Northeast Oktoberfest Thread

I notice none of these made your 'best in show' designation

 

Ha, because I didn't win any of them.

What's interesting is each one did it differently. Sam Adams was only a half liter.

Idle Hands and Notch both used full liters, but each had you hold the stein slightly differently.

 

I mentioned this in another thread, but I wonder why Schilling called it an Austrian Märzen, which is a pale lager.

 

I think @Crusader did a great job of breaking it down in one of the threads. Seems to be a hybrid approach by them, but they're just calling it that.

 

Based on the appearance and taste alone, there is very little in common between modern Austrian Märzen and Konstantin.

 

Is Märzen a strength designation rather than a style in Austria like it is in Germany?

I should see if I can dig up @Crusader 's post.

 

@shkin

Here's the post from @Crusader

"The Austrian Märzen of the 1800s was a beer of around 15% plato original gravity and 5-5.5% abv. I would expect it to be brown colored (Carl Jacobsen for example noting that it was only slightly different in color compared to the Munich beer). Today's Austrian Märzen is a circa 11.5-12% plato original gravity and around 5% abv beer (post-WW2 legislation allowing for an Austrian Märzen to be brewed at 12% minimum, later EU legislation allowing for an 11% minimum), being golden or light golden colored. The Konstantin, being a craft beer at 5% abv, and double decocted, I could see it being somewhere around 12-13% plato (they do not list the original gravity, so I cannot rule out a surprise, but absent more detailed information I will make an informed guess). I.e the original gravity of a modern Austrian Märzen or, if it is closer to 13%, a craft Vienna Lager, with a modern degree of attenuation.

To me this beer would seem like an amalgamation of the Austrian Märzen of the 1800s and the Austrian Märzen of today."

And another post from @JackHorzempa from the same thread

"I provided in the post above a list of the four beers provided by the website as being ‘representative’ of the Austrian Märzen beer style. One of those beers listed is Brauerei Hirt’s Hirter 1270er. Below is a photo I found for this beer from a web search and it doesn’t look like a Munich Helles to me (it is amber in color)."

 

I'm not an expert, but I don't think so. Every Märzen I tried was a pale lager.

Yep, I found @Crusader's post. It seemed that it was based on the beer's description.

As for Hirter 1270, it is listed as Vienna lager by both BA and Untappd. I would have no objection to this classification for Konstantin. In fact, Von Trapp Vienna lager is close with 5.2% ABV.

 

Is that a festbier I spy on Old Magoun's tap list? Schonramer Gold!

 

That's been on their tap list for awhile, unfortunately it's not an indication they're receiving Oktoberfest beers.

 

Sorry, false alarm. Everyone, please place your lederhosen and dirndls back in the closet.

 

I know it's not brewed in New England (or in the US, for that matter), but I just saw Tucher Festbier on a shelf at a local store. I'm curious if it's from last year or this year. I couldn't find any date on it.

EDIT: Never mind. I see this was answered elsewhere. The beer is from 2022. Horseshit. I bought it on faith. I normally check the bottom of the can, but I couldn't with this four pack because it's encased in cardboard packaging. Sucks.

 

Adding to my previous post about the out-of-date Tucher Oktoberfest. I feel like I should name the store. it's B and C Liquors in Smithfield, RI. They had a lot of stuff that was old in the coolers when I was there today (Notch Czech Pils brewed in summer 2022, for example). Those old beers should have given me enough warning not to buy the Tucher, but I was a fool. I didn't think they'd put out year old Oktoberfest. Guess I was wrong.

 

Forgot to post on here last week. Copper Legend is back, released at the beer hall last Friday and presumably has hit distribution by now. I haven't seen it anywhere so can't comment on whether anyone is pushing last year's stock. I'll be waiting a bit as I've already clogged up our fridge with summer beers I need to drink and I'm saving some space for the Weihenstephaner collab. For those who can make it to the brewery, they also have Brighter Than Hell, a Munich-style export lager that is close enough to a festbier in my books.

 

Bent Water has their Festbier on draft, and it’s damn good. May go have a pint or two today. Damn, I love OFest season.

 

A good way to tell is that this year’s batch is in new cans.