Munich Germany is in the Throes of the Greatest 2 week party on earthy! Oktoberfest 2015 is in full gear and over 6 million people can enjoy the German hospitality while celebrating Crown Prince Ludwig’s nuptials to Princess Therese of Saxony in 1810. Rochester has its own Oktoberfest on September 25th. The Downtown Peace Plaza will become a great big german beer garden! Bratwurst, unlimited beer, German music and great german drinking toasts and games! All for a great charity—Beyond the Yellow Ribbon to benefit our returning military veterans
America is famous for innovation and taking something good and making it better! Beer is the same way. German Oktoberfest beers are great representation of the Marzen beer style. Malty, Dark Copper in color, and slightly hoppy, but german brewmasters are limited in experimentation by the German Purity law of 1516. The Reinheitsgebot decrees that beer can only be made with Water, Barley, and Hops. This limits the German brewmeisters a little bit. American Brewers don’t have their hands tied and have unleashed an amazing run of creativity in fall and seasonal beers! American craft brewers have pushed the envelope and created some of the greatest beers in the world.
I will recap a few great American oktoberfest and fall seasonals and delve into a true great American beer style–Pumpkin! The Number one selling Oktoberfest beer on a national basis is Samuel Adams Octoberfest. Sam’s take on the style is both traditional and cutting edge. It uses two different german hop varieties and has a deep smooth flavor with hints of caramel. It is one of my favorite beers!
Schell’s Oktoberfest – A great Minnesota take on a classic
Closer to home is Schell’s Brewery in New Ulm. Schell’s is a 6th Generation German family brewery who are making some amazing beers. Their Oktoberfest is a little lighter body than Sam Adams, but has a slight spiciness that is unique and makes it a great sipper!.
A new style Fall beer is the Lederhosen Lager from Pearl Street Brewing in LaCrosse. Making beer since 1999, Pearl Street has some great varieties. The Lederhosen Lager is their seasonal take on the classic style. It is 5% alcohol and is the smoothest Oktoberfest around.
Great Lakes of Cleveland Ohio makes an excellent Oktoberfest. The great flavor comes from addition of Munich Malt in the malt bill. The Munich Malt Gives it a cool flavor that is has nutty, bready flavors. Great Lakes has won numerous Gold Medals for their unique take on a classic style!!
Pumpkin beers are a uniquely American phenomenon. There is a long history of pumpkin brewing from the early settlers in American history. Pumpkin became a favored style because there was virtually nothing else to brew beer with. And we know after a hard day of farming and settling a foreign land our early American pioneers needed a cold beer to relax!
A big bold take on a pumpkin beer.
Pumpkin beers were made by George Washington and enjoyed by all! Pumpkins were plentiful in the old days and made some great beers. After the 1800’s typical malts and grains became to be more readily available and economical, so pumpkin beers faded from the scene. But in the last few years Pumpkin has become the hot flavor in just about anything. We know Starbucks has popularized the Pumpkin latte, but pumpkin beers are awesome. It is typically like a pumpkin pie in a bottle. Hints of cinnamon, clove and allspice is prevalent. Try the Alaskan Pumpkin or the Pumking if you can find it. Pumking from Southern Tier Brewing in Upstate New York is always considered a classic and among the best. It is an imperial ale and is a huge 8.6% alcohol flavor explosion! The Pumpkin pie flavors are outstanding and the undertones of pecans is amazing in the finish! Try this beer for the best of the best!
Alaskan brewery makes an awesome pumpkin beer with more of a clove and nutmeg flavor. A little hop flavor upfront balances the sweetness of the pumpkin. Alaskan is a fast growing craft brewery form Juneau Alaska.
For a real kick and amazing American ingenuity try the Funky Pumpkin from Boulevard Brewing in Kansas city. The funky pumpkin is spiced with the usual nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and ginger. But the Funky part comes from the use of sour beer aged in stainless steel tanks with brettanomyces.(the wild strain that is in all sour beer) Boulevard has created a one of a kind pumpkin beer that is a true innovation!
Fall is a great time of year for a myriad of reason. Weather, Football, and now Beer and Oktoberfest! Enjoy in moderation and Cheers or as they say in Munich–PROST!!!
