Bring on the party; it's Oktoberfest time. Traditionally,
this has meant abundant bratwurst, sauerkraut, warm potato
salad, overflowing steins and waltzing revelers caroling songs
of the Hofbrauhaus as they glide across the dance floor to
the oom-pah-pah of the tubas. Mix this up with a couple hundred
of your closest friends and you get the idea.
This scene may be overplayed, but there's good reason for
it. There exists no greater tie between a beer and a season
than Oktoberfest and the fall, though originally Oktoberfest
had nothing to do with the season. In 1810, Bavarians gathered
for the wedding celebration of their prince, which lasted
from late September until early October. They had such a
good time that they decided to do it again the next year,
and every year after that. In 1999, Portland's summer didn't
even start until July, but breweries started releasing their
Oktoberfest beers in August. Who requested Oktoberfests
on Aug. 3? A couple of breweries are almost sold out, and
it's not even October yet! Do us all a favor: Put the "season"
back into seasonal and end the early-release race.
So how does the beer fit into this picture? With Oktoberfest
being a lengthy celebration, one must be able to consume
large amounts of beer over extended periods of time. To
ensure this, the beers are both easy to drink and
flavorful. They are brewed to a higher-than-normal strength
to ward off the crisp autumn air but fermented thoroughly
to maintain drinkability. They are characteristically malty
and soft, perhaps sweet, with enough spicy hops to lend
a complementary zing without heavy bitterness. Due to an
extended cold-aging period, Oktoberfests are smooth and
finely conditioned. Because of the limited-release nature
and the extra time involved in production, these beers are
a matter of pride for many breweries, and they take them
quite seriously. Here's your local lineup:
Nor'Wester Mt. Angel Oktoberfest
A very authentic
example of the style. Brewer Tony Gomes, a graduate of the
Weihenstephan brewing school in Munich, comes to Saxer/Nor'Wester
from Paulaner. He brings with him the painstaking method
of decoction mashing, which helps impart the powerful aroma
and full body this beer displays. It pours a rich, reddish-amber
color with a nice head, following up with a toasty, cookielike
aroma that is very characteristic of traditional Oktoberfests.
The aroma follows through into the flavor with a rich, succulent
malty character. It finishes with a long, slight astringency
that often accompanies the decoction process, which dries
the palate nicely and begs another sip. A heady brew, to
be sure. This beer was a Great American Beer Festival gold
medal winner in 1994 and 1998.
Full Sail Oktoberfest
This one is also very authentic;
it had many guessing that it was German. In fact, it has
brought home the gold in its category from the World Beer
Championships for three years running. It has a ruddy brown
color with medium clarity and a potent aroma of crisped
chocolate-chip cookies, raisins and spice. The flavor of
this one also follows well from the nose, with a dominating
rich, sweet maltiness and rounded hoppiness. It's a fine
example of the style, showing a rich blend of flavors and
aromas along with drinkability and a smooth finish. This
and the Nor'Wester offer the most intense flavors of the
group--and demand most of their drinker. Ponder this one,
or drink it at a party; it wears both hats well.
Widmer Brothers Oktoberfest
This year marks the first
time the brothers have released their Oktoberfest in bottles,
and what a beautiful bottle it is. This seems to have helped
the success of the beer, which, they report, has exceeded
its sales projection. The broad appeal may be due to its
drinkability and non-aggressive style. It sports a golden-amber
color and a caramelly, bubble-gummy aroma that lacks the
toastiness characteristic of the other Oktoberfest beers.
It has the lightest body of the four, with a slight sweetness,
and is the driest of the bunch in finish. Its fine conditioning
and pleasant carbonation leave room for another. Lucky you.
Portland Brewing Company Uncle Otto's Oktoberfest
Get
past the kitschy, soda-pop packaging of this year's effort
and you'll find a solid beer. This year's brew is a refined
formulation of last year's, displaying PBC's hallmark of
balance and a heavier nod toward hops than the others. The
beer is bright red in color and a little translucent, suggesting
that it has received a tighter filtration, although the
two-month aging also helps the clarification. The aroma
is complex, showing some smokiness and hop aroma as well
as toastiness. The flavor is equally complex, with an expansive
feel, less malty sweetness, and more hop spiciness, providing
for a drier finish and hours of drinking fun. This is a
drinking beer, and a good one at that. Prost!
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Willamette Week | originally
published September 29,
1999 |
