As the dog days of summer crest upon the beer world, a familiar collective roar gathers volume: Oktoberfest beer in August. The party began in October 1810, when a great horse race was organized to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Everyone had so much fun that it was held again, and eventually became an annual event, dubbed “Oktoberfest” in 1872. It has since evolved into a 16-day Munich blowout in late September and early October, when there isn’t a pandemic or World War. The party has evolved into Oktoberfest beers being released in August. Oh, to be in that great mass of humanity, dancing to the throbbing polka beats, scarfing down sausage, kraut, and strudel, and most of all, imbibing from the holy grail … er, stein … while the sun beats down on us. While Peaks & Pints annual Fresh Hoptoberfest a little less than a month away we thought we highlight the early arrivals. Stop by our craft beer bar, bottle shop and restaurant and sample Peaks and Pints Beer Flight: Hot Summer Oktoberfest.
Peaks and Pints Beer Flight: Hot Summer Oktoberfest
AleSmith AleSchmidt Oktoberfest
5.5% ABV
This classic German-style amber lager has been brewed in Germany and Austria for hundreds of years, though it was made famous for being served at Munich’s Oktoberfest celebration since 1872. Modern versions exported to the United States are often labeled Oktoberfest and the name has become synonymous in the minds of most brewers and consumers with the traditional Märzen style, though modern iterations of the style in Europe are considerably lighter. AleSmith Brewing’s take on this classic is characterized by a clean, elegant, and toasty malt character.
Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen
5.8% ABV
Sweet and grainy on the nose — think of fresh bread baked with honey and raisin — Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen features a pronounced sweetness of caramel and caramelized pumpkin on the palate. Hearty, and even a bit creamy as it warms, Oktober Fest-Märzen features a touch of bitter hops and fresh straw upfront before veering into a long malty finish. However, the beer dries out nicely to avoid a sticky or cloying aftertaste. This beer pairs beautifully with our pretzel bread sticks and side of beer mustard. Gemütlichkeit is, of course, free as always.
Warsteiner Oktoberfest
5.9% ABV
In 1753, German homebrewer Antonius Cramer was asked to pay beer tax as his homebrewing volumes surpassed the volume allowed for personal consumption. This marked the beginning of a long and successful brewing tradition and as the fledgling business continued to grow, Caspar Cramer was emboldened to finally establish what would become the original home of the small brewery by building the Warsteiner Domschänke, a brew pub in the centre of Warstein. Thanks to the efforts of Warsteiner, the small village, situated in the Sauerland, in the southeastern region of Westphalia, has since become famous around the world for its excellent beer production. As for Warsteiner itself, the company is presently in its ninth generation of family ownership under Catharina Cramer. A truly German import brewed according to the German Purity Law, as are all Warsteiner beers, Warsteiner Oktoberfest pours a deep gold with a bit of sediment in suspension. It hits the nose with cracker, bready malts, and grassy hops. The mouthfeel is light to medium with a prickly carbonation. This special edition is well-balanced with flavors of cracker, biscuit, hint of citrus, and grassy hops.
Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest (2023)
6% ABV
Sierra Nevada Brewing is, once again, collaborating with a German brewery on their annual Oktoberfest beer release. The rotating series, which took a break last year, is back with Germany’s Kehrwieder Brewery helping to brew the annual festbier. The collaboration is 20 years in the making: Sierra Nevada’s Innovation brewmaster, Scott Jennings, and Kehrwieder’s founder and brewmaster, Olli Wesseloh, originally met as classmates at the world-renowned brewing school in Berlin, VLB (Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei). The beer pours a beautiful copper color and has a clean, biscuity malt flavor accentuated by an aromatic, but not too bitter blend of German and American hops – an ode to the cross-continental collaboration.
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
