Fall Beer Sightings (2019)

That's the worst Fall pack I've ever seen from them by far. Half of that pack belongs in a Summer pack. Absolutely terrible. I'd even argue it's not a Fall pack, but a regular sampler pack.

 

Exactly right on that one.

I must say that this year's ultra-early (at least it seems earlier) appearances of Oktoberfests is rather distressing to me.

 

Maybe Kosmic Sour is a DFH beer

 

I doubt it. Sam Adams had a barrel-aged beer called Kosmic Mother Funk at one point. (Some of their BA series are still on their website, but I haven't seen them on shelves in years.)

 

I picked up a couple six packs of SA Octoberfest this morning at Wegmans in Western New York. I'm literally a 15 minute drive from Southern Tier and haven't seen Pumking or Harvest yet.

 

Last year, I have my first bottle of Hofbrau Oktoberfest on August 4th. So basically same as last year. Had it at Hofbrau Cleveland two days before that, which was flown in from Munich actually on Aug 2nd.

 

Or a water.

Or pumpkin beer.

We're experiencing the hottest July ever here in Boston.

Luckily it doesn't bother me that much. I don't have to shovel humidity.

 

I would argue that you are correct in this assertion. Bavarian brewing up until the mid 1800s was based on one season of brewing and two seasons of drinking. The brewing season started in Michaelis (29th of September) and ran to Georgi (23rd of April). During this season all of the bottom fermented beer had to be brewed, both the winter beer and the summer beer. The summer beer (sommerbier) was also known as märzenbier or lagerbier. The drinking season for winter beer started shortly after it was brewed, though there were different laws pertaining to how old the beer had to be before it could be served, I've seen as little as 3 weeks. So brewed at the very end of September and ready to drink late October, right about the time when the summer beer was expected to run out. The drinking season for summer beer started may first (again, by law), and continued until the beer ran out in late autumn. The point at which the beer ran out or was at risk of running out could change from year to year. As can be seen below if the beer was at risk of running out prematurely the brewers could petition the royal government to be allowed to start brewing winter beer sooner (which even at a few weeks of storage required several weeks in order to be ready for consumption).

In 1814, October 29th, this notice was published in the Königlich Baierischer Polizey Anzeiger:
"Since in this year relatively speaking too much Märzen or Sommerbier has been brewed by the royal hofbrauhause, and therefore there still remain considerable stocks of beer, then it is hereby known by the highest royal command, that each customer in large and small volumes, can get this beer at a price 3 pfennig below the brewery price, and thus at 4 kreuzer per maass. 27th of October 1814. Königliches hofbrau authority Munich. By Poschinger, royal brewery officer."

If we hop forward to September 7th 1852 we find this article in Ansbacher Morgenblatt:
"Miscellaneous.
Munich, September 3rd. At the end of the past month of August the summer beer still remaining in the summer cellars was tallied by the authorities. It made up a store of 130,505 eimer. Since the daily consumption is estimated at approximately 2000 eimer, our summer beer will have to last until the end of October. The royal government of Oberbayern have made the magistrative decision, whereby the brewers, who sell the summer beer at 6 kreuzer per mass, are not allowed, to start brewing winter beer this month. The reason is of sanitarial-policiary nature, since with the new beer the thereby usual phenomenon of diarrhea, is obviously only increased and could approach a dangerous level."

A week later, September 17th, in the same publication we find this article:

"Munich, 14th of September. The royal government of Oberbayern have lifted the ban on early beer brewing and each brewer which the magistrate already gave permission to brew, can continue undisturbed. The high circuit court was guided by the thought that both the encampment as well as the Oktoberfest brings about a greater beer consumption, that the stored summer beer will not last and finally that the lower price of the new beer will benefit the poorer public. For the time being it is still decided however, that winter beer cannot be served before October 1st."

If we go to September 1st, 1855 there is this article in Kurier für Niederbayern:

"Munich, 31st of August (correspondent). While the Munich brewers in this year have brewed 3164 more eimer sommerbier, than the year before, they still fear, that the summer beer stocks will be depleted, before the winter beer is brewed, and they ask of the Magistrate, that they already now (with the existing cooling apparatuses it is easily possible) are allowed to start with the brewing of winter beer, which the city magistrate has approved of without hesitation with laudable concern for the consuming public. Considerably more has been drunk this summer, on 22nd of April the beer stocks of the metropolis consisted of 354,822 eimer, on the 22nd of August there were only still 107,509 eimer."

 

Spotted and consuming

 

Thoughts?

 

Yeah . . . Can't believe I said that. I would have a good hefe or helles. Or, what the Hell . . . a great Russian Imperial Stout.

 

More caramel malt that traditional. I like it. Think Boston Lager with more Caramel 80?

 

Blue Mountain's 13 5 Oktoberfest was at Kroger here in Lynchburg today. First and only Fall beer I've seen. Going to a bigger Kroger tomorrow. Didn't pick it up, but I know they make a good kolsch and barrel aged RIS.

 

"it's WAY too early for oktoberfest/fall beers" also "buys imperial stouts every week."

 

I'm just seeing maibocks showing up.

 

Perhaps this is the reason many of the imports are bottled in May?

Thanks for that post by the way, very informative.

The glass isn't clean.

This is how I've always though of their Octoberfest. Not as an Oktoberfest, but as a slightly beefed up version of their Boston Lager (perhaps less hoppy as well).

We just received NEXT year's Oktoberfest beers.

 

I'm going to have to make a lunch time Publix run to see if they have stocked any Oktoberfest. If so, silver tuna tonight!

 

Comparing to what I remember from last year. It wasn't bad, just didn't have the body I remember. It's the first Octoberfest I've had this year so it could be either faulty memory or the beer being 7 months old. That batch was gone Saturday so I'll have to do a comparison when the new stock arrives.

 

I noticed after it was poured there seemed to be some big soapy lacing...it probably got put it through the dishwasher again. I figured what the hell, post it and drink it at that point.

I would almost guess the hops are darn near identical levels but the extra malt diminishes it?

Cheers.

 

This is exactly how I remember it every year. It's super consistent! Not like your Sierra Nevada, you'll never know collab