Previous Mash columns: Oktoberfest Hop Harvest

BEER COLUMN Oktoberfest Spicy and warming, sweet and easy-drinking, Oktoberfest/märzen beers are the perfect accompaniment to the arrival of fall. BY JEFF ALWORTH 243-2122, EXT. 348 As Oregon becomes ever more receptive to lagers, the annual fall festival of Oktoberfest--and its attendant beer--become increasingly popular. Spicy and warming, sweet and easy-drinking, Oktoberfest/märzen beers are the perfect accompaniment to the arrival of fall. The popular story about the style of Oktoberfest/märzen--that it was traditionally brewed in March (märz) and allowed to age until September--is only partly true. Actually, in the pre-refrigeration days, March marked the last month brewers could safely brew without fear of contamination by wild yeasts. The beer they brewed in early spring was put into cool cellars and drawn upon throughout the summer until the winter, when brewing could safely resume. Modern brewing has dramatically lowered the lagering (aging) time, and 14 weeks is now about the upper limit. Spaten Ur-Märzen Oktoberfest Spaten, in Munich, was more or less the originator of the current märzen style served annually at Oktoberfest. In 1871, Josef Sedylmayr brought his bright amber-red lager to the fest, where dark brown lagers dominated. He had separated from the family business where his brother, Gabriel II, was the royal Bavarian court brewmaster, working in the brewery today called Spaten. Josef's new beer quickly replaced brown lagers as the style associated with the event. Spaten got into the loop 51 years later, when the two breweries merged. Now Spaten can legitimately call itself the "Ur" (original) märzen. I sampled the Spaten (readily available locally) to get a sense of the original. It was a fairly light amber in the glass, with no hint of red, as I expected. The nose was malty-sweet, with a touch of candy and very little spice. Like the smell, the flavor was all malt--quite sweet, with just enough hopping to keep it from cloying. It had a rich texture and full body, with a robust 5.8 percent alcohol by volume. Although not especially complex, I could imagine that it would go down easily at a festival, tankard after tankard. (A note, though. Although this is the "original" märzen, it's not the original recipe; over the decades, as consumers' tastes turned toward lighter beers, märzens also became lighter in body and color.) Full Sail In contrast to Spaten, each one of the Northwest versions of Oktoberfest is redder and spicier, especially Full Sail's delightful seasonal version. Much darker red in the glass than Spaten, this beer has a wonderful malty aroma with sweet hints of raisin and caramel, and spiciness from the Saaz hops. The flavor is equally complex, with a sweet, thick malt base balanced by a nice layer of peppery hopping. Roasted Munich malt adds a warm autumnal note. I could imagine downing a few tankards of this smooth and easy-drinking beer at a festival, as well. Nor'Wester Nor'Wester's seasonal, Mt. Angel Oktoberfest, is the most richly malty of this group. Dark amber with red highlights, it has an aroma built completely of the malt, fruity-sweet without any hint of spice. The flavor is assertively malty as well, with an initial sweetness on the tip of the tongue melting into a grainy fullness at the back of the mouth. The hops are there, balancing the sweetness with a bit of spice, but they play a minor role in the overall taste of the beer. Portland Brewing Of the Northwest versions, Portland Brewing's Uncle Otto's Oktoberfest Märzen is most similar to Spaten. It pours out a lighter, golden-red color than the other domestic beers, with a clarity characteristic of the brewery. The aroma is primarily malty, with a touch of earthy spiciness. Similarly, the flavor is largely of malt, with a less complex hopping rounding out the profile. It is a crisp, refreshing beer, though a bit less meaty than the any of the others sampled. Thomas Kemper From a marketing standpoint, Thomas Kemper seems to have lost its way. Finally abandoning the "artistic" label strategy, TK has reintroduced its lagers with new packaging and cutesy names like Auction Block Amber and Happy Cow Winterbraü. On labels only an ad agency could create, antique-style graphics are married with hokey text to look down-home. Arriving with this new melange is Big Fat Tuba Oktoberfest which, despite what you may think looking at the label, is a very well-made beer. Amber-red in the glass, it has a spicy, crisp aroma. It's similar to the Full Sail--slightly thinner and without the roastiness, but crisper. Like all the Oktoberfests, it is a malty brew; perhaps more than any of these, it is crisp and hoppy. Thomas Kemper has created a first-rate beer here; if you can manage to get it through the checkout line without blanching, it's well worth the effort.     originally published September 23 , 1998