In Germany September and October kick off the celebration of Oktoberfest and what better way to celebrate than with a great German Oktoberfest style beer. Even though this beer is seasonal, some you can get year around and my husband does drink this style of beer year around. The three German versions featured are his absolute favorites and are Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen, Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest Amber Märzen and Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen German Amber. According to St. Arnold® Brewery an Oktoberfest is a full bodied, malty, slightly sweet beer. This rich beer has a round malt flavor and an above average alcohol content and is best consumed at 40° Fahrenheit. From Chatty Gourmet™ tasting experience there is a vast array of German Oktoberfest style beers than the ones featured, so select the kind(s) that are available to you. Some will have the flavor and color of the ones shown, but others may be lighter in flavor and color.
Follows is a quote from St. Arnold® Brewery, Houston, TX, regarding the history of how the Oktoberfest celebration began.
“This style was originally brewed in Bavaria to celebrate the fall harvest. Then along came the wedding of the Crown Prince Leopold and his wife, Therese, and the brewers, sucking up to the royals, claimed that they had brewed this beer especially for their wedding. And what a wedding it was. It lasted two weeks. The wedding, that is. The marriage lasted longer. The wedding was such fun that they decided to celebrate it every year and thus was born Oktoberfest. Technically, the Oktoberfest celebration is the two weeks that end with the first Sunday in October, thus most of the event occurs during September. But Septemberfest just didn’t have a good ring to it, we guess.”
For a great selection of American versions that includes one from St. Arnold® Brewery (another one of my husband’s favorites) see American Style Oktoberfest Beer. Drink responsibly and enjoy!
Ingredients
1 bottle of Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen
1 bottle of Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest Amber Märzen
1 bottle of Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen German Amber
Bottle opener
Beer glasses or steins
Technique
Remove cap with a bottle opener pour into glasses, drink responsibly and enjoy! To enjoy the true flavor of the beer serve at 40° Fahrenheit.
Leave a Reply