Midwest Made Oktoberfests

Discussion in 'Great Lakes' started by ZAP, Aug 12, 2017.

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  1. ZAP

    ZAP Grand Pooh-Bah (3,964) Dec 1, 2001 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    It's that time of the year. Leaves are turning colors, a crispness in the air. Regular season football games are kicking in. Well, maybe none of that yet but the Oktoberfests are starting to hit the shelves and being its one of my favorite styles I can't hold back hitting them early. I thought a thread on impressions of this years Midwest made Oktoberfests would be interesting. Shoot, you can even toss in other Oktoberfest thoughts and I don't think too many people will complain.

    So far I've had two. Leinie's and Beaver Island (now in 16 ounce cans).

    Leine's is more of a dark American Lager. It's drinkable but not close to being a solid ofest.

    Beaver Island is outstanding. Maybe the best U.S. made Oktoberfest I've had. Spot on for style. I'll be drinking a ton of this this fall. Real toasty maltiness with a nice depth of malt flavors while lacking that caramel flavor a lot of US made ofests have. I actually enjoy some of those a lot too but this one is the closest I've found to a amber german ofest. (Beaver Island also did a fantastic Maibock and is very quietly kicking out some top notch lagers.)
     
  2. ZAP

    ZAP Grand Pooh-Bah (3,964) Dec 1, 2001 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Too late to edit...re-reading and meant Leinie Ofest an amber lager not dark...
     
  3. DriftlessFarmer

    DriftlessFarmer Initiate (0) Dec 15, 2016 Iowa

    It's not Midwest per this forum, but New Glarus Staghorn is one of my favorite Marzens.

    Within this forum's boundaries, I'd go with Summit, Schell's, Schlafly, Backpocket (begrudgingly -Hawktoberfest offends my Cyclone sensibilities) and Confluence.

    I realize it's not at all to style, but I love SurlyFest too.
     
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  4. MNAle

    MNAle Initiate (0) Sep 6, 2011 Minnesota

    Well, since the OP mentioned a WI beer, I'd say you're OK. The Census Bureau definition of "midwest" is Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

    My favorites from the midwest last year were Schell's and Bell's.

    Speaking of offending sensibilities, when discussing the Märzen / Oktoberfest style beers, SurlyFest offends my sensibilities. I do enjoy it, but IMO, its style is a fall seasonal for IPA drinkers, not an Oktoberfest! :wink:
     
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  5. DriftlessFarmer

    DriftlessFarmer Initiate (0) Dec 15, 2016 Iowa

    My definition of Midwest is a little different. I'd cut off Ohio and Michigan altogether. To me the Midwest is all of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, the Dakotas, and parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas, Colorado, and Montana.

    I realize this is a pedantic side bar, but I'm kind of a geography nerd and this is just my opinion. Basically, to me the Midwest is the areas that were once prairies and got turned into crop production. Ohio and Michigan are just too close to the Atlantic.

    I had a Leine's Oktoberfest today and it was better than I remember. Maybe I was just jonesin.
     
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  6. barrybeerdog

    barrybeerdog Pundit (807) Aug 17, 2012 South Dakota

    My apologies to EVERYONE else that doesn't give a shit about the geography nerd's opinion, but if you're basing your definition of Midwest on: "prairies to crops", I gotta call bullshit on "all of Iowa". Explain to me how the north east corner of your state is/was prairie & now crop land? Have you driven NE from Decorah to the Mississippi River? That my friend is no prairie/crop land...Never was, never will be...

    Carry on & let's get back to the best Midwest Oktoberfest's, my vote goes to Schell's
     
    #6 barrybeerdog, Aug 12, 2017
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2017
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  7. MNAle

    MNAle Initiate (0) Sep 6, 2011 Minnesota

    You are describing the Great Plains, not the Midwest. Besides, your definition from a geography persepctive would also need to include parts of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

    That's my vote from last year. Maybe I'll try a few others this year as well.
     
  8. MNBeerGeek

    MNBeerGeek Initiate (0) Jun 25, 2013 Minnesota

    I think what this forum has always been missing is arguments about geography.
     
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  9. Victory_Sabre1973

    Victory_Sabre1973 Grand Pooh-Bah (4,561) Sep 15, 2015 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I'm surprised about Beaver Island. They do some great beers - Sweet Miss, Hazy Daisy, but others aren't that good in my opinion - Ripple, Union Suit. I'll have to give it a try and see.
     
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  10. DriftlessFarmer

    DriftlessFarmer Initiate (0) Dec 15, 2016 Iowa

    Give me Canada or give me death
     
  11. morimech

    morimech Grand Pooh-Bah (3,779) Nov 6, 2006 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Here I was going to make a post stating the using the term midwest on the BA forums it would be defined by the categories set by the BA forums. Glad I did not make that mistake:slight_smile:.

    Schell's O-fest was never a favorite of mine. Just a bit too sweet. Summit's is too big. I love Surlyfest but it is a hoppy rye lager and not an O-fest. Some others that I have enjoyed but some are festbiers and not Oktoberfests:
    Millstream Oktoberfest
    Fair State Festbier
    Bauhaus Schwantoberfest
    Boulevard Bob's '47
    Enki Fest
    Waconia's Oktoberfest
    Fargo O'fest

    And does everyone remember the brilliance of Summit's Fest Bier? But again it is not an Oktoberfest.
     
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  12. Hookstrat

    Hookstrat Zealot (716) Jan 15, 2006 Iowa
    Trader

    How are you defining these styles? It seems like you are trying to differentiate Märzen from lighter "festbier"? If that's what you are getting at, I think better just to call the darker ones Märzen, because both styles are served at Oktoberfest. And "festbiers" are categorized as Märzen/Oktoberfest on this website.
     
  13. morimech

    morimech Grand Pooh-Bah (3,779) Nov 6, 2006 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I am trying to differentiate the lighter beers from the Marzen because if I didn't there would be countless posts pointing out that that beer is not actually an Marzen/Oktoberfest.
     
  14. mjryan

    mjryan Maven (1,485) Dec 22, 2007 Minnesota

    I prefer Fest Bier, to traditional OFest.
     
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  15. Hookstrat

    Hookstrat Zealot (716) Jan 15, 2006 Iowa
    Trader

    Gotcha. I just think Oktoberfest is not such a circumscribed style and it's confusing to say "festbiers are not Oktoberfest beers". Either call them all Oktoberfests, call the darker ones Marzen, or come up with another name for the lighter ones.
     
  16. MNAle

    MNAle Initiate (0) Sep 6, 2011 Minnesota

    The names Oktoberfest, Marzën, and Festbier are not clearly delineated from each other, especially as used by American craft brewers.

    The following is from my reading on the topic; I don't represent myself as any expert; just more-or-less repeating what I've read...

    Marzën (March beer) was the original style for the München (Munich) festival, and originally was much darker than what is called Marzën today. 'Round about the late 1800's, Spaten brewed a lighter version for the festival to take advantage of the popularity of lighter beers in Europe. It is known today as "original Marzën", although it is no such thing. This style took over as the style of the festival.

    About a hundred years later, Paulaner decided to lighten the festival beer even further. This became Festbier, and is the only beer now served at the festival, where it is known as Oktoberfestbier (a trademarked name, supplied for the festival by six breweries: Spaten, Löwenbräu, Augustiner-Bräu, Hofbräu-München, Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr).

    Most (all?) of the German brewers of Oktoberfestbier also still brew a Marzën, especially for export.

    American brewers, of course, call the beer what they want to call it. Color will range from pale to amber.
     
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  17. HammsMeASAP

    HammsMeASAP Pundit (907) Jun 14, 2012 Minnesota

    Utepils is coming out with one soon. Should be solid I would think........
     
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  18. MNAle

    MNAle Initiate (0) Sep 6, 2011 Minnesota

    I hope they can it!
     
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  19. dragonaut

    dragonaut Initiate (0) May 29, 2005 Iowa

    I really favor a paler festbier, so I gravitate towards Paualener Weisn, Sierra Nevada's collaborations and am really wanting to try KC Bier Co's Festbier this year based on my positive experiences with their Helles, Pils, Dunkel and Hefe. I'd also love to make it out to Chicago to try Dovetail's. Regionally, Schell's and Millstream's are personal favorites but I'd love to see them take a stab at the paler (and more traditional based on the festival in Munich) festbier style.
     
  20. BottleCaps80

    BottleCaps80 Initiate (0) Jan 12, 2013 Iowa

    I consider myself a Geo-geek as well and also have my bachelor's degree in Geography, but your definition of the Midwest is just insane. The Midwest region has virtually nothing to do with physical geography, like your definition seems to imply (which is actually quite varied from plains, to loess hills, to mountains, to massive river valleys, to large portions of mainly forest, to limestone caverns). Crop production really has nothing to do with it. What you are describing is a sub-sect of states that derive what is traditionally known as the "Corn Belt" or "Bread Basket" states, which are economic geography terms, not physical geography terms.

    Oh...and Schell's makes my favorite Midwest Oktoberfest. Most of them produced in the Midwest are too sweet, as I like the drier versions.
     
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