2018 Oktoberfest Releases

I'll send you some bottles if you're truly interested.

 

I always understood Marzen-style beers were the traditional style served at the Munich Oktoberfest, but because they are a healthy ~6.0% ABV, over the years, the higher ABV of the style did not prove to be conducive for festivals, so the beer evolved into a Festbier, best described as a pale Marzen, but with an ABV closer to ~5.0%.

I think most fest biers are similar in style to Dortmunder/European-Style Export beers?

 

Well, I've baked a nice loaf of beer bread in spring with a leftover bottle of pumpkin beer!

 

Actually I do want to read about Alex Jones getting sued for millions for being a hateful conspiracy peddling POS so I'll have to edit my Google News filter but on BA dammit I'd love to never read "when is the optimal time to drink my NEIPA" again.

 

Not exactly. Marzen just refers to strength, which is a minimum of 5.5%, and can be any color the brewer chooses. In modern times (since the 90s) the pale variety has been what the Munich brewers make for the festival, although it was amber prior to that.

Festbier seems to be the term that brewers outside of Munich use, since official "Oktoberfestbier" only comes from inside Munich city limits.

 

Give me Penn brewery, SN, and slyfox oktoberfest and victory festbier and I'm all set. PA may not reign king of most styles but when it comes to oktoberfests I implore any other state to contend with PA's offerings.

 

I used to say the same thing about imperial stouts, but then I realized that BAs in California, Arizona, Florida, etc., drink imperial stouts, and they live where it's almost always hot. I imagine they just drink stouts whenever they crave the taste. Since I plan on moving to Florida, I imagine it will be the same for me. I'm still going to want imperial stouts on occasion even when it's hot and humid. I've been craving them this summer a lot, actually, even though it's been 90+ degrees most days.

 

The fact that I spend so much time indoors behind a screen with the AC cranking in the summer and the heat cranking in the winter, eating processed foods and non-seasonal foods grown in greenhouses, makes me able to appreciate beer styles out of season. A hefeweizen in the winter or an imperial stout on a muggy day, why the hell not?

I still like seasonal beers during their proper seasons though -- and I still very much enjoy drinking outdoors (and/or having just come from shoveling snow or whatever and trying to warm up). Beers pared with the weather and with seasonal foods and even seasonal activities are a type of throwback joy for me.

 

Soon they will just be year round.

 

Nah. Many breweries are going away from year round brews of any style. Today's beer geek is too finicky, and "limited" or "seasonal" releases are one way to ensure people will buy the product, and that it won't sit on the shelves and collect dust.

I know of many local breweries that have limited their core line-up to just pale ales/IPAs, with other styles relegated to being rotational/seasonal.

 

Then you can look forward to Maibocks in January! Oh Joy!

 

I was thinking more form a beer store point of view. Late releases that don't sell and hang out in the store till the early releases come in. Plus, kind of a joke anyway.

 

I'll be waiting patiently. I have not seen any yet. The paulaner I never buy because I do not want that mug. If they sold it without I would. I would love to see more imports this year at the local wegman's and I would also like to see them leave my beloved ellicottville O'fest on the shelf for much longer than they have the past two years. I am definitely looking forward to the collaboration from sierra nevada and weihenstephaner.

 

I heard Horseheads Brewing Company is closing? That's a shame because I really enjoyed their pumpkin beer when we would go to NY in the Fall.

 

I'm excited for the SN/ Weistephaner collaboration, I love the beers but have never seen a Fest beer here on the shelves. SN is always my favorite effort each year, just great beers, I'm partial to the pale beers.

 

Paulaner’s Wies’n is 6 % ABV. That is from the Paulaner website.

 

And I'll see your 6% and raise you 6.3%. Hofbrau's Oktoberfestbier is 6.3% ABV also per their website.

All of the tent beers hover around 6% ABV. I kind of wish they were closer to 5%, would have made my hangover more tolerable the morning after.

 

I checked the one that did that to me almost 20 years back, Augustiner’s is at 6.3 % ABV.