Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2016

Quoted below is a post by @steveh on September 4th last year, and Bill's response...

 

Certainly not with pumpkins from the 2016 harvest.

 

And there are Oktoberfests in July?

 

Well, there's zero to hardly any pumpkin at all in these beers. It's all pumpkin pie spices.

 

Well, I just got my first notice for the 2016 NRA Christmas cards, so I guess 'tis the season. I'm in on this as soon as I see it, and I don't care if it is 100 degrees out.

 

Au Contraire, Mon frere! Take a peek in the "Baking" aisle of your grocery and you will see cans labeled "Pumpkin"!

 

Oh my god. College football and oktoberfest.. why did you have to remind me? I already feel impatient enough.

 

I actually spotted two different pumpkin beers on the shelves here in late June. If there is any real pumpkin vs pumpkin spice, then it was rotted or canned pumpkin from last year. So, oktoberfest beers, why not?

 

Wow, this is way earlier than I expected to see this. Haven't checked local stores to see if it's shown up yet but when it does I will definitely get at least a six-pack (and probably go back for a 12 later if I like it even half as much as last year's! XD)

Pretty sure the 12-pack I bought last year had a bottling date in September if I'm remembering right, while the six-pack I bought in September was bottled in... maybe August? So if they're starting this early... yeah, I would suspect there will be more than one batch again.

 

I will definitely start looking for it!

 

I drank quite a few SN and Sam Adams last year. Think i was in the minority that preferred the sam. However, still looking forward to these....but will not partake until at least college football starts

 

Ha, touché. I'll let perhaps @jesskidden and/or @patto1ro correct me if I'm wrong. But I believe the term Märzen means March, when the beers were brewed. They were consumed over the summer months, and finished during Oktoberfest. Admittedly, the history of the style, the term and style "Festbier", and evolution of this beer is confusing to me after years of reading about it on Beeradvocate though.

Moreover, if you check the dates on many of the imports, some (if not all) have bottling dates in the spring. I'm not saying this is ideal either, but it's another reason I pick them up as soon as they hit the shelves here in the US. Especially Ayinger, since there is no bottling date on their bottles.

Don't get me wrong, I don't PREFER an Oktoberfest beer in July, in fact I typically don't really start buying them until August. And I consume quite a bit (especially on tap) throughout September. I also enjoy drinking some styles seasonally, even if they're released out of season. I don't want an Oktoberfest in February either. I like a few months of consumption, and then I move on.

Let's face it though, it would be a bad business decision to try pushing any fall beer in October, when many breweries have begun releasing their winter offerings. I think August - October batches would be ideal. But I'd rather see them release it a bit early in July, then send off cases and cases to my store in October that most won't buy. And then the winter beers are delayed because they need to sell off fall beers that no one wants.

2015 Pumking anyone?

I bet there's quite a few that use actual pumpkin in their recipes still. There was a time before imperial this and that with loads of spices and bourbon barrel-aging when this style first became popular. And perhaps they should be, at least according to what many consider the "kings" of pumpkin beers, Elysian Brewing.

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/5-tips-brewing-pumpkin-beers-elysian-brewing-co/

"1) Use pumpkin throughout the brewing process.

Using pumpkin in a pumpkin beer may seem too obvious for tip #1, but there are “pumpkin beers” out there utilizing only spices to trick the senses into perceiving pumpkin. Ideally, pumpkin should be evident in both flavor and mouthfeel."

 

Oh no... just, oh no.

 

Guess I'm in the minority... it's a hundred degrees here too... don't care, that is one beer (SN O'fest) I can drink year round and would do so... I'm hoping this year's version is as good as last year's. I drank my weight in that stuff...

 

I wouldn't worry, SN released their Oktoberfest last year right around the same time as this year, and, as many have already alluded to, they had multiple brew dates on their bottles last year. IIRC, there were at least three different dates on bottles I had. The last one was in early August.

 

I'd take Ofests/Marzens year round (they are my fav style of beer), so it's never too early for me. Now I'm going to be pacing around Louisville until this finally shows up, in which case I may buy two cases immediately. I have no doubts, especially after last year's edition, that this will be fantastic. Prost!

 

I will admit that the beer is a few weeks early this year, but for some reason, we had a run on Summerfest...nation-wide we are completely out of draught beer, and dwindling down on paclkage as well. Oktoberfest was nudged forward to fill the gaps on shelves and taps. To the question at hand, we will continue to bottle Oktoberfest weekly (at both breweries) until at least September.

 

When will we see the Keller version?

 

Come to one of our taprooms, we'll have it on!

 

Looking forward to this one. Last years was awesome!