Beer of the Weekend #26: Hofbräu Oktoberfest
The beer this weekend is Hofbräu Oktoberfest brewed by Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in München of Munich, Germany.
I know, I know. Another Oktoberfestbier and another German beer. For over two months I’ve only sampled German beers, many of which were hefeweizens. The one beer that wasn’t German — Tsingtao from China — is a German style lager originally brewed by Germans. I’m well aware this is not conducive to the variety of beer I want to sample. But each beer has been different, distinct.
The reason why I’ve stuck with German brews is because they’re damn good. Beer nuts around the world agree that German beer is top-notch, but I wasn’t convinced until recently. It wasn’t special to me, but I had only had a few lagers before sampling Paulaner’s Hefe-Weizen. I was blown away, and addicted. I have not had a stout in a long time (it will change this week, though) but I think hefeweizen has surpassed it as my favorite style of beer.
And what about all the Oktoberfestbier? Well, it’s October so why not?
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles.
Appearance: This is the reason I got this Oktoberfestbier. This variation of the style is paler than the other beers. It’s a golden straw color with a bit of a head that dissipated quickly, leaving a foam ring around the outside.
Smell: Clean barnyards malts.
Taste: Malty without any other distinctive tastes. It’s very light tasting compared to the other märzen’s I’ve had. There is a hop bitterness at the end. It’s kind of disappointing.
Drinkability: It’s okay. Nothing spectacular, but it’s drinkable.
Fun (and not so fun) facts about Hofbräu Oktoberfest:
-Serving temp.: 45-50°F.
-Alcohol content: 6 percent ABV.
-Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in München translates to “state court-brewery in Munich.” The brewery is owned by the government, which isn’t too uncommon in Germany.
-Duke Wilhelm V, who ruled Bavaria from 1579 to 1597, was so dissatisfied with Munich’s local brews that he had beer imported from the town of Einbeck. It was very costly, so his advisors suggested he build his own brewery. On that very day — September 27, 1589 — he recruited Heimeran Pongraz, the brewmaster at Geisenfeld Monastery, to plan and supervise the construction of Hofbräuhaus and become the first master brewer.
-Printed on the side of the carrying case is “The original brew of Bavarian kings!” As pretentious and outrageous as it sounds, it’s true. From the Hofbräuhaus website (excuse the British English):
-Hofbräu Oktoberfest beer tent, Hofbräu-Festzelt, is the second largest at Theresienwiese.
-Here’s something you won’t find pretentiously printed on the carrying case: “A favorite of Nazis!” The Hofbräuhaus was one of the beer halls used by the Nazis, and was where Hitler proclaimed the 25-theses program of the National Socialists. According to Wiki, the Hofbräuhaus was where some of the first violent attacks against Jews took place. That’s history the Hofbräuhaus website conveniently ignores.
-The Huntington Beach logo looks eerily similar to Hofbräu’s.
The “HB” logo is used on city vehicles, the website, shirts and sweatshirts, stickers, and patches. They’re even engraved on the stone benches on the pier. A friend of mine actually thought it was the Hofbräu logo. Hmm. Could the city that made such a stink about the “Surf City” moniker have plagiarized one of the worlds most famous brewery logos?
The Quiet Man’s grade: Blandness and Nazi sympathizing don’t sit well with me. C.
I know, I know. Another Oktoberfestbier and another German beer. For over two months I’ve only sampled German beers, many of which were hefeweizens. The one beer that wasn’t German — Tsingtao from China — is a German style lager originally brewed by Germans. I’m well aware this is not conducive to the variety of beer I want to sample. But each beer has been different, distinct.
The reason why I’ve stuck with German brews is because they’re damn good. Beer nuts around the world agree that German beer is top-notch, but I wasn’t convinced until recently. It wasn’t special to me, but I had only had a few lagers before sampling Paulaner’s Hefe-Weizen. I was blown away, and addicted. I have not had a stout in a long time (it will change this week, though) but I think hefeweizen has surpassed it as my favorite style of beer.
And what about all the Oktoberfestbier? Well, it’s October so why not?
Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles.
Appearance: This is the reason I got this Oktoberfestbier. This variation of the style is paler than the other beers. It’s a golden straw color with a bit of a head that dissipated quickly, leaving a foam ring around the outside.
Smell: Clean barnyards malts.
Taste: Malty without any other distinctive tastes. It’s very light tasting compared to the other märzen’s I’ve had. There is a hop bitterness at the end. It’s kind of disappointing.
Drinkability: It’s okay. Nothing spectacular, but it’s drinkable.
Fun (and not so fun) facts about Hofbräu Oktoberfest:
-Serving temp.: 45-50°F.
-Alcohol content: 6 percent ABV.
-Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in München translates to “state court-brewery in Munich.” The brewery is owned by the government, which isn’t too uncommon in Germany.
-Duke Wilhelm V, who ruled Bavaria from 1579 to 1597, was so dissatisfied with Munich’s local brews that he had beer imported from the town of Einbeck. It was very costly, so his advisors suggested he build his own brewery. On that very day — September 27, 1589 — he recruited Heimeran Pongraz, the brewmaster at Geisenfeld Monastery, to plan and supervise the construction of Hofbräuhaus and become the first master brewer.
-Printed on the side of the carrying case is “The original brew of Bavarian kings!” As pretentious and outrageous as it sounds, it’s true. From the Hofbräuhaus website (excuse the British English):
King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria spared no expense when his son Ludwig married his beloved Theresa of Saxony-Hildburghausen, and held a massive party for 40,000 guests on October 17, 1810. The climax was an 36,000 feet horse race in a large meadow outside the town. Maximilian I Joseph readily agreed to a request to name the place "Theresienwiese" ("Theresa's Meadow") in honour of the bride, and to repeat the festival every year. A good nosh-up being part and parcel of any self-respecting popular festival, the eating houses and taverns, including one belonging to the royal Hofbräuhaus, were permitted to provide food and drink. Two years later, desirous of offering His Majesty a really special beverage, the royal brewers started to brew a beer specially for the festival with a deep golden colour, stronger original wort and higher alcoholic content — the world-famous "Oktoberfestbier" from Hofbräu München.
-Hofbräu Oktoberfest beer tent, Hofbräu-Festzelt, is the second largest at Theresienwiese.
-Here’s something you won’t find pretentiously printed on the carrying case: “A favorite of Nazis!” The Hofbräuhaus was one of the beer halls used by the Nazis, and was where Hitler proclaimed the 25-theses program of the National Socialists. According to Wiki, the Hofbräuhaus was where some of the first violent attacks against Jews took place. That’s history the Hofbräuhaus website conveniently ignores.
-The Huntington Beach logo looks eerily similar to Hofbräu’s.
The “HB” logo is used on city vehicles, the website, shirts and sweatshirts, stickers, and patches. They’re even engraved on the stone benches on the pier. A friend of mine actually thought it was the Hofbräu logo. Hmm. Could the city that made such a stink about the “Surf City” moniker have plagiarized one of the worlds most famous brewery logos?
The Quiet Man’s grade: Blandness and Nazi sympathizing don’t sit well with me. C.
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