I was amazed by Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest this year. It is just an amazing beer. The flavors just pop. However, what blew me away about Sierra Nevada’s 2020 offering occurred after tasting Weihenstephaner’s 2020 Festbier. Sierra Nevada has always produced good, but slightly understated lager. I loved their Maibock before it was called Glissade Pale Bock. However, their Oktoberfest this year takes Sierra Nevada’s state of the art lager brewing to a completely different level. Sierra Nevada can hold its own when compared against Weihenstephaner Festbier, which is an amazing beer from one of the masters of lager brewing. It says a lot when an American brewer can hold its own against one of the best in the business.
I agree the Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest is great this year. I wish I could make that beer.
I haven’t had the Weihenstephaner Festbier to compare.
It is delicious!
My son supplied me with a bottle of the Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest yesterday and I’ll agree - - most impressive! Far superior for my tastes to most domestically brewed versions of the style. It’s clean, not heavy on the melanoidin/overly malty aspect that I find so many have - - much more authentic and bonus, it’s fresh!!
Sierra Nevada makes excellent beers, for sure. I love the Kellerweiss and it was really cool to see the open fermentation tanks at their beautiful Asheville brewery.
It looks like my visit to that area in two weeks will not include a tour of SN. Closed to tours possibly until the end of the year, dang it.
I think you can get takeout/takeaway, but that is about it.
Go to Zebulon if they are open while you are in town. Burning Blush should be open in the Mills River area.
If you need any suggestions lemme know.
Another vote for Zebulon
I must have had a bad 6 pack of SN Ofest. I found it quite uncharacteristic of a typical Ofest. Far too bitter and lacking the malt flavor I expect in the style. Several others in my local club thought the same.
I’ve got a 6 of Spaten Ofest that is stellar.
I haven’t had many German Festbiers so it’s hard for me to speak intelligently about those. But, I think this year’s SN Oktoberfest follows the trend they have set over the last few years with their collaboration Festbiers. I will say that calling this an Oktoberfest and only pointing out that it is a Festbier in the label narrative is a bit confusing. I was expecting a more traditional American Oktoberfest. I was happily surprised when that is not what I got.
I went to Zebulon this past June and they had 5 different lagers on tap that were all excellent. Another vote here!
I love the Spaten when I can get a 6-pack that’s been treated well. It’s been my favorite of the import German fest beers. I’m a lover of German beer styles but over the years have become quite leery of purchasing those imports, especially in green bottles, as I’ve found it very hit-or-miss for stale versus fresh-ish samples. As my beer palate has been refined over the years it’s harder to enjoy staled or skunked beers. 20 years ago I could enjoy a German green bottle beer without being distracted by particular “flaws.” That’s the problem with having a better palate for off flavors - the more I know, the fewer beers I can truly enjoy. Can’t unring that bell.
Add another one here.
In my opinion it was way too high on hops. If we’re talking about an American interpretation of Octoberfest beer than yes its perfect, but to me it was way too high on hops, covering the bready malts.
All in all, a beer worth trying.
I had a pint of SN’s Festbier yesterday. I found it had more hop flavor than better examples and the malt flavor was a little harsh, sort of background roasty.
If you are comparing SN Oktoberfest to the typical Marzen-style festbier, then yes, it is more bitter and less caramelly. However, it is almost a dead-ringer for the year’s Weihenstephaner Festbier.
I think we need to do away with the term Oktoberfest as it seems to confuse a lot of people (at least Americans). I think we should just stick to Marzen or Festbier. From what I understand, an older style of “oktoberfest” is a marzen while the more modern “oktoberfest” is a festbier?
That is correct. The big 6 have been serving Festbier for about 30 years.
Agreed, though undoing the concept of Oktoberfest beer among American consumers might be an impossible task at this point. I think you can use marzen fairly interchangeably with many American’s understanding of and drinking experience with “Oktoberfest” beer. I believe there’s a romanticized attachment to the term Oktoberfest in relation to beer styles in this country (“Oh look, we’re celebrating just like the Germans do!” - and Americans generally, I believe, presume we’re drinking beers like the Germans are drinking). I do encourage my beery peers to discriminate between festbier versus marzen versus Americanized “Oktoberfest” that may be a good representation of neither but many find to be delicious nonetheless. That’s my 2 cents worth.
Oops. The beer I had that day on draft was not SN, but one from a Michigan brewery. I will get some fresh SN next week while I’m near the brewery.