Tag: Oktoberfest

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Featured Review : Oktoberfest from Hofbräu Munchen

For these first two Oktoberfest reviews, I have made the unusual choice of pairing the beer with cookies. Diddy Riese cookies, to be exact. Now we move on to the second beer, Hofbrau Oktoberfest.

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For this traditional Teutonic version, I have picked a cinnamon sugar and white chocolate Macadamia nut cookie to pair with the Oktoberfest in the (shudder) green bottle. The beer pours a dark yellow and has a much more Pilsner-esque aroma to it when compared with Left Hand’s more autumnal Okto.

Starting with the cinnamon sugar, the noble hop kick and fizziness of the Hofbräu beer struggles at first but settles on a slightly overlapping flavor profile. The minerality of the beer is at odds with the cookie though.

Nuttiness and sweetness of the Macadamia nut with white chocolate has a nice counterbalance thing going on but this type of cookie would be a beast to pair a beer with and this Okto though light can’t balance the cookie enough.

 

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Featured Review – Oktoberfest from Left Hand Brewing

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For the first of four OktoFest beer reviews we start in Colorado with Left Hand Brewing.  And to change things up, I am tasting this Marzen Lager paired with three cookies from the famous Diddy Riese in Westwood.

When tasting with the peanut butter cookie, the beer really helps lighten the buttery and heaviness of the peanut butter.  The dark roast is a little too much for the peanut flavor though.

When it comes to the classic chocolate chip cookie, the match-up is a little too adversarial for me  the beer wants to be lighter but the chocolate is too rich and sweet and doesn’t give up

Oddly, the chocolate chocolate chip works much better.  The added sweetness gives a proper foil for the malt and carbonation.

Overall, the Left Hand Oktoberfest is light and lively with a bit of spice to it.  A solid beer.

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Okto via Chico

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Sierra Nevada Brewing will be embarking on a yearly collaboration of Germanic proportions when they collaborate with Augsburg’s Brauhaus Riegele, for a brand new Oktoberfest beer.

I have, of late, bemoaned a lack of foreign beers in our mad dash for the most hyperlocal so this beer will shoot to the top of my list when it comes out in August because maltier beers deserve a place at the table too.

 

 

 

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Review – Venn & Oktoberfest from Ninkasi

I love it when a box of beer comes in the mail.  And when it is stamped Eugene, Oregon, I get more excited ’cause I know it is from Ninkasi.

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So, which of these two media samples did I like better.  Let’s start with Venn…

…which pours a darkish yellow meeting orange. That smell is the traditional swirl of spice and toast that you get from a clean, well made lager. This is a crisp beer. Not bubbly. Just crisp like biting into a neutral apple. It is strange but I taste a bit of strawberry here. Might just be me. But this is a juicy type of beer. No off flavors. No metallic minerality. Just really strong.

Now onto Oktoberfest in September. This beer pours a lovely orange color. Right off the bat, the aroma screams mineral to me. Again very crisp. Odd to have malt forward beers back to back. I just can’t escape the mineral saltiness that is in every sip. I keep looking at the empty Venn bottle. Not a good sign. There is a skosh hit of citrus in the flavor but it can’t overcome the major taste.

Obviously, this isn’t a toss up. Venn by a country mile.

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Sean Suggests for October 2013

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For October, the theme is literally seasonal.  Here are three Oktoberfest beers from Germany that I think should be in your ‘fridge instead of pumpkin beers.  So forget the light, medium and dark descriptors.

~LIGHT

Ayinger / Oktober Fest Märzen  5.8% ABV

“…a deep golden color tinted with amber. It is lightly sweet with a malty nose balanced with floral hops. Its medium to big body and alcohol is not overpowering. The soft dryness comes from long maturation.”

~MEDIUM

Hacker-Pschorr / Oktober Fest Märzen 5.8% ABV

“Bavarian barley slow roasted, caramelized to a rich, red amber color combined with the purest spring waters from the Alps, exclusive yeast and the finest Hallertau hops.”

~DARK

Weihenstephaner / Oktoberfestbier 5.8% ABV

“A full rich bodied, hoppy, seasonal lager. Especially brewed for the Festbier season. This beer truly represents the Bavarian way of celebrating. Deep gold color, great mouthfeel and lots of flavor. Prost!”

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Link-Hop-tober-Fest

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For the weekend of the 19th and 20th, Atwater Village will become a California-ized version of a later than normal (on the calendar) Oktoberfest.  Here is the information and most importantly, the brewery list for the event.

LINK N HOPS OKTOBERFEST!
Saturday and Sunday, October 19th and 20th, from 1 pm-5 pm each day

“Join us for our first annual Oktoberfest as we celebrate the fall season with craft beer and great food for two days in a row in Atwater Village!  Sip on a variety of seasonal specialty beers by four amazing Southern California breweries and munch on a savory sausage with Belgian fries. Enjoy the cooler fall weather of Los Angeles at Atwater Village’s own sausage and craft beer spot, Link N Hops.

Each brewery will feature Oktoberfest- or Fall-inspired specialty beers like Pumpkin and amber ales. The breweries involved include Bootleggers, Hangar 24, New Belgium, and Golden Road.”

Here are your pricing options and the site to buy the tickets is HERE

A $27 ticket gets you six tasters of 6 ounces each, plus a food option, which includes a sausage sandwich plus fries (one day per ticket).
A $20 ticket gets you six tasters of 6 ounces each (no food, one day per ticket). At the door prices will be higher.

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OktoberFest at 4 Points

Now that I am on the Beer Advisory Board for the 4 Points at LAX, you are going to hear about the monthly beer appreciation nights every month. And coming up in two days is Oktoberfest.

You can get more details HERE and let me know if you go and what you think could be improved upon or added or what you liked and would like to see more of. I would be there but I will be in Colorado at a certain small beer gathering.

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Okto-Milkshake

I read the following press release with a bit of trepidation….

“As Oktoberfest celebrations come to a head this fall, Red Robin’s new shake will leave beer enthusiasts and dessert-lovers alike craving a cold one—a cold beer milkshake, that is! Now through Nov. 11 (or until supplies last), Red Robin is featuring the Samuel Adams® Octoberfest Milkshake – a unique 21 and over milkshake made with creamy soft serve ice cream, Samuel Adams® Octoberfest draft, vanilla and caramel. A sip of this one-of-a-kind shake will rouse a round of toasts and solve one epic food dilemma, right up there with coffee or tea, onion rings or French fries, and soup or salad. The Octoberfest Milkshake offers a sweet solution – a milkshake and beer – in, one satisfying drink.”

Now this sprung from the mind of the Master Mixologist at Red Robin. A position that I did not know existed. To be honest, I know of only a couple of locations where Red Robin’s are currently and neither are stops on my beer journey’s. It might be good but I would only want a small taster at first before I ponied up any money for it.

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Sean suggests for September

This month I bring you some fall seasonals. Two from either ends of the great state of California and one from where this whole Oktoberfest tradition began, Germany.

Sean suggests for September 2012

Just click that link twice to get a handy print out to guide your beer shopping.

And speaking of beer shopping, if you are based in L.A. like I am, you can turn your beer purchases into a free L.A. Beer Week hat! Bottle shops around town will be selling specially stickered bottles or you can pick up a logo’d cap like Eagle Rock or Browerij West and if you collect 12, you can turn them in for a cap. Caps for Caps.