HOFBRÄU OKTOBERFESTBIER
Origin: Germany
Type: Märzenbier/Oktoberfestbier
Color: Amber-red
Alcohol content: 6,3%
Recommended serving temperature: 9ºC/48ºF
Brewery: Hofbräu München
Webpage: http://www.hofbraeu-muenchen.de/en/unser-bier/biersorten/hofbraeu-oktoberfestbier/
Despite this blog being created a couple of days after this year's edition of Oktoberfest came to an end, I feel it must pay homage to Oktoberfest and its beers.
In order to do so, I have chosen the Oktoberfestbier brewed by one of my favorite breweries in Munich, the Hofbräu München. I will leave most of the reasons why this is one of my prefered breweries in Munich for the post on the brewery itself, but I will say that the overall quality of all of its varieties makes it a go-to option, no matter what I am in the mood for.
Not to catch anybody by surprise, let me start by saying that I am generally more of a fan of Märzenbiers versus Münchner Helles, as I often prefer beers with a bit more body and density, something which, at least on comparing these two types, is helped by its higher alcohol content. While Münchner Helles have an alcohol content of around 5%, Oktoberfestbiers, as is well known, have to have an alcohol content of at least 6% (Oktoberfestbiers, to qualify as such, need to be brewed within the Munich city limits, following the Bavarian Purity Law, and have an ABV of around 6%).
Hofbräu's Oktoberfestbier is a full bodied amber-red beer. It boasts an impressive amount of foam, (much more than the Münchner Helles, but of course not as much as the Weizen variety), which lasts well through the first several sips, and it bubbles constantly, leaving a thin layer until the end. This means that it will always be frizzy and bubbly, no matter if it's your Xteenth beer and you're taking a bit longer than usual to drink it.
In that sense, let's continue down that road. Let's imagine for a second that you are a bit more blitzed than you would like to be, or that there is some other reason why you are not able to tend to your beer at your normal speed (a particularly passionate discussion with your neighbours at the table, or a particularly beautiful bavarian waitress which keeps catching your eye). With many other beers, when you finally snap out of it and take a nice big slug of your beer, you may come to find the experience is far from pleasurable. Not with this one though. This beer's slightly bitter taste is not such that it would make it unpleasant to drink if it's a little on the warmer side, it keeps it interesting and tasty, bringing out other aromas. It is not one of those beers which will overly dry your mouth out and make you ask for a glass of water.
Consequently, even if it is a beer better drunk on the chilly side, at somewhere around 9ºC, having it a bit less chilled is an equally delicious experience. In fact, my take on it is, the main thing making it recommendable to drink it at a lower temperature, are the circumstances. Surely people cannot be expected to finish last year's harvest in the form of consecutive liters of warm 6ABV beer and be a functioning member of society the rest of the day.
But even this, however, is only a mild concern: a Munich court a couple years back made a point of saying more or less that during Oktoberfest laws should be modulated and applied with lenience, as the same standard of care cannot be required in the city at such time.
My intention of course is far from promoting abuse, but after those words from a German court, all I can say is... enjoy!
Type: Märzenbier/Oktoberfestbier
Color: Amber-red
Alcohol content: 6,3%
Recommended serving temperature: 9ºC/48ºF
Brewery: Hofbräu München
Webpage: http://www.hofbraeu-muenchen.de/en/unser-bier/biersorten/hofbraeu-oktoberfestbier/
Despite this blog being created a couple of days after this year's edition of Oktoberfest came to an end, I feel it must pay homage to Oktoberfest and its beers.
In order to do so, I have chosen the Oktoberfestbier brewed by one of my favorite breweries in Munich, the Hofbräu München. I will leave most of the reasons why this is one of my prefered breweries in Munich for the post on the brewery itself, but I will say that the overall quality of all of its varieties makes it a go-to option, no matter what I am in the mood for.
Not to catch anybody by surprise, let me start by saying that I am generally more of a fan of Märzenbiers versus Münchner Helles, as I often prefer beers with a bit more body and density, something which, at least on comparing these two types, is helped by its higher alcohol content. While Münchner Helles have an alcohol content of around 5%, Oktoberfestbiers, as is well known, have to have an alcohol content of at least 6% (Oktoberfestbiers, to qualify as such, need to be brewed within the Munich city limits, following the Bavarian Purity Law, and have an ABV of around 6%).
Hofbräu's Oktoberfestbier is a full bodied amber-red beer. It boasts an impressive amount of foam, (much more than the Münchner Helles, but of course not as much as the Weizen variety), which lasts well through the first several sips, and it bubbles constantly, leaving a thin layer until the end. This means that it will always be frizzy and bubbly, no matter if it's your Xteenth beer and you're taking a bit longer than usual to drink it.
In that sense, let's continue down that road. Let's imagine for a second that you are a bit more blitzed than you would like to be, or that there is some other reason why you are not able to tend to your beer at your normal speed (a particularly passionate discussion with your neighbours at the table, or a particularly beautiful bavarian waitress which keeps catching your eye). With many other beers, when you finally snap out of it and take a nice big slug of your beer, you may come to find the experience is far from pleasurable. Not with this one though. This beer's slightly bitter taste is not such that it would make it unpleasant to drink if it's a little on the warmer side, it keeps it interesting and tasty, bringing out other aromas. It is not one of those beers which will overly dry your mouth out and make you ask for a glass of water.
Consequently, even if it is a beer better drunk on the chilly side, at somewhere around 9ºC, having it a bit less chilled is an equally delicious experience. In fact, my take on it is, the main thing making it recommendable to drink it at a lower temperature, are the circumstances. Surely people cannot be expected to finish last year's harvest in the form of consecutive liters of warm 6ABV beer and be a functioning member of society the rest of the day.
But even this, however, is only a mild concern: a Munich court a couple years back made a point of saying more or less that during Oktoberfest laws should be modulated and applied with lenience, as the same standard of care cannot be required in the city at such time.
My intention of course is far from promoting abuse, but after those words from a German court, all I can say is... enjoy!
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