Beer of the Weekend #282: Oktoberfest
Tomorrow is my birthday, and for some reason I put a lot of pressure on myself to find a fitting and celebratory beer to review for tonight’s BotW.
I walked to John’s this morning and spent a good 10 minutes browsing the selection. At first I was thinking hefeweizen, eyeing a four-pack of Schneider Wiesen Edel-Weisse. However, I could not remember if I reviewed it before. (I have; it was BotW #151.) However, as much as I love hefe, it is now out of season. The cold weather we have had has turned my beer cravings toward browns, stouts, and porters, and I spotted an enticing sixer of Slow Elk Oatmeal Stout, brewed by Big Sky, way up on the top shelf in the walk-in cooler. But to me it feels too early to enjoy pints of the “black stuff”; I want to hold off for another couple weeks. Despite that, though, I almost decided to dip into my Binny’s haul for a special porter unavailable in IC. But then I spotted tonight’s brew, practically hidden on the shelf dedicated to Iowa beers.
The beer of the weekend is Oktoberfest, brewed by the Great River Brewery of Davenport, Iowa.
I used my last ticket at the Iowa City Brew Fest to sample Oktoberfest at the Great River booth. Though the tasting conditions were far from ideal, I was impressed. It was rich and malty, and I vowed to track down a pack of the cans they had on display. (There are a couple cans of Great River’s Redband Stout at the Bread Garden that I need to snatch up before they are gone.) Obviously, I forgot all about it until this morning when I spied the blue painted cans behind Great River’s usual canned offerings, 483 Pale Ale and Roller Dam Red Ale.
Serving type: Four 16-ounce cans. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is caramel with rusty undertones. Two fingers of slightly tanned head dissipated to leave a thin lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: I could smell the candy and toasted caramel when I popped the top. Lots of sweet candy and toasted caramel malt, plus cocoa and brown sugar. It is a little grassy, too.
Taste: Lots of malty goodness with an adequate hop bite. Toasted caramel, brown sugar, and a little cocoa create the backbone. Branching from that is a dry, herbal/grassy hop presence that gives the beer a nice bite.
Drinkability: Very solid märzen, which, I am proud to say, comes from just down the road.
Fun facts about Oktoberfest:
-Style: Märzen.
-Price: $7.99/four-pack at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.9 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA just recommends German cuisine. I cannot argue with that, but they need to be specific. I say Bavarian fare, which is very different from the traditional food they serve in Schleswig-Holstein, where Zee German is from.
-Printed on the side of the can is this nerdiness:
Note to Great River: it is spelled “synonymous.”
-Ringing the top are these words: “Big • Rich • Smooth • Märtzen • Volksbier • Oktoberfest Beer • A Beer for the People • Biervergnuegen!”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
I walked to John’s this morning and spent a good 10 minutes browsing the selection. At first I was thinking hefeweizen, eyeing a four-pack of Schneider Wiesen Edel-Weisse. However, I could not remember if I reviewed it before. (I have; it was BotW #151.) However, as much as I love hefe, it is now out of season. The cold weather we have had has turned my beer cravings toward browns, stouts, and porters, and I spotted an enticing sixer of Slow Elk Oatmeal Stout, brewed by Big Sky, way up on the top shelf in the walk-in cooler. But to me it feels too early to enjoy pints of the “black stuff”; I want to hold off for another couple weeks. Despite that, though, I almost decided to dip into my Binny’s haul for a special porter unavailable in IC. But then I spotted tonight’s brew, practically hidden on the shelf dedicated to Iowa beers.
The beer of the weekend is Oktoberfest, brewed by the Great River Brewery of Davenport, Iowa.
I used my last ticket at the Iowa City Brew Fest to sample Oktoberfest at the Great River booth. Though the tasting conditions were far from ideal, I was impressed. It was rich and malty, and I vowed to track down a pack of the cans they had on display. (There are a couple cans of Great River’s Redband Stout at the Bread Garden that I need to snatch up before they are gone.) Obviously, I forgot all about it until this morning when I spied the blue painted cans behind Great River’s usual canned offerings, 483 Pale Ale and Roller Dam Red Ale.
Serving type: Four 16-ounce cans. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is caramel with rusty undertones. Two fingers of slightly tanned head dissipated to leave a thin lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: I could smell the candy and toasted caramel when I popped the top. Lots of sweet candy and toasted caramel malt, plus cocoa and brown sugar. It is a little grassy, too.
Taste: Lots of malty goodness with an adequate hop bite. Toasted caramel, brown sugar, and a little cocoa create the backbone. Branching from that is a dry, herbal/grassy hop presence that gives the beer a nice bite.
Drinkability: Very solid märzen, which, I am proud to say, comes from just down the road.
Fun facts about Oktoberfest:
-Style: Märzen.
-Price: $7.99/four-pack at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.9 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA just recommends German cuisine. I cannot argue with that, but they need to be specific. I say Bavarian fare, which is very different from the traditional food they serve in Schleswig-Holstein, where Zee German is from.
-Printed on the side of the can is this nerdiness:
Today, many areas celebrate Oktoberfest, but the original is in the Bavarian city of Munich and the name has become synonomous [sic] with beers that are only produced during that special time of the year.
Great River Brewery’s Oktoberfest is a Märzen style beer brewed with Hallertau hops and pale and crystal malts. The result is a full bodied, malty brew with a beautiful amber color and a clean dry finish.
Note to Great River: it is spelled “synonymous.”
-Ringing the top are these words: “Big • Rich • Smooth • Märtzen • Volksbier • Oktoberfest Beer • A Beer for the People • Biervergnuegen!”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
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