It's that time of year men. The sun is getting short, the temperature has dropped to nearly 80 degrees. Well, about the only thing that really is starting to feel like fall is the arrival of the Octoberfests! I think we had a few new comers to the category this year which made the fellas and I decide to have a real definitive tasting, in the mountains! I did preview quite a few before settling on the four pictured above, which turned out to be a good idea. Magic Hat brewing out of Vermont tried to enter the race with their Halloween inspired octoberfest, HEX. I knew what I wanted in an Octoberfest and this wasn't it. Like all beers that Magic Hat makes, they put their own twist on this. I'm not a fan.Local(Va.) brewers Legend brewing company out of Richmond, and Starr Hill brewing company out of Charlottesville had two fairly similar, but solid entries. The malty flavor in both of these beers is very subtle not to distract from the underlying sweetness. The main difference between these two is slightly sweeter finish to the Starr Hill. Most people who tried both chose the Starr Hill over Legends. I prefer the earthy natural taste of Legends Octoberfest, reminds me more of the season. I did have a chance to taste Legends cask conditioned Octoberfest on ferkin at Benedictine's Octoberfest celebration. It is always a treat to experience beer brewed with such care. THESE KIND OF THINGS ARE WORTH SEEKING OUT. I just got lucky.
Clipper City brewing, out of Baltimore Maryland makes their Marzen year round in limited runs. Marzen is actually the type of beer that is usually drank at Octoberfest celebrations in Germany. The tradition is actually to reap the ingredients at the end of the growing season to make beer to be drank in March(Marz) to celebrate the seeding of new crops. I have no clue how it came to be a fall thing for americans but I'm not complaining. This marzen is a malted to the degree of tasting it a lot more. The subtle floral notes don't quite come through in this one, probably a little bit more like the traditional recipe. Heavier malt contents seem to make the beer seem warmer when drinking. You may notice this with some heavy malted or west coast IPA's also.
Brooklyn brewing, out of New York also had an entry in this category this year. I do not recall an Octoberfest from these guys in the past, but with Brooklyn I am seldom disappointed. This brewery has become common for placements on the east coast but they are as crafty and innovative as a dogfish head or a stone brewing. I would closely compare this to the Legend selection, very similar balance and flavor.
In summary, we drank all four around the fire in Shenandoah National park system in October. After the first two our palettes were pretty assaulted. I like the simple but rich flavors of Legends, and Brooklyn brewing, but my other two taste testers prefered Starr Hill.
Go check these guys out for yourself at . . .
www.legendbrewing.com
www.starrhill.com
www.brooklynbrewery.com
www.hsbeer.com
