Sierra Nevada Summerfest 2020

Is anyone detecting less sweetness in this years version? I'm getting more "pilsner-esque" qualities in the 2020 offering. It tastes more balanced than previously. Quite tasty.

 

Oh no, they've been releasing Oktoberfest in July the last few years.

Not complaining though.

I would say I'm getting more "fresh lager" qualities. That fresh ocean-like sulfur smell you get when you first crack open the beer...only it's carrying over to the taste as well (I'm terrible at describing this, sometimes I've seen people say DMS).

 

I picked up a 6er dated 04/08/2020. First time trying Summerfest. It is a damn fine Czech Pils!

 

Are you picking up a corn like aroma/flavor? For my palate, perceptible DMS tastes like creamed corn.

Cheers!

 

Sierra Nevada has explained the seasonal creep quite well in the past. Part of it is of course getting on the shelves, and if you are the last seasonal of the season, you could be told there is no room. But specifically with Sierra Nevada, the problem is Celebration. Few people want to drink it in January, because let's face it, it is kinda depressing at that point. So Celebration is Oct to Dec, forcing the Oktoberfest to be July to Sep, forcing Summerfest to be Apr to Jun, and the "Spring" seasonal to be Jan to Mar. Basically, if they had a less festive-centric winter seasonal, they could probably shift everything by a month.

 

Well, the other reason for the timing of Celebration is that this beer features what SN terms as "Fresh Hops" which are hops from the recent hop harvest which occurs the end of summer (late August to mid-September). The hops are picked and dried and SN uses them within a week or so of them becoming available (and subsequently for another month or so).

The challenge with releasing their Oktoberfest beer in early-mid July is that these beers arrive at my local Retail Beer Distributors then and many (most?) of these retailers are not kept cold (e.g., not air conditioned). These beers then 'bake' for 1-2 months before the Oktoberfest season begins. If a beer consumer want to drink Oktoberfest beers in the middle of July where it is 90+ degrees (in my area) well they are happy but I prefer to drink an Oktoberfest beer after Labor Day and these beers are already 'beat up' by then. A non-optimum distribution decision here IMO.

Cheers!

 

Understandable concern. I buy all mine right when released and then overfill my beer fridge until I am ready to drink. For me, I am happy drinking Oktoberfests starting around Aug 20th, and then it is about half of what I drink for about 6 weeks.

 

Stating to be autumnal in Minnesota around then?

Cheers!

 

Well, maybe not quite autumnal, but the typical high is often closer to 80 rather than 90, so it is often in the 70s in the early evening for some grilling and porch sitting drinking. But you never know in Minnesota, especially in September, it could be a high of 90 one day, and a high of 40 the next.

 

Significantly cooler than SEPA weather then. We will like be 90+ degrees with outrageous amounts of humidity in the air on August 24, 2020. Not Oktoberfest drinking weather for me.

Cheers!

 

Tried any of the others?

As per usual, no Summerfest to be found in Northeastern Illinois* while it's all over the country. Including neighboring states.

*Updated SN Beer Finder -- I can travel 20-25 miles to find it. Outside my county, outside of the distributorship (incidentally, the same distributor that tries to pass off year-old HB Maibock and Festbier -- same distro who delivered a year-old 12-pack of summerfest to a new retailer a couple years back -- in late winter).

 

Not yet--planning on it tonight. It looked like summerfest, but to me, the hop profile was way off when I had it--hop profile more like the pale ale, and way more pronounced. I'm hoping it was just my palate--I had it after a 'standard' German pils (Radeberger) and maybe that skewed things

 

I know just what you mean.

DMS has a number of qualities depending on how concentrated or strong it is, but apparently that's not one of them. From another thread it was pointed out that that's sulfur dioxide.

 

Year old Hofbrau?!? That has been the most trustworthy German brewer for getting timely seasonals IMO. Sorry, your distributor sucks.

 

Your distro (and/or stores) must be better than mine. The last time I was in Total Wine--all of the HB varieties, apart from the Maibock which was fresh, were all about a year old. That is regularly the case--old HB.

 

Michael, that would be my thought but I need more information from Alcahuetej here. In good/specific descriptive terms what exactly is he perceiving here?

Cheers!

 

I don't disagree - trying to find Hofbrau Original fresh sucks.

I was focusing on seasonals - Maibock, Oktoberfestbier, Winter Spezial. Which are always a great deal and must buys for me.

 

Gotcha. Unfortunately, Winter Spezial didn't show up this last season. Pretty disappointing. Glad that the Maibock did show up.

 

Not to derail the thread, but I got it at Total Wine in Bloomington in December.