Best 2017 Oktoberfest, So Far

My boss and I tried 9 different Oktoberfests side by side with our's. Ayinger in bottles was one of them. We both are highly sensitive to diacetyl and neither of us said we tasted it.

 

Did you taste diacetyl in the bottles? The one my boss and I tried was diacetyl free.

 

The first onesI grabbed and have had were the 300ml bottles. As good as ever.

 

A number of BAs have posted they have perceived diacetyl in bottled Ayinger Oktoberfest beers. I will mention @utopiajane and @TongoRad.

The topic that Ayinger refuses to provide any sort of dates on their bottled beer was previously discussed. This is problematic in a number of ways. For the case of some of the batches of Ayinger Oktoberfest having a diacetyl issue without dates there is absolutely no way to distinguish batches. From my perspective a potential bigger issue is that we have no way of knowing how old the beer is at all. Some folks have reported that their local retailers are selling Hofbrau Oktoberfest beers that were brewed last year (2016). This is a risk in purchasing Ayinger Oktoberfest beers as well since they refuse to date their bottles.

Last year I purchased a few Ayinger Oktoberfest bottles despite the lack of bottle dating. I have made a decision to not buy any Ayinger Oktoberfest bottles this year due to this lack of transparency (i.e., package dating). If Ayinger wants my business as regards their bottled beers they will need to implement bottle dating.

Cheers!

 

So far
1) Ayinger
2) Sierra Nevada
3) Weihenstephaner Festbier

 

Hacker-Pschorr is always #1 in my heart
Weihenstephan
Paulaner Wiesn

I really prefer traditional to American craft Oktoberfest beers

 

Swimming upriver here, but the only Fest beer I haven't loved was Ayinger. I try every year to like it, but I just don't. It's a bit too sweet, it needs some hops , if it's there I can't really tell all that much. It just doesn't cone across as light and bright , the malt for me is too much.

 

Sounds like the small bottles are the way to go.

 

I am unable to get much variety where I am, just east of Pittsburgh. SN collaboration was too hoppy for me and much like an IPA. Last year was much better. Spaten and Great Lakes are pretty good.

 

I am an hour away from Pittsburgh and the bottle dating issue is a big deal to me. I like Paulaner, but in my town I have received mixed cases with the contents as old as 1.5 years. Paulaner does not date the outside of the case, so I now make the distributer open the cases to make sure the dated bottles are not stale. More often than not, the bottles are anywhere from 2 months to 1 year past their prime.

 

Good for you in making this get done.

Non-cheers to old bottles!!

 

Still haven't been able to track down any Ayinger in SEPA, same with the Fat Heads, I will have to find both before I can make a call on whats what. Also have a few other straggler Oktoberfests to pick up in the meantime.

 

Interested to hear your thoughts on the 10 you tried.

 

Half liter or .330 bottles?

 

.33 liter

 

An encouraging sign! The 'd' seems to only have been detected in the 500ml bottles so far.

 

I'm not real familiar with the style so I bought 12 different bottles and cans from American brewers. I thought the best of the five I tried was Ballast Points Dead Ringer. That surprised me 'cuz I've never been impressed with most of there offerings.

 

@JackHorzempa I know you are a big advocate for Genny Bock, but have you had their Octoberfest, and if so is it any good?

 

Yes, I am indeed a fan of Genny Bock. For the price I think it is a very good beer.

I have not had the pleasure of drinking the Genesee Oktoberfest. To go further I have never seen this beer for sale. The person that think is a Genesee expert is Maria (@utopiajane). Hopefully she can provide some insight here.

Another beer I can recommend with the aspect of price in mind is Yuengling Oktoberfest beer. This beer is not what I consider an 'optimum' Oktoberfest beer but it is a beer I enjoy drinking considering the price. This beer is like an 'amped up' Yuengling Traditional Lager for my palate and I enjoy drinking it simply from a pleasing beer perspective.

Best of luck in your search!!

Cheers!

 

Wegman's KOP had a ton of Fat Head's and where I got mine, great price too ($7.99 for a sixer). Tasty beer too, one of my favorites for this year so far.