Episode 24: Sam Adams Octoberfest – Roll out the barrel

We start a new series this week with Sam Adams Octoberfest. You might notice a slight echo when I’m talking. Jim’s speaker/microphone setup needs some fixing, so bear with us for a bit.

News

This is actually an update from a previous story in regards to Pizza Beer. Thats right, we liked the story so much we decided to take another look at it. It seems that a Wisconsin brewery, which one I do not know, is going to start to make pizza beer for sale at local stores here in Chicago. Yeah, you heard me right, Pizza Beer for sale in local stores. The question really is, when are we going to do a show on Pizza Beer.

Sam Adams Octoberfest

• Oktoberfest is a two week long festival held in Munich Germany every year.
• It originated in 1810 over the celebration of the marriage of the Crown Prince Ludwig and the Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghhasen.
• It has grown in popularity in the US in recent years with the resurgence of craft brewing and the craft beer culture.
• Before refrigeration, it was nearly impossible to brew beer in the summer due to the hot weather and bacterial infections. Brewing ended with the coming of spring, and began again in the fall. Most were brewed in March (Märzen).
• You are generally going to get some spicy flavor out of this one, but by spicy I mean spice and herbs not spicy like chili spicy.
• As for this weeks beer, it is Sam Adams Octoberfest, which weighs in at 5.7% ABV. This is also one of those beers that may change from year to year in subtle ways, so this years beer may not taste like last years beer.
• This years version is, frankly, a bit ordinary. It’s a good märzen, but nothing special.
• So if you like yourself a good lager with a bit more malt and hops you should pick this one up.

Next Week

We go back to the roots of look at Spaten Oktoberfest.

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