Octobermess(t)

Now that August is officially over, I don't feel so bad about posting about fall seasonal beers. Not that there's much difference between August 31 and September 1, but it just seems wrong to talk about big malt character and spice profile when it's 100 degrees outside.

Well, today it dropped solidly into the low 70's and I saw a tree just starting to turn, and we got a gentle, cool rain, so I decided that I can't wait anymore.

I'm going to try something new with this post, as well. It's going to be multimedia. I know, stepping into the 20th century with a vengance.

Without further ado, FALL.

Before I start, a note: When people think of lagers, they think Bud Light, High Life, etc. While these are fantastic for keeping yourself hydrated when the zombie holocaust happens, they are not the same thing as a Marzen Lager (or Octoberfest). Lagering is an art that, when applied correctly, is amazing. But unfortunately it has been abused over the past 80 years to create the American industrial lager. This is not the same as a big, flavorful lager used as celebratory device.

Let's start with pumpkin ales. Ranging from tart and stringy (ahem, shipyard, I'm looking in your direction) to tasting like you're drinking a piece of pumpkin pie, these ales took a long time to win me over. I'm going to skip over the mediocre to the champs, because if there is one style that is BAD when it's bad, it's pumpkin ales.

First up, Schlafly Pumpkin Ale (special release, about 9-10 bucks for a 6 pack)
This is a perennial favorite of mine. Nice, spicy aroma, small, quick dissipating head, and a nice, balanced pumpkin flavor. Not too much of the heavy texture associated with pumpkin beer, but deffinite body that you will notice after you get through 2 or 3. Cinnimon, nutmeg and allspice are all there, along with a nice, but somewhat delicate malt background. This malt lends a sweetness to balance the spice. Not a really noticeable hop profile, just enough to keep the pumpkin and malt in line. Overall, one of my favorite session pumpkin beers. Worth picking up a 6er or 2 throughout the fall.

Second, Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale.

I was worried about this one, since Buffalo Bill's was recently acquired by Pyramid Brewing. Now, I don't hate Pyramid, but I find a lot of their brews, well, just kind of "meh".


This was one of the biggest disappointments of the year. The pre-buyout BBPA was creamy, flavorful, spicy, and actually had CHARACTER. This year, though, there was a huge let down in quality. It tastes like a half hearted attempt to recreate a great beer.

Very minimal pumpkin flavor, zero texture (I'm talking bud light texture), zero spice, and as my wife put it "It tastes like there's high fructose corn syrup in it". No head, and as you may be able to see, it almost looks like Pyramid used food coloring.

If I didn't get this stuff for nothing, I'd probably not drink it. It's sad that such a promising and unique brewery has succumbed to Pyramid's perennial "meh". I dumped this one out.

Ok, shake it off. We're (hopefully) headed to greener pastures.

New Holland Ichabod.
Now, I generally have very little to say about New Holland. Their few brilliant beers shine through (Mad Hatter, El Mole Ocho...) but the majority of their beers leave little impression, good or bad. Still, better than Pyramid by leaps and bounds.

This one is a little bit of an odd duck. I mean, there's plenty of pumpkin, noticeable but not prominent spice, a little bit of nutmeg and allspice, but the thing that makes this one unique is the hop character. Unlike the two beers I've already discussed, this one has just enough hop to poke through. More than a little bit of balance the beer, but not as much as, say, a pale ale.

Overall, it fits the style well. Great texture, a nice, well retained head, great dark amber color, and overall, a very interesting beer. Get it in a build your own 6 pack.

Alright. That's about enough of the novelty. Other great Pumpkin beers, ones that I'm not tasting at the moment, but have had this year and enjoyed immensely are Southern Tier Pumking (if I could give a beer 6 out of 5 stars, this would be one of them), and O'fallon Pumpkin Beer (tastes like drinking a slice of pumpkin pie)

Now, another fall style that is a little less common is the harvest ale. Usually a golden ale, lots of malt, but unlike octoberfest beers, is fairly heavily hopped.

Two FANTASTIC examples, which just so happen to be widely availible, are Southern Tier Harvest, and New Belgium Hoptober.

First, Hoptober.


I first tried this last fall. I was thoroughly impressed. After drinking it again, I'm even more impressed with New Belgium's rock solid consistency. I mean, these guys are awesome at reproducing seasonals year after year, unlike a lot of breweries who can wildly change from year to year (this is sometimes a great thing in beers like barleywines and stouts, but is a double edged sword when it comes to styles that don't lend to building verticals).

As you can see, this guy is golden. And it lives up to it's name. It drinks like a mild pale ale, with a nice malt character that is light and refreshing, yet hearty and filling at the same time. Basically, this is the consumate September beer. Perfect for a mild night, works on a sunny, somewhat warm afternoon, has a complex character, yet is approachable enough for folks who don't get too adventurous enough for some of the more out there fall styles (Avery's Kaiser comes to mind). I suggest going through a six pack on a nice Friday night on the porch.


Next, Southern Tier Harvest Ale.

Along the same lines as Hoptober, Southern Tier has opted out of the Octoberfest party (or should I say fest?) for something that is more of an American style.

However, Southern Tier chooses a heartier malt bill to create a more complex background for the hops to play against. Not as hoppy, but still delicious and, well, tastes like fall. Very sessionable, great for a brisk day or chilly night. Nice head and lacing, hearty texture, and lots of delicious malt.


Ok, to this point, this post has been like a show where Neil Diamond opens for Rush, and Rush opens for Zeppelin. I mean, the first act is good, but most definitely a novelty, the second act is absolutely amazing, but the closing act is what you actually came for, and is damn near orgasmic, even at the worst (even Presence has Achilles Last Stand).

Octoberfest (or Oktoberfest)

My personal favorite style. Big malt bills, almost always sessionable, and, well, simply delicious.

I was torn about weather to start with old favorites, or go with something new.

Turns out, old favs win.

And as favorites go, Ayinger Octoberfest pretty much tops the list. I mean, this stuff is pretty much perfect. Seriously, if I had to pick ONE beer each fall, THIS would be it. Thank god it's a year round beer (score).

Malt, malt, and extra malt.

Sweet, smoky, delicious malt. If there is ONE style that Ayinger does right (which, they do a lot right), it's octoberfest. If you are a fan of the delicious, hearty fest beers, GET THIS BEER AND PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH. I mean, perfect hop balance paired with a complex and exciting malt character equals the ideal fall beer. I don't know how to put it any more clearly:

You need to drink this.

Unlike it's other German peers, Ayinger puts their beer in brown glass, which bottle their beers in green glass, allowing harmful blue light in to degrade the hop acids and give it that "skunky" flavor associate with a lot of European beers (think Becks, Stella, Einbecker, Spaten, etc). This means that you don't have to choke down beer that tastes like urine and get to actually enjoy the beer as the brewer intended.

Next, the hometown champ.


Boulevard Brewing Company's Bob's 47.Now, I've got a little bit of a bone to pick with the guys down at 2501 Southwest Boulevard. For the past 3 years I've felt that Bob's has gone down hill. However, this year, Bob's has made a huge leap forward. Boulevard has, in my experience, strived for continual improvement, and this is evidence of that. A heartier malt bill, appropriate hops, and, it seems responding to the folks that enjoy their beers have led to a return to the quality of beer that made Bob's a local (and regional) favorite. I mean, before this beer was even released, there were 20 cases sold at my store.

While no Ayinger, this is beer definitely holds true to the German Octoberfest style. Serious malt, balanced European hops, very sessionable texture means that this is a beer that you should enjoy on a night out. Lots of local places have it at least in bottles, many on tap (especially enjoyable). Get it while you can, because it goes FAST and is an allotted beer, which means that without a second bottling run, it will be gone before October actually gets here.

Next, another German contender.

Hoffbrau (photo not available, don't ask why) has been hit or miss for me. Their single bottles are great, especially the Hefeweiss. Their 6 packs, however, leave a little bit to be desired. Biggest reason for this is something I discussed earlier: Green glass. A Hefe that is great in brown glass gets ruined in green glass. Another example is Franziskaner.

Oddly enough, up till the Oktoberfest (at least as distributed in Missouri), Hoffbrau has used blonde haired, blue eyed ladies that kind of look like dudes on their 6 packs (the pinnacle of which would be the Maibock, where all you see is a twirling skirt and legs that look like a high school cross country runner about to win the boys 3A title), but the woman on the Octoberfest is actually pretty. Not that it has ANYTHING to do with the beer itself, but hey, can't hurt.

What I got when I first tried Hoffbrau Octoberfest was a surprise. Yes, the green glass lent a little skunkiness, but it wasn't overpowering. In fact, after a few sips, it wasn't really noticeable. Lighter than most other Octoberfests, this one still manages a decent malt flavor, a little more EU hop flavor than a lot of it's American counterparts, and a medium body that lends to drinking in quantity.

Better than any other green glass Octoberfest I've had. Worth buying a sixer if you're a fan of EU beer, Octoberfest, or Hoffbrau. I'd buy it again.

That's all for tonight. Look for another post soon including more potential good Octoberfests including Left Hand, Schlafly, Bell's, Sam Adams and more. Plus, I might revisit pumpkin beer with Southern Tier and O'Fallon, and who knows, I may throw some curve balls in there.