Beer Tasting: Oktoberfest Round
Sep. 17th, 2022 07:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerIt's September, which in the beer world means it's Oktober... as in Oktoberfest! When I dropped in to a liquor store last weekend to grab a four-pack of a beer I've been enjoying lately I saw numerous seasonal Oktoberfest beers on the shelf. Several were from credible breweries and at pretty good prices. I ended up walking out with 3 six-packs and 1 four-pack.
What is Oktoberfest? The fest part is a traditional annual festival in Munich that grew from the 1810 wedding celebration of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig. 200+ years later we're still toasting the royal newlyweds. But Oktoberfest is also a style of beer... the style of beer served at Oktoberfest! 😅🍺
There's some disagreement about what type of beer Oktoberfest actually is. In the US it's usually a Märzen, a rich, higher alcohol lager with reddish color and sweet malt flavor. In Munich, where the official Oktoberfest occurs, it's a lighter colored and flavored lager, more in the style of a standard German lager or even a Pilsener.
The difference is because the style of beer served at Oktoberfest has actually changed over the past 200+ years. Apparently it was originally a dunkel, similar perhaps to the Hofbräu Dunkel I taste-tested a few months ago, then it evolved to a Märzen (which literally means March style, go figure), then to the lighter hued lager served at the festival in Munich today.
Why the history lesson? Well, for one, drinking's just drinking... but drinking while studying history is education! And two, it explains the differences I found in my first comparison of two Oktoberfest beers.
Now that I've provided that little history lesson it shouldn't be surprising that the two beers I poured, Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest and Warsteiner Oktoberfest, look different straight out of the bottle. Leinenkugel's is an American brewery in Wisconsin— perhaps best known for their Summer Shandy brew— and Warsteiner is German. Leinenkugel';s looks like what you'd expect of a Märzen beer; Warsteiner looks right for a standard German lager.
My surprised extended to the difference in flavor. Of course, if I'd researched this little history lesson before opening the bottles, the taste differences might've been more predictable. But alas I had assumed Oktoberfest means Märzen— a reasonable bias from American experience. The Warsteiner Oktoberfest indeed is not a Märzen. Which is disappointing to me because I actually enjoy the richer, slightly sweet flavor of that style.
In tasting the beers before dinner, Leinenkugel's won, hands-down. Its rich and slightly sweet flavor is thoroughly enjoyable as a standalone drink. Warsteiner had a lighter flavor with too much of a sour tone to be enjoyable solo.
When I started eating dinner, a meat pizza in this case, the two beers drew closer in suitability. Warsteiner's sour flavor was countered by the salty, umami flavor flavor of the pizza toppings. Leinenkugel's edged it out, though. Its richer flavor remained nicely balanced against the savoriness of the food, neither overpowering it nor getting lost underneath it.
Leinenkugel's moves forward to the next round of Oktoberfest beer tasting... because like I said above, I bought four Oktoberfest beers last weekend! Plus maybe I'll buy one or two more before the seasonal style disappears from store shelves. 🤣🛒🍻
What is Oktoberfest? The fest part is a traditional annual festival in Munich that grew from the 1810 wedding celebration of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig. 200+ years later we're still toasting the royal newlyweds. But Oktoberfest is also a style of beer... the style of beer served at Oktoberfest! 😅🍺
There's some disagreement about what type of beer Oktoberfest actually is. In the US it's usually a Märzen, a rich, higher alcohol lager with reddish color and sweet malt flavor. In Munich, where the official Oktoberfest occurs, it's a lighter colored and flavored lager, more in the style of a standard German lager or even a Pilsener.
The difference is because the style of beer served at Oktoberfest has actually changed over the past 200+ years. Apparently it was originally a dunkel, similar perhaps to the Hofbräu Dunkel I taste-tested a few months ago, then it evolved to a Märzen (which literally means March style, go figure), then to the lighter hued lager served at the festival in Munich today.
Why the history lesson? Well, for one, drinking's just drinking... but drinking while studying history is education! And two, it explains the differences I found in my first comparison of two Oktoberfest beers.
Now that I've provided that little history lesson it shouldn't be surprising that the two beers I poured, Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest and Warsteiner Oktoberfest, look different straight out of the bottle. Leinenkugel's is an American brewery in Wisconsin— perhaps best known for their Summer Shandy brew— and Warsteiner is German. Leinenkugel';s looks like what you'd expect of a Märzen beer; Warsteiner looks right for a standard German lager.
My surprised extended to the difference in flavor. Of course, if I'd researched this little history lesson before opening the bottles, the taste differences might've been more predictable. But alas I had assumed Oktoberfest means Märzen— a reasonable bias from American experience. The Warsteiner Oktoberfest indeed is not a Märzen. Which is disappointing to me because I actually enjoy the richer, slightly sweet flavor of that style.
In tasting the beers before dinner, Leinenkugel's won, hands-down. Its rich and slightly sweet flavor is thoroughly enjoyable as a standalone drink. Warsteiner had a lighter flavor with too much of a sour tone to be enjoyable solo.
When I started eating dinner, a meat pizza in this case, the two beers drew closer in suitability. Warsteiner's sour flavor was countered by the salty, umami flavor flavor of the pizza toppings. Leinenkugel's edged it out, though. Its richer flavor remained nicely balanced against the savoriness of the food, neither overpowering it nor getting lost underneath it.
Leinenkugel's moves forward to the next round of Oktoberfest beer tasting... because like I said above, I bought four Oktoberfest beers last weekend! Plus maybe I'll buy one or two more before the seasonal style disappears from store shelves. 🤣🛒🍻
