Oktoberfest beer in the grocery store (in NC)

[Arte]

There was a display of several brewies offering Oktoberfest beer. Pete's Wicked, Spaten, Saranac, and a couple of others I can't remember now.

My question: are they all ales? I wouldn't mind trying one, but I don't want to buy a six-pack and then drink no more because it is too light or has no taste.

So far -- I've never met a lager that I could drink, so please warn me if they are lagers.

And I would appreciate any suggestions for a good Oktoberfest brew that I can get in NC. :confused:

[Beerconnoisseur]

Oktoberfest beers are traditionally all lagers. However, that doesn't automatically mean that they are all terrible beer.

So, what you do is find 5 good buddies of yours who like trying new beers, and you split a 6-pack amongst you. Or, if you are more the sneaky type, you try a new 6-pack, and if it's not to your liking, THEN you call the boys up to finish it off. :D Chances are, some of them will enjoy it as much as you dislike it.

And once you start homebrewing, you can make any beer style you like!

[steveh]

Please visit the Tasting Notes section and read the Oktoberfest thread - we've been chatting up a storm about this year's Oktoberfest offerings.

I agree with BC, lager doesn't equal bad beer. The lager tradition has had mud splashed on it from the macro Swillsners that call themselves lagers, but are mere pretenders. Give the Spaten Okto a try, you'll be pleasantly surprised!

S.

[Arte]

Er, um, I'm kind of new to this site. Where might the "tastings" section be? I figured you all would be talking about Oktoberfest beer -- would like to know opinions/tastes/recommendations.

AND: if I can find a lager that suits, that's great, too. It's just that I haven't-- yet.

[steveh]

Originally posted by Arte
Er, um, I'm kind of new to this site. Where might the "tastings" section be? I figured you all would be talking about Oktoberfest beer -- would like to know opinions/tastes/recommendations.

AND: if I can find a lager that suits, that's great, too. It's just that I haven't-- yet.

At the top of this page click the link Realbeer.com Discussion Boards (the main community page), scroll down to > Public House, into >> Tasting Notes, into >>> Octoberfest Beers.

I don't know what lagers you've been sampling, or how many you've tried, but by avoiding them you're depriving yourself of 50% of the beer world - and a lot of good beers!

S.

[Arte]

Thanks for the path through to the thread on Tasting Notes.

As far as avoiding lagers, I wouldn't say that exactly. I spent almost all of the time at the International Beer Festival in Durham tasting lagers, to find one I enjoyed. I didn't. I'm going back this year to try again. Any recommendations?

[steveh]

I could suggest quite a few lagers, from Staropramen Pilsner to Paulaner Salvator. How do your tastes range?

The main difference between Ales (and other top fermenting beers) and Lagers that you need to keep in mind is that Lagers will be "cleaner" in their flavors, if no less complex at times. Pilsner Urquell can be compared to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, but the malt notes will be softer, more subtle in the pilsner.

This doesn't mean you need to work harder to enjoy a lager, you only have to appreciate the differences in the two brewing processes and their yields. Sometimes I'm in the mood for the sort of complexity a warm fermenting yeast will give the malts in an ale. Other times I'm looking for the crisp dryness and clean maltiness of a long, cold fermented Munich Hellles.

Do you remember which lagers you tasted at the IBF? And do you recall if you tasted all of the lagers together? You may have overloaded your taste-buds with too many flavors if you swapped back and forth between styles. Also, did you ever give the Spaten Okto a try?

S.

[steveh]

Originally posted by Arte
I spent almost all of the time at the International Beer Festival in Durham tasting lagers, to find one I enjoyed. I didn't. I'm going back this year to try again. Any recommendations?

Would this be the World Beer Festival? http://www.allaboutbeer.com/wbf2003/beerlineup.html

If so, some recommendations I would make: I've heard great things about Tupper's Hop Pocket Pils. I understand it's a Pils for hop-heads, compare it side-by-side with Pilsner Urquell. You can't go wrong with Weihenstephan, if they bring a lager (you can't go wrong with their Weiss either). Harpoon's beers have been historically good, their Okto ought to follow suit. I see Spaten will be there, try the Dinkel-Acker Pils (which is owned by Spaten now), it's one of my favorite German Pils', Konig Pils is in the same league. And the Spaten Okto will be available too. If you choose to give Czechvar Budvar (the original Budweiser) a try, do it early on, it tends to be a very light, subtle version of the style and may suffer from being over-powered by the likes of an Urquell.

One thing to also keep in mind, be sure that the beer isn't being served too cold, that'll mask flavor in any style.

I wish I knew some of the beers from those micros and brew-pubs, just shows that I need to get to the east coast more often!

Looks like a great fest, and you sure won't go thirsty! Have fun.

S.

[threecb]

I can attest that Tuppers is indeed a pilsner for a hop-head!
and can I just say (as an ale-lover) YUM!

I've been drinking more lagers lately, though...broadening the palate and all...
and you can't try comparing to ales too much. If you go into it with the
"I want to find something I like as much as X ale", you'll be hard pressed to
find something that compares...

[steveh]

Originally posted by threecb and you can't try comparing to ales too much. If you go into it with the "I want to find something I like as much as X ale", you'll be hard pressed to find something that compares...

Quite true, to a point. As much as I enjoy both Ales and Lagers, I never figure that I can find that certain flavor I'm in the mood for - in one or the other. However, you can compare the recipes and then compare and contrast the similarities and the differences between beers. Say a Porter and a Munich Dunkel, a Special Bitter and a Dortmunder - their yeast, hop, and malt choices all adding to the characteristic of the style, and even some similarity at the same time.

Anyone tried a Bitter hopped with Kent Goldings alongside a German Pils or Austrian Helles hopped with Styrian Goldings? Would be interesting - oh yeah, and fun! But that's what it's all about, isn't it?

S.

[threecb]

Originally posted by steveh
Would be interesting - oh yeah, and fun! But that's what it's all about, isn't it?

S.

amen, brother!

[BluesHarp]

If you are looking for a smooth, clean, malty beer, nothing can beat a good lager.
Most O'fests are lagers...try Hacker-Psorr, or Spaten...If you can't find one you like...stick to ales.

[T Mac]

Arte,

You originally asked about Oktoberfest suggestions down in NC that you could get your hands on . . .

Sam Adams has GOT to be available down there.
It's an ale, I believe. Tastes sweet, red in color, and like all Sam's, it's hopped pretty heavy.

If I had to pick a near-mass market beer to wash down too many brats, this would be it. We went through a bunch of this stuff on a 27-foot sailboat two weeks ago. Good stuff, and still got back into the slip on the first try!

[Arte]

Hey T Mac,

Yes, we do have Sam Adams down here, and I will try it. Thanks for the recommendation.

[steveh]

On this year's Sam Adams' Oktoberfest; it's not an ale but a lager. You can find the recipe at the Sam web site. AFA flavor and aromas, while you can identify the hops in the nose, the flavor is dominated by malts - sweet and even roasty (of which, roasty is not part of the typical Oktoberfest flavor profile).

You may be able to find Pete's Oktoberfest near you too, I finally found a six pack yesterday and gave it a taste. It's sweet and malty with very little hop overtone. I'll need to give it closer attention for evaluation today or tomorrow as I was drinking it at a dinner party and paying more attention to the food and guests than the beer.

S.