Oktoberfest Spotlight: Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest

By Ryan Gerstel:
 
Saturday, Sept. 17 marks the official beginning of the world's biggest beer fest, Oktoberfest. Every fall in Munich, Germany, over six million people, including locals and tourists from across the globe, gather to  observe the changing of the seasons. This 16 to 18 day event was conceived in 1810 to celebrate the union between Crown Prince Ludwig and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in holy matrimony.
Since then, Oktoberfest has transformed into a full fledged festival with beer, food, music, rides, horse races and other events. Just last year, an estimated 5.9 million people attended and consumed approximately 7.7 million liters of beer!
(Click here for more Oktoberfest facts)

The focal point of Oktoberfest is, well, the beer. Every fall, thousands of breweries release their take on the traditional German Oktoberfest.

So, what exactly can you expect from an Oktoberfest brew?

Well for starters, all Oktoberfests are lagers, so they'll have that familiar lager body and mouth feel. In regards to flavor, a traditional Oktoberfest will typically boast roasted malt, caramel and subtle spice. But like most beer styles, no two Oktoberfests are the same. Some may appear lighter in color, some may tone down the malts, and some may be a little more bitter.


For example, two of Munich's official Oktoberfest breweries, Paulaner and Hofbrau, look and taste completely different.

Paulaner's Oktoberfest looks and drinks like a traditional Oktoberfest. It pours dark amber and the flavor is sweet, toasted and mildly bitter.

On the other hand, Hofbrau's Oktoberfest pours a much lighter straw color and the flavor is much more crisp and spicy with little rich sweetness. If I were blind tasting it, I would likely mistake it for a standard German Pilsener.

Sierra Nevada's Oktoberfest is a unique American take because they collaborate with a different German brewer each year to showcase different approaches to the style. This year they teamed up with Bamberg, Germany's Mahrs Brau, and the result is one of the best American-brewed Oktoberfests available on the market this year.

Think of Sierra Nevada's brew as a love child between the Paulaner and Hofbrau I mentioned previously.

The aroma is a nice combination of traditional crisp Pilsener spice, breaded malt and caramel notes that you may find in Dunkel beers.

The pour is a light gold, but not nearly as light as the Hofbrau, and the flavor shares some of its spicy Pilsener qualities, too. However, the finish resembles Paulaner's rich and slightly toasted malt flavor, resulting in a delicious and refreshing mixture of flavor.

Sierra Nevada and Mahrs Brau's joint Oktoberfest is a fitting homage to the traditional German festival beer, and is a good representation of different brewing strategies for the same style of beer.

If you're looking for a great American-microbrew Oktoberfest that isn't Sam Adams, I highly recommend giving Sierra Nevada's offering a try.

(Read Ryan's Review of Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale here)

Cheers!