Bayernbiere Bought and Drunk

On the other hand, there are others that follow the good mold and really make you long for the old country.
I was going to send you to Chief O'Neil's Pub web site in Chicago, but it appears they've allowed their site to be compromised and it looks like it's causing internet problems. Here's the Yelp info, and if you're a Facebook user they also have a page -- but only for subscribers.
http://chicago.menupages.com/restaurants/chief-oneills-pub/

I used to have a couple local places that did the same for me for Germany, but they've long since closed.

 

Hmm. I can only imagine -- and since I speak little-to-no Italian, I'm sure my Irish would only suffice with my sarcasm!

OTOH -- If I'm in Italy, I'm probably not on the lookout for an Irish pub.

 

At least in the Irish pubs you know you might pick up an EPL football match, nitro beer and vinegar & salt crisps. Plus, if you stick around long enough, a fight usually breaks out.

 

There are definitely some authentic Irish pubs out there. A real one can be an absolute treat. It just seems like for every real one or at least well-meaning one there are a half-dozen that are trying to be a Bennigans. That seems to be internationally true, as well. I've seen the fake'ish ones all over mainland Europe, too.
I like a fresh pint of Guinness (or preferably Beamish or O'hara's) and some meat & potatoes as much as the next guy...as long as they didn't come straight off a Sysco truck or straight from a plastic bag.

 

Good gawd -- are they still around?

 

Enjoyable

 

I figured this article might be of interest to the participants in this thread, here is an article about the official "bierprobe", or "beer sampling" of the Munich Oktoberfest beers of 2015 with brewing specs for each brand.

 

I was out for a Sunday meal at a local German restaurant, and while scanning the row of tap handles, the second to last one caught my eye. It said "Hofbrau Kellerbier," but I'm assuming it was HB's Münchner Sommer Naturtrüb. As the pictures show, it was a nice murky-amber color. Yeasty and bready, with some fruity-ness, and it had a nice creamy mouthfeel, due in no small part to the lower carbonation. It was a great change of pace from all of the Oktoberfests I've been drinking, and a style I rarely see around these parts. Really, really surprised to find this on tap as I've not seen it on tap or in the bottle ever before.

It went very well with my schnitzel mit zwiebel sauce, red/white cabbage and potato salad.



Had to have another after finishing my meal.

 

Thanks for posting this, quite interesting.

Augustiner in particular, being the lowest in IBUs at 18, and the highest in alcohol at 6.4%.

 

Quite interesting, indeed. My bottles of this year's Augustiner Oktoberfestbier say 6.0%, just like every other year I've had it.

 

Below is something I posted in yesterday's New Beer Sunday thread:

Are you ready to Rumble Oktoberfest Style Part Two!?!

Oktoberfest started yesterday (Sept. 19th); woo-hoo!!

Two weeks ago I had some fun doing a side-by-side tasting of Sly Fox Oktoberfest vs. Sierra Nevada/Riegele. I figured lets have some more fun!!

In one corner will be the ‘upstart’ of the Sierra Nevada/ Brauhaus Riegele collaboratively brewed Oktoberfest beer. Below are some stats for this challenger:

Overview

• Alcohol Content 6.0% by volume
• Beginning gravity 14.6° plato
• Ending Gravity 3.5° plato
• Bitterness Units 30

Ingredients

• Yeast Lager yeast
• Bittering Hops German Magnum
• Finishing Hops German Select, Tettnanger, Spalter
• Malts Two-row Pale, Steffi, Pilsner, Munich

In the other corner is one of my favorite German brewed Oktoberfest beers: Ayinger Oktoberfest. Below is from the importer’s website:

“Taste

Rich, golden color. Slightly sweet, malty nose. Medium to big body and alcohol. Soft dryness from long maturation.”

So who will it be? The upstart (Sierra Nevada) or the classic beer (Ayinger)? Let the contest begin!

Served in my Spiegelau Lager glasses:

Appearance:

Ayinger: An orangish amber with a foamy long lasting off-white head.

Sierra Nevada: A light golden amber color with a fluffy off-white colored head.


Aroma:

Ayinger: Light sweet maltiness.

Sierra Nevada: Clean mild malt aroma with some light toffee; a bit sweet smelling.


Taste:

Ayinger: Carmelized, bready maltiness with just a slight hint of fruitiness. Restrained bitterness that is just enough to keep the beer from being sweet.

Sierra Nevada: The flavor follow the nose with light toffee and a richness to the malt flavors. The hop flavor is subdued; this beer is all about the rich malt backbone. Moderately bitter.


Mouthfeel

Ayinger: Medium bodied with a creamy carbonation level; a semi-dry finish

Sierra Nevada: Medium bodied; lacking a dry finish.

Overall

Ayinger: A nicely balanced beer with pleasant malty flavors.

Sierra Nevada: A tasty and enjoyable beer which features a rich malt backbone.


Both of these beers are enjoyable to drink!

I enjoyed drinking the Sierra Nevada/ Brauhaus Riegele Oktoberfest beer.

The Ayinger Oktoberfest was more balanced so I preferred that beer a bit more.

Cheers to Ayinger and Sierra Nevada for producing tasty Oktoberfest beers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. My favorite Oktoberfest is Sly Fox Oktoberfest since it has a perfect balance of malt and hop flavors with a very pleasing dry finish (for my palate).

 

With Oktoberfest "season" winding down here in N. America (yeah, it's not even October yet), I picked up a 12 Pack of Hacker-Pschorr's Amber Märzen last week and enjoyed it over this past weekend at the grill and acting as prep-chef to my wife yesterday. So I decided I needed some more Spaten Oktoberfest as well and stopped at the first local who had it this year and saw only 2 six-packs left (bottled May of 2016) -- decided I couldn't leave an orphan.

I just can't get past the great malt flavor in the Bavarian Oktos -- I've decided that next season (@grantcty) I'll probably only buy Bavarians and the SN Collaboration beer. The others don't worth my time, or cash, anymore.

 

I'm starting to feel the exact same way. While there are a few American-made ones that I really enjoy, they generally don't stack up to the classic German versions, and I'm usually left feeling a little unsatisfied.

 

I see I'm becoming a bad influence.

I say drink whatever one likes, but it just seems that, like you, I'm drawn to the malt character that beers like the Spaten and H-P Märzens have. So, I only spend a very small portion of my beer budget on locally-made Oktoberfests during the season. Most of it goes to Munich or Bayern (Ayinger) made Oktoberfests/Festbiers.

 

Naw, you just turned the spotlight in the right direction.

 

I do enjoy a few American Oktoberfests. But for the most part, the depth, richness, and smoothness of the bready character in the imports is second to none. I've had multiple drafts/bottles of Spaten, Hacker, Weihenstephan, Hofbrau, and Ayinger...and this character hits you almost instantly upon that first sip. I've only had Paulaner Wiesn/Maerzen on draft this year, and this one falls a bit short for me compared to the others. Still very good though (the Wiesn was a bit better).

The Jack's Abby Copper Legend was quite good, and I love Brooklyn's Oktoberfest, both this year's and last. I don't actively seek out too many American Oktoberfests unless I've heard good things on this forum, the praise is virtually unanimous (as was the case with Sierra Nevada), or it's from a US brewer that I know makes great lagers (as is the case with Sierra Nevada).

Otherwise, this is one of the few times of the year imports are fairly accessible, and fairly fresh, both on draft and in the bottle. Therefore, those make up the bulk of my Oktoberfest consumption.

 

I've had quite a few Oktoberfests this year. A many have mentioned, very few of the American versions compare to the German versions. But recently, I realized I don't have to compare them to Spaten, Hacker-Pschorr or Paulaner, I only have to decide if they're a good beer on their own and if I enjoyed drinking it. In most cases, I do.

 

That was the point of my post above and in most cases, sad to say, I don't. Different strokes, an' all that, but the majority of American Oktos disappointed my palate when I knew I could be drinking Spaten or Hacker-Pschorr. I just need Grant and Alcaheute to remind me of this epiphany in 11 months.

(Oh yeah, still haven't seen Urban Chestnut Okto -- be nice to know if I could add that to my short list)

 

Jerry, I am with you there. I have been drinking a lot of Sly Fox Oktoberfest and Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest so far this 'season' and I will continue to do so.

Cheers!

P.S. I have also been enjoying Ayinger and Weihenstephan as well. Its all good!!

 

For me there is another factor, that doesn't make it as simple as whether it's "good" or not. But simply, which I enjoy more overall. I only drink so many beers in a week, and only spend so much money on this "hobby". If I enjoy one beer more than another, why would I choose the lesser? Regardless of whether they're comparable or not style-wise.

For example, Sierra Nevada's Vienna Lager stunned me yet again this year. It might be the best beer I've had this fall overall, regardless of style. At the very least, in terms of enjoyment, it is every bit the equal of many of the Oktoberfest imports I've consumed. Sierra Nevada could have labeled this an Oktoberfest for all I care. The only disappointment is that it's inside a mixed 12 pack.

So, I have to ask, if the American Oktoberfest beers you've had are not comparable to the likes of Spaten, Hacker...etc., but they're still enjoyable, what style are they most comparable to? Or are they something completely different? Examples? (Mostly curious to see if these beers are distributed to my area, some of the better ones are not...Sly Fox, New Glarus, Olde Mecklenburg...etc.).