Beer of the Weekend #287: Bob's '47 Oktoberfest
Though October has sadly passed for another year, and the ideal time for Oktoberfest beers ended over a month ago, I have one last märzen to try. (I will not rule out trying others in the next couple weeks if I happen upon a few choice bottles.) Along with picking up a bottle of Staropramen last Thursday, I also bought a few other brews, including the beer tonight: Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest, brewed by the Boulevard Brewing Company of Kansas City, Missouri.
Serving type: One 12-ounce bottle. The “BEST BY” date printed on the shoulder is “12/31/11.”
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is medium caramel/bronze with amber tones. Two fingers of very slightly tanned, buttery head dissipated to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: The first whiff was very robust and malty, but it faded a little as my nose adjusted. Caramel, cocoa, toffee, brown sugar, a little toasted grain, and grassy hops. The overall experience is malty and sweet.
Taste: It is a creeper. I took a swig and my taste buds registered a little salon-esque hairspray, probably from the hops. But after a while the malty sweetness from the smell kicked in. It is mostly caramel, but there are subtle hints of the cocoa, toffee, and brown sugar from the smell offering variety. It has a nice grassy bite at the end. As the beers keeps warming, the hops start to overpower the malts, so the maltiness I like from a märzen is overshadowed.
Drinkability: It could be better, but it is far from one of those American märzen’s that looks sexy but lacks a ton of complexity.
Fun facts about Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest:
-Style: Märzen.
-Price: $1.79/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.8 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: Suggested on the beer’s Boulevard webpage are, “Asiago cheese, Hamburgers, Mustard, Pizza, Pretzels, Roast chicken, Roast pork, Sausage, Smoked Cheddar cheese, Smoked Gouda cheese, Swiss cheese.”
-IBU: 27.
-Color: Boulevard pegs the color at 29.5 EBC. What is EBC? I do not feel like doing too much research, but a Wikipedia page says EBC is comparable to SRM, though the EBC rating is usually twice as high as the SRM. (You can calculate the SRM of an EBC rating by multiplying by .508.)
-Regarding the name, the beer’s webpage features this tidbit: “With this Munich-style lager we salute our friend Bob Werkowitch, Master Brewer and graduate of the U.S. Brewer’s Academy, 1947.”
-Boulevard suggests serving Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest in a stein. I cannot complain there, but this is noteworthy because it is rare for a brewer to recommend ideal glassware on its website. Kudos to Boulevard. However, it is too bad I do not have a stein smaller than the Maß I bought at the Amana Oktoberfest this year.
-Bob’s is available only in September and October, as it should be.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
Serving type: One 12-ounce bottle. The “BEST BY” date printed on the shoulder is “12/31/11.”
Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is medium caramel/bronze with amber tones. Two fingers of very slightly tanned, buttery head dissipated to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.
Smell: The first whiff was very robust and malty, but it faded a little as my nose adjusted. Caramel, cocoa, toffee, brown sugar, a little toasted grain, and grassy hops. The overall experience is malty and sweet.
Taste: It is a creeper. I took a swig and my taste buds registered a little salon-esque hairspray, probably from the hops. But after a while the malty sweetness from the smell kicked in. It is mostly caramel, but there are subtle hints of the cocoa, toffee, and brown sugar from the smell offering variety. It has a nice grassy bite at the end. As the beers keeps warming, the hops start to overpower the malts, so the maltiness I like from a märzen is overshadowed.
Drinkability: It could be better, but it is far from one of those American märzen’s that looks sexy but lacks a ton of complexity.
Fun facts about Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest:
-Style: Märzen.
-Price: $1.79/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5.8 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: Suggested on the beer’s Boulevard webpage are, “Asiago cheese, Hamburgers, Mustard, Pizza, Pretzels, Roast chicken, Roast pork, Sausage, Smoked Cheddar cheese, Smoked Gouda cheese, Swiss cheese.”
-IBU: 27.
-Color: Boulevard pegs the color at 29.5 EBC. What is EBC? I do not feel like doing too much research, but a Wikipedia page says EBC is comparable to SRM, though the EBC rating is usually twice as high as the SRM. (You can calculate the SRM of an EBC rating by multiplying by .508.)
-Regarding the name, the beer’s webpage features this tidbit: “With this Munich-style lager we salute our friend Bob Werkowitch, Master Brewer and graduate of the U.S. Brewer’s Academy, 1947.”
-Boulevard suggests serving Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest in a stein. I cannot complain there, but this is noteworthy because it is rare for a brewer to recommend ideal glassware on its website. Kudos to Boulevard. However, it is too bad I do not have a stein smaller than the Maß I bought at the Amana Oktoberfest this year.
-Bob’s is available only in September and October, as it should be.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
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