Corona and Guinness are almost parodies of themselves at this point. They're brands and beacons for bastardized beer-swilling holidays, which makes sense if you're trying to impress investors. Come springtime, every collar-popped frat boy will be helpless to resist those snazzy beer displays depicting bikini-clad leprechauns and sombrero chicks con cerveza, brah.Oktoberfest is another foreign holiday ripe for co-opting. But since Munich breweries roll out the good stuff in the Fall, there's obviously more to this than getting product placement in bars. There's a a bunch of recognizable, smaller breweries doing what the mecha-breweries can't imitate (well). Sam Adams has been pushing theirs pretty hard, but lederhosen and lager in a British colony still doesn't compute. I decided to conduct my own 'scientific' study, with four beers chosen by myself and a couple of beer stewards: two from Germany (Ayinger and Paulaner) and two domestics (Heater Allen and Bayern). Sorry moneybags, due to budgetary constraints, the sample size isn't larger. But the result?
First Place: Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen (Aying, Germany) 8.5/10
This was the last beer tasted, but immediately I knew this is what the others were striving for. Though imported, it didn't taste like it had been sitting on a shelf for months. The malty notes had a complexity and freshness that you get only when you have a beer in Bavaria. And a perfect example of how to hop a German beer.
Second Place: Heater Allen Bob-toberfest (McMinnville, Oregon) 8/10
I've been impressed by every beer from Rick Allen's one-man, lager-only operation. This one was exceptional, and surprising in how dead-on it was to the German style. I was convinced this was the winner of my brief experiment until I tried Ayinger. Very similar, but it was lacking some its dimension. Still...
Third Place: Paulaner Oktoberfest Ur-Marzen (Munich, Germany) 7/10
Slightly less malty and complex than the previous two. It had that green-glass whiff of Becks, which is selling it short. It's still a good example of the style, and the closest thing to the holiday's patron saint.
Fourth Place: Bayern Oktoberfest (Missoula, Montana) 5/10
Loved for being one of the few domestic breweries to focus on German Lagers, Bayern came highly recommended. But the moment I poured it into a glass, I couldn't understand what the hell they were thinking. It was almost as dark as a Black Butte, which is at least 3 times darker than Oktoberfest should be. After tasting it, you're not sure what style it's more suited to be. A weak dunkel? Or a wasted opportunity?
I realize there are other great examples out there. Suggestions?
