So - I am impatient and I have decided that, even though the poll isn’t officially closed, Oktoberfest style beer is the one most people who read this blogging are looking forward to drink this autumn.  I voted for Porter, and the peeps who want a wine cooler can call up Bartles and/or Jaymes.

I like Oktoberfest.  I really do.  The only issue I have with it is as a homebrewer is that it is a hard style to brew correctly.

It is a lager.  The definition of a lager means it’s a beer that to ferments at lower than room temperatures.  We’re talking 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.  Unless you have a fridge with a thermostat hooked up to it, you can’t really make lagers…unless you have a sweet cave in your back yard.

Read what Beer Advocate says about Oktoberfest.

Here are the Beer Judge Certification Program’s guidelines for an Oktoberfest.

It is interesting to note that this style shares guidelines with another one called Marzen.  I think the Oktoberfest moniker came later (probably after the original public celebration of the marriage of Crown Prince Luitpold I and Princess Theressa of Bavaria on October 17, 1810…which was the birth of Oktoberfest - the festival).  Marzens were brewed in March and then stored in caves all summer to keep cool.  In the late summer/early fall, they were enjoyed….I guess that’s what they had on tap when the Prince got hitched.

In my opinion, Oktoberfests are good because:

• They are malty
• They are smooth
• They have a little more alcohol content than the standard 4% by volume

They just aren’t beginner homebrewer beer.   Maybe next year.  

Hope to raise a pint with you soon.