Best American-brewed Oktoberfest beers in 2019

Yeah, I am considering doing a tasting or two myself, but separating the pales from the ambers. In that case I guess the ZG will stand out no matter where I put it. I might have to do it with an actual blindfold, too.

 

I was absolutely shocked the SN fell at #4 for us because I drank an entire six pack and wasn’t that impressed. Three Floyd’s still can’t help making everything too hoppy. I kept telling @WesMantooth i don’t know why I’m ranking this beer so high because the taste is soft but the nose is perfect and it ended up being the Goose Island, which he disliked. Overall, beers were drank good times were had like most the times we get together. Oh and on a completely unrelated beer note, Apple Brandy Brick Kiln by Jackie O’s is an average beer.

 

I guess we shouldn't be surprised that expatriate Austrians don't know a German style.

 

I certainly think so. I’d compare it to Ayinger, with Ayinger still being better but I like where JA is going with it. In years past I feel as though Copper Legend didn’t have that clean finish that the German counterparts have. Last year I recall it having a bit of a weird green apple hop note that didn’t really jive with the malt backbone. This year’s seems much cleaner and more composed in general, with more classic noble hop character than last years. Maybe I just grabbed a good sixer? I’d have to say Von Trapp still wins by a hair but it’s still worth a look this year.

 

Also 2 new ones I’ve had this year is Bunker Brewing’s Bunktoberfest and Idle Hands Brocktoberfest. Both were decent but not a must try by any means. I’d give them both a C+/B- or somewhere around there

 

My top ones include SN, New Glarus Staghorn and Millstream our of Amana, IA

 

Copper Legend seemed better to me this year than last year but I was underwhelmed with it both times. It's a solid beer, very clean tasting, but it doesn't have that depth of malt flavor and finishes just a little too sweet.

I went back and checked my review from last year's batch and one thing I noticed was that last year there was some yeast sediment at the bottom of the can due to the beer being unfiltered. This year there was zero sediment in the cans I bought, even though it still says it's unfiltered.

 

off topic: I often wonder if salty pretzels are the best between beers? I have been using raw peapods with water instead. Sugar Snap peapods with the whole shell

 

People over in the JA forums have been reporting similar issues with Post Shift (used to very slightly cloudy, now it’s not). Even the Jacks Abby account chimed in and has no clue. Maybe something to do with where the cans were filled from the tank?

 

We were eating the pretzel thins and chasing with water, but we actually discussed if we should have a Gose or something sourish to break it up. We tried some lemon water for what it’s worth.

 

The short answer here is no, there won't be a clear cut winner. Some folks enjoy US versions that are basically an APA brewed with lager yeast. I would rate some of those beers as great amber lagers but bad Oktoberfests. I prefer the old (& apparently disappearing) Marzen style with Munich & Vienna malt and noble hops. Nothing else is an Oktoberfest to me. Everyone's tastes are different and that alone will crush a consensus.

The more ironic reason to me is that the BA scores for this style are the most puzzling of all. I can usually get a good feel on a beer by reading some reviews here. Not at all the case for Oktoberfest styles. A few years ago, I set out to drink and review as many Oktoberfest beers as I could find. I was shocked to see a horribly flawed Indiana brewer's example in the top 100 for the style. I've had it two different years and it has the most pronounced microwave popcorn artificial butter taste I've ever experienced. This brewery ( who was more known for IPAs) had their fans writing reviews for how much "taste" it had for a lager and giving 4+ ratings.

Your best bet is to buy a bunch of singles each year and decide for yourself. A brewer can lager a recipe properly and win awards one year and then shortcut that step the next year to free up space and produce a mess.

 

You might want to try Stevens Point or Schells Ofest beers
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/786/38224/

 

Yeah I saw that about Post Shift. Kind of odd. I'm used to JA's Kellerbiers which always have sediment at the bottom, and I always pour them into a glass with about an ounce or two left in the can so that they pour mostly clear (just a personal preference). Then I drink whatever is leftover straight from the can. I did the same thing with the first few cans of Copper Legend I had this year but wasn't thinking with one can and poured the entire thing into a glass and saw that it was completely bright. Looked in the bottom of the can and zero sediment. So then I made it a point to do that with each of the last few cans I had from my 6-pack and realized they were all like that.

 

After having Bunker Brewing's Bunktoberfest I have decided that filtering for marzens should probably be mandatory. I mean, it doesn't have to be a reverse-osmosis type thing but, shit, your oktoberfest should not look like some sort of new-wave hazy amber ale

 

Hmmm. If a brewery doesn't filter a lager beer and it ends up clear in the package, isn't this a testament to the brewery doing things right? That's a major function of lagering after all, of making the beer clear. If breweries are getting dinged for producing clear, unfiltered lager beers I think something is wrong with the expectations of beer drinkers. I mean what happens at Jack's Abby if people start to complain about their beer being clear, are they forced to change their process to ensure that more sediment is stirred up when packaging the beer? Do they add flour to the bright beer tank?

I just can't get my head around clear beer being seen as a problem. Now, if the brewery was lying about not filtering the beer that would be one thing. But a brewery that turns out clear lager beer should be commended, imho.

 

Absolutely! Clear beer is the furthest thing from a problem. It is the inconsistency of the appearance of the beer from one year to the next that is odd.

 

Of course this thread will dictate local loyalties, which is a wonderful thing that we can all do in this day and age. And on that note, from this corner of the states, the 3 best I've had this year (along with many close contenders I won't bore you with):

Occidental, Festbier
Heater Allen, Bobtoberfest
Zoiglhaus, Oktöberfresh.

I gotta emphasize the beauty and perfect marriage of fresh hops to the style. This year has been glorious. Hope to see more follow this trend.

Prost!

 

I wonder how Revolution would have fared against this group. Has anyone directly compared it to some of the leading festbiers?

 

Bierstadt Lagerhaus' should be available this weekend. It has been the best one in this region for the last few years. Beyond that one, most of the better CO examples aren't packaged. Dry Dock's is the best one you can buy at most stores and they don't distro outside the state.

 

This isn’t what the OP meant by “clear” winner.