Oktoberfest « Brews and Blues

25Sep/100

Homebrew – Roktoberfest

Brewery: Homebrewed
Where: Hickory, NC
Beer: Roktoberfest
Style: Marzen / Oktoberfest
IBU: 21 IBU
ABV: 6.2%

I haven't reviewed one of my homebrews here lately, so I decided to give it a whirl tonight. My "Roktoberfest" has been in the bottle since August 21st, so I decided to give it a whirl. I brewed this beer on March 14, 2010 and got aged quite a bit prior to bottling. I actually ran this beer through 3 stages of fermentation... not because I really wanted to but because I never got around to getting it in the bottles. I finally bottled it on August 21st and decided to have my first taste of it tonight. The recipe for this beer is as follows:

5.50 Gallon Batch - All Grain Recipe

4.5 lbs 2-row German Pilsner malt
2.5 lbs Vienna malt
2.0 lbs Munich Malt (20L)
1.0 lb Aromatic Malt
1.0 lb Crystal malt (20L)
0.5 lb Cara-pils malt
0.5 lb Crystal malt (40L)

1.0 oz Saaz (5.5%) hops (60 minutes)
0.25 oz Saaz (5.5%) hops (45 minutes)

1.0L starter using White Labs WLP-029 Kolsch/German Ale yeast

Mashed at 154°F for 60 minutes, batch sparged, and ran a 60-minute boil

The malt aroma of this beer was quite nice as soon as I opened the bottle, and it got even better as I poured it into the glass. The color of this beer is just a tad darker than I had hoped for but it also hasn't had time to cold crash in the bottles. This one only got to chill for a couple hours instead of a couple days. The head is nice and thick and the carbonation level is just about perfect. The beer has a great malty body followed by an earthy hop balance provided by the early-addition Saaz hops. I'm definitely going to enjoy this batch during the fall months of this year.

My Imperial Stout might be coming up here shortly. I'm about ready to give a full taste to that batch very soon.

Filed under: Beer Reviews, Fruit / Veg Beer, Home Brewing, Marzen, Oktoberfest No Comments

27Oct/094

Coney Island Freaktoberfest

Well, here we go once again down that road of slick packaging! I'm a sucker for it. If your beer has a super cool label, I'm likely to try it. The Shmaltz Brewing Company, as far as I'm concerned, wins the cool labeling contest hands down. I was at the World Market in Mooresville recently when I spotted this little gem sitting among some other seasonal beers and wines in a rather subtle display. It hasnt' been that long ago that I tried their Coney Island Lager simply because of the cool label, so I'm going to pick up the rest of their stuff that is available to me this week and get it in the tasting line up very soon. The labeling on the two bottles is nearly identical, which is probably why I liked it so much.

The Coney Island Freaktoberfest poured with a thick foamy head and, as noted on the bottle, a blood red color in the glass. It's so red that I actually expected the Kool-Aid guy to crash through my wall when I took a sip. However, on taking that first sip, the malty dominance of the blood red brew stood up and shouted instead. This beer has a powerful caramel note. I don't know what the grain bill on this beer looks like but I'm quite confident that there is a nice chunck of crystal malt in each batch. I like the flavor of this beer so much I might just write them an email and see if they would be willing to give any tips to a home brewer on making it. Some breweries will do that to some extent. The last time I inquired about a recipe, I was given the list of malts and hops used in the beer, but no amounts or ratios and was left to figure it out on my own.

The label on this beer also says "This is not an Oktoberfest... This is Freaktoberfest." As far as Oktoberfest beers go, this IS a bit different in more ways than just the color. The malt dominance of this beer is right on target with the Oktoberfest style. There is something odd in the hop bill though and I'm not sure what it is. This beer has very little hop aroma, which is also normal, but there is a definite hop bitterness, although not overpowering at all, in this brew. From the bottle:

6 Malts
6 Hops
6.66% Alcohol
Blood Red Lager
Indulge your Inner Freak!

That 6 hop note and higher alcohol content is what sets this beer apart from a normal Oktoberfest. Oktoberfests are traditionally not known for hops. I'll send a note to Shmaltz Brewing and see what information I might be able to get them to give up on this brew... In the mean time, I am headed up to Gail's Hops and Grapes to pick up some more of these brews for future drinks...

Filed under: American Amber, Beer Reviews, Oktoberfest, Red Lager, Seasonal 4 Comments

29Sep/090

Highland Clawhammer Oktoberfest

Today's sampling is from Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, North Carolina. I have had several of their beers before and always had excellent results and reviews, but this beer has a problem. I'm not sure if it's just this bottle or possibly the batch, but it has a bitter flavor that is very uncharacteristic of the style. It tastes like something is wrong with it. I actually poured this beer down the drain after 5 or 6 sips. Before I pass complete judgement on this beer, I'm going to chill another one and give it a try. If there is any difference in the next bottle, I will update this post with additional information.

My previous experiences with Highland beers have all been good. This is a brewery that I will always hold in high regards as well, so don't let this minor glitch steer you away from their wonderfully crafted beers.

*** Update ***

I opened another bottle of this beer this evening and it exhibited the same bitterness that the first bottle did. I poured it out. I'm going to try to talk to some others who have had this beer and compare notes...

Filed under: Beer Reviews, Marzen, Oktoberfest, Seasonal No Comments

24Sep/091

Sam Adams Octoberfest

Here's another seasonal I picked up recently at Gail's Hops and Grapes. Before I continue on this one, I have a comment for any of my local people who might be reading this:

If you are interested in sampling the seasonal's being offered at Gail's, I have three bottles of each of the following beers that I will trade you three of something that I don't have already. I really hate buying six packs just to try a beer, and now I have a collection of Oktoberfests that I won't drink up myself...

Samuel Adams Octoberfest
New Belgium Hoptober (not a real Oktoberfest)
Bell's Octoberfest
Highland's Clawhammer Oktoberfest

I will trade these one at a time or in groups of three for any of the other fall seasonals if you want to mix up your tasting regimen without buying six of everything...

The Sam Adams Octoberfest, even though they (as did Bell's Brewing) spell it wrong, is a decent representation of the style. It poured a very rich copper/amber color with a thick head of foam. The malty aroma came through quickly and there are practically no hop aromas found that contribute significantly to the overall aroma. From the website:

The first thing you notice when pouring a glass of this seasonal beer is the color. Samuel Adams Octoberfest has a rich, deep golden amber hue which itself is reflective of the season. Samuel Adams Octoberfest is a malt lover's dream, masterfully blending together five roasts of barley to create a delicious harmony of sweet flavors including caramel and toffee. The beer is kept from being overly sweet by the elegant bitterness imparted by the German Noble hops. Samuel Adams Octoberfest provides a wonderful transition from the lighter beers of summer to the winter's heartier brews.

The Sam Adams Octoberfest is probably going to fall in the middle of the road of my favorites in this group this season. I'm not sure what is causing it, but there is a little bit of leftover bitterness in the aftertaste of this beer. That isn't characteristic of this style. This beer should finish on a sweet note with a caramel aftertaste if there is any aftertaste at all. Its not as full bodied as the Bell's and its got just a little bit crisper flavor. We'll see how these stack up to the Highland Brewing's Clawhammer Oktoberfest that I have been saving. I'm expecting it to be my favorite of the bunch so far...

Filed under: Beer Reviews, Marzen, Oktoberfest, Seasonal 1 Comment

11Sep/092

Bell’s Oktoberfest

I have bee to Gail's Hops and Grapes twice in the last week to pick up several sixers of seasonal samplers. Fall seasonals, especially Oktoberfests, are some of my favorite beers. As you may be able to tell from my writings here, I love the malty beers. The girls at Gail's have been really clamoring over the Bell's offering this year. They say it's their most popular seasonal at the moment, so of course I had to give it a try. I am a fan of Bell's Brewery's products, and it's really hard to go wrong with one of their beers.

This Oktoberfest poured with a nice golden-orange color that isn't as deep as some I have experienced in the past. The thick head also looked appealing and it held on for the duration of this drink. The body of this drink is rather rich, and I would classify it as medium to slightly higher than medium with a beautiful caramel flavor with hints of toasted notes floating around. It has an excellent mouth feel and it isn't too crisp. From the website:

A coppery amber lager that showcases a full-bodied, malty flavor that is balanced by a refreshing bitterness derived from fine noble hops...

Oh well... the body level and character of a beer to a homebrewer is significantly different that to most beer drinkers. Let's just say that this beer does have a nice body overall. This style of beer is not known for any particular presence of hop character, so I'm not even really interested in discussing the hop value. These beers are defined by their maltiness.

It's good stuff... I'm just not ready to put it at the very top of my Oktoberfest favorites list yet. I have three more on hand to sample and I might pick up a few more during the season as well...

Filed under: Beer Reviews, Marzen, Oktoberfest, Seasonal 2 Comments

1Sep/090

Abita Amber

I have been so busy lately that I haven't had time to drink much beer, which is unfortunate. I did complete a brewing session on Sunday, and I'll be reviewing my two previous brews in the coming week or two. I'm trying to get back on a regular sampling schedule, so tonight I'm sampling the Amber from Abita Brewing Company in Abita Springs, Louisiana.

This beer poured with a nice rich copper / amber color and a nice thick head. The head retention was decent and the flavor of this beer is definitely on the malty side with a practically non-existent hop presence beyond the aroma. It's rated at 17 IBU which is just on the low side for this particular style, but the caramel flavor is definitely nice.

In the greater scheme of things, Abita's Amber isn't something that really stands above many of the rest in this class. It's a good beer and it's one that I would likely buy again at some point, but after tasting it and enjoying the entire glass, I can't really come up with any definitive aspects of this beer that put it on a higher level. It's good beer, and that's about it :)