when I go to the beer fridge more than the other ones. Although it doesn't have as much of a malty taste as some of the others, it's a smooth drinking beer that goes down very well. It has a nice lingering aftertaste to it, as well.
Boulevard "Bob's 47" - This is Boulevard's fall seasonal beer, the only lager beer Boulevard brews. It's name after Boulevard's first brewer - Bob Werkowitch - who graduated from the U.S. Brewer's Acadamy in 1947. It's a Marzen Munich style brewed in the same fashion as many of the old time Oktoberfest beers. The malt taste is very prevalent, the taste blossoms in your mouth and the finish and aftertaste is very smooth. It's a little heavier than some of the other Oktoberfest's, but Boulevard does a great job with all of their beers. This one is certainly no exception.
Great Lakes Oktoberfest - Being a big fan of the Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale, I found a couple sixers of their Oktoberfest beer in Chicago recently. The malt taste in this Marzen style has a nice toasty flavor to it. It's a nice dark copper color and is very, very smooth. I don't know if I like it better than their pale ale, but for a seasonal beer it's very good.
Three of the very good to great winter seasonals are now available, as well - Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Samuel Adams Winter Ale and Capital Brewery's Winter Skal.
Once again, my dealer in Springfield turned me on to the Samuel Adams Winter Ale. I've tried a couple bottles and they do a very good rendition of a good German bock beer. Nice smooth taste with a little bit of vanilla and spice in the flavor. It's good, but not as good as...
Capital's Winter Skal was a beer that I had a hard time finding last year. If you remember my post here where I finally found a case of the Winter Skal, I was happy to get my hands on some. And, once again, the Winter Skal doesn't disappoint. It's very similar to the Capital Oktoberfest, but doesn't have quite the forward toasted malt taste to it. It's a great beer for any time of the year.
I was first turned on to Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale a number of years ago when one of the manufacturer's I was an independent representative for sent me a case of it as a Christmas gift. I was hooked. But it's very tough to find in the Midwest. I was able to find some at a liquor store in Kansas City and I took a case home with me. It has a beautiful dark copper color with a very forward toasty taste and a great finish. It's very, very good.
One other beer that my dealer in Springfield turned me on to was the Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner. He said, "I know you really like a forward hoppy taste to your beer. You'll love Sam Adam's Imperial Pilsner."
Like I said, I'm not much of a Samuel Adams fan - not since they became one of the largest brewers in America - but they're doing something right with some of their specialty beers. But my dealer was right - it's a strongly hopped beer made primarily with Hallertau hops, and without the bitter aftertaste you can get with this style of beer. It has an amazing aroma, a great dark copper color and a taste that literally explodes in your mouth. It's not cheap - $8.99 for a four pack - and it's very tough to find. The only place I've been able to find it was at the Brown Derby superstore in Springfield, MO. If you like great taste sensations in your beer, you've got to try the Hallertau Imperial Pilsner from Samuel Adams.
By the way, my cousin, John Wehrle, vacationed down in Aruba with his girlfriend, Bonnie, a few weeks ago and he "smuggled" back a six pack of Balashi beer for me. Balashi is a light Dutch style pilsner that doesn't have the hoppiness of a Czech style pilsner. It's similar to Heineken, but doesn't have the bitterness of that style of beer. John said that Aruba's water purification system is one of best in the world and that helps with the good flavor of the beer. All I know is that I'm glad he brought some back for me.
Well, that's it for today. I'm suddenly salivating for a cold beer...
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