German Beer Appreciation 2025

@grantcty -- don't you have some friends in Germany who are already drinking Festbier?

 

Thanks!

That was sorta a thought I had but the transit time for shipping from Europe to the US is about 10 - 20 days. And even factoring in logistics of warehouse logistics/customs I can't rationalize the need for packaging a beer intended for consumption in September/October why it needs to be packaged 5 months prior.

I suppose the good news for you is that you are able to purchase fresh German brewed Oktoberfest beers.

Prost!

 

Ayinger has become a fave as of late. I ordered the glasses online.. def. wanna take a road trip out to HC sometime in the near future!

 

Not a friend, but a member of a Facebook group I'm a part of posted on July 13th a picture of a half-liter bottle of this year's Hofbräuhaus's Oktoberfestbier. Said member lives in Munich.

So HB's O-fest has already been released in Munich. He didn't include a picture of the back of the bottle so don't know when it was bottled.

 

I have seen HB aswell down here. It will be fresh.

 

What packaging date on those beers?

Prost!

 

Not sure will have to check but seasonal beers like this are only avalible for short times here. By November you will not find them in the stores anymore. Same is with the winter and spring beers here. You will not find them out of season. Normally the Oktoberfest beers are put on sale at the end of the season (Nov) 25-50% off since no one whats them anymore. I did an experiment in my home bar last year. Had some Oktoberfest beers left over at a christmas party. No one would touch them. And they were only four months old.

 

Von Trapp recently entered the SE Michigan market and released a mixed 12-pack and several other beers in 6-packs. I had to drive 75 miles one-way to get these beers but it was on the way to the airport to pick up my daughter and grandson. Well worth it for two reasons.

Each of these 5 beers is brewed very well to style, except that I would have liked to taste the pilsner malt a bit more in the pilsner.

(It's hard to read the style names in the pics - Helles, Kolsch, Pilsner, Vienna Lager, and Schwarz in he bottom pic.)

 

I went to the local beer store in Garmisch and they had most of the Oktoberfest beers there minus the always elusive Augustiner. I got the other five plus two not from the fest itself. All are bottled between March and July. They ran between 1.10 and 1.22 Euros a 500ml bottle.

 

I too prefer drinking outdoors whenever possible. Cheers!!

 

So, the seasons are fluid there too.

 

So, even German beer consumers have product packaged in the spring (or maybe winter depending on the actual date) for a product intended to be consumed in the fall. Crazy IMO.

Cheers!

 

So, a situation that you would have liked more intensity in the malt flavor of the Von Trapp Bohemian Pilsner?

Last May I discussed this beer via a side-by-side tasting with the new (only brewed once?) Von Trapp Czech Pilsner:

"Taste:

Von Trapp Czech Pale Lager: The malt flavor follows the nose with an impression of richness but on mid-palate there is an earthiness (not a favorite for me). Subtle hop flavors of herbal/spicy. A medium bitterness.

Von Trapp Bohemian Pilsner: The flavors follow the nose with a combination of cracker/bready malt flavors and substantial hop flavors of herbal/spicy/floral. In comparison to the Czech Pale Lager the hop flavors come off as being brighter in nature. A medium bitterness."

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-weekend-252.680693/#post-8179397

Maybe there is too much 'competition' between the malt flavors and hop flavors with the Bohemian Pilsner?

You might have preferred the Czech Pilsner over the Bohemian Pilsner since that beer was more malt forward and less hoppy?

Na Zdravi

 

Sounds like you could be right.

 

Just because I'm a Captain in the Pedantic Police, I'd like to point out that this is the German Beer Appreciation thread, not the German Beer STYLE Appreciation thread.

Von Trapp beers aren't from Germany. Just like to point that out in case newbies are confused.

Besides, the Von Trapp family is Austrian.

 

Weihenstephaner Festbier. Cheers.