Best 2017 Oktoberfest, So Far

Damn that's true. I've been away from the business for a while and forgot about that. I guess they sell enough close to home, so good on them! I do know about the legal brewing limits for self-distribution and stand firmly with Red Oak, Old Meck, and others to buck the good old boy system in effect here...

 

Happily drank two liters of Hofbrau Oktoberfest last night with dinner. It is quite delicious.

 

Yeah I dont know how much the fresh hops really bring into the beer but a bit of herbaceous and oily quality of fresh hops but its a very tasty Oktoberfest.

 

I actually perceive EKGs as being spicier than noble hops. Not as noticeable in the unfortunately old import English ales around these days, but a very noticeable spiciness in my homebrewed English pales.

I do agree that marzens finish drier than English pale ales, but I attribute that more to the less attenuative ale yeasts and a healthy dose of dark English crystal malts. My guess is that the hops don't contribute to the dryness as much as they are noticeable because of the dryness.

On a side note, I am drinking an English Pilsner right now that I made with 50% Maris Otter malt and 100% EKG hops. The hops play very well with the style.

 

Still my favorite. I'm debating whether or not to get a mini keg this year- my guests usually hardly touch it, and it's up to me to drink it all. Not that that's such a bad thing...

 

I hadn't had any Octoberfests this year yet, so last night when my wife and I stopped at a restaurant that has a good tap list we ordered a flight of all 5 of them on the menu for a comparison. Not all were listed on the menu using 'Octoberfest' as the style or in the beer name, but all 5 were listed as Marzens. Fat Head's G'Suffa was our clear winner, followed in order by Yuengling's Octoberfest and Flying Fish's Octoberfish (tie); Victory Festbier (these 3 were all close to each other), and last was an Octoberfest offering from Four Seasons (listed as a local brewery on the menu and we were traveling in the Pittsburgh area) which wasn't even close to any of the others. It was also a pale color which really stood out when compared to the other 4 which which were all identical in color as a golden amber.

 

Imported Goldings? I always find them "earthy," but yeah, I can think of some herbal qualities too.

English Pilsner? What was the other half of the grain bill? 'Cause it sounds like you made a Best Bitter. (you also didn't mention yeast -- as you said above, always a big factor)

 

My palate is more similar to @steveh's, definitely more earthy, but I do get some spiciness if I recall correctly. But it's not on the level of Noble hops.

I was curious about this too. I assumed the other 50% was Pils malt and then a lager yeast strain was used. The entire recipe is a very interesting combo. Much more innovative than simply throwing a truck load of American hops at a Pilsner and calling it a day.

 

As much as I like the flavor of both malts, I wonder how the combo would turn out? Pretty sweet and bready, I'd guess.

 

Hear ya ....It's a great beer though!

 

Still looking...

 

Save yourself some time and don't...just my opinion though. But it was no Hofbrau/Paulaner/Weihenstephan...wasn't even a Sierra Nevada collab from last year.

 

I always use English Goldings, I've never used American. It's probably my most used hop over the years. Consistently spicy to me.

My English Pilsner took some German liberties. 50% pilsner malt and WLP 833 lager yeast. I thought about going 100% English and using all Golden Promise, but I could not think of an English lager yeast strain.

Excuse my poor photo taking skills. It's actually a lot lighter than it looks in the photo.

 

The hops in general seem subdued to me on most imported English pale ales, which I imagine is due more to age than anything as fresh examples are hard to find. Unfortunately fresher American brewed examples are non-existent around here. I usually target 25 to 40 IBUs in an English pale ale style and even on the low end of the spectrum the EKGs are much more prevalent than imported examples.

As I have never been to the UK, paging someone like @marquis , who might have more input on what fresh EKGs taste like in an English pale.

 

I've had quite a few Oktoberfest beers this season and honestly the biggest surprise was Genesee Oktoberfest! For $22 a case, I don't think you can beat it. Of course Weihnstepaner, Spaten, Hofbrau and the like are still next level comparatively. My favorite American offerings have been Bell's and Urban Chestnuts O Katz.

 

Grrr. Bugs the crap outta me that I'm just up the road from UC and have only seen their Okto on tap at one place -- no cans, bottles, or anything anywhere else.

A retailer told me that the distro is dolling out the beer to its "favorite" sellers.

 

@utopiajane -- why hasn't Uinta added this to their web site? Rather odd.

After Alca's added perspective, I thought about the Bell's Lager of the Lakes that I've been enjoying over the past month -- sort of a Helles/Pilsner cross. With that beer on sale around here and all of the import Oktos I've been finding, I guess I can't say I feel like I'm missing Uinta's "Fest" Helles.

 

Thanks tzieser! I will definitely try that.

 

I'm not sure how prevalent this beer is in your area and/or how fresh it would be, but Sam Adams Boston Ale uses EKGs and Fuggles. A solid forgotten beer from Boston Beer Co., my only gripe with it is that it's 5.4%, well above session strength, which is my preference with that style.

Ironically the two words on the label for Boston Ale are "Earthy and Smooth". Although Sam Adams isn't exactly the best at accurate descriptions for each style, see their Octoberfest (granted their use of the word caramel is technically appropriate considering they use caramel malts).

Honker's Ale might be easier to find fresh, but I have no clue what hops they use in that. It's one of my favorites, and when it's very fresh the hops really pop in that one. My guess would be that they use EKGs and/or Fuggles, but their website doesn't mention ingredients.

 

Not a style I particularly care for, personally, so the only one I have had this year has been La Cumbre's. I enjoyed it, completely lacking of any sweetness.....which is exactly what I want in the style.