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We’re well into fall and quickly approaching the holiday season. And brewers have been releasing their seasonals at a brisk pace. Here are several you will enjoy.
Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest Amber Marzen (5.8% ABV 28 IBU)
This Bavarian brewery was founded in Munich in 1417. As suggested by the beer’s name, Charles Stanely, the US Brand Manager for Hacker-Pschorr asserts this was the original Oktoberfest beer, created for the first Oktoberfest in 1518. A Marzen style beer made with two-row Bavarian summer barley and Hallertau hops, it is enticing and sweet, with pleasant malty and lightly roasted notes.
Hacker-Pschorr Festbier Limited Edition (6.0% ABV 23 IBU)
Stanley says Festbier “is like the younger, but equally potent, brother of Oktoberfest.” And that it also has recently been served at the Munich Oktoberfest. Its bottom fermented yeasts and Pilsner and Munich malts yield a mildly malty lager. While citrusy notes emerge from Hallertauer Tradition and Herkules hops, there is a tad bit of spicy herbs. Festbier is available exclusively in 16.9 oz. swing top bottles.
Samuel Adams Octoberfest (5.3% ABV 16 IBU)
Speaking of Oktoberfest/Octoberfest, Samuel Adams’ Märzen style version is a pleasant easy drinking brew with malt and wheat tones. It’s Tettnang Tettnanger, Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops tread lightly, while and its malts – Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, Munich-10, Samuel Adams Octoberfest malt, and Caramel 60 – dominate providing a smooth palate.
Samuel Adams Harvest Saison (6.0% ABV 25 IBU)
French for “season,” a “saison” is basically a “pale ale” often referred to as a “farmhouse ale” in reference to beers traditionally brewed in the winter in Belgian farmhouses and stored for drinking by the farm workers during the summer and fall months. This version uses barley, oats, rye and wheat along with Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend and Aramis and Saaz hops to achieve a malty profile with a touch of caramel followed by spicy citrusy and lightly earthy qualities that finish fairly dry with some bitterness.
Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale (5.7% ABV 14 IBU)
Brewed with real pumpkin and a blend of caramel and roasted malts (Samuel Adams two-row malt blend, Caramel 60, Special B and a smoke malt), this one sports classic pumpkin pie spices – clove, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. It yields a rich pumpkin pie taste (not sweet, though) with those brown spices. Malty flavors compliment a mildly fruity beer that ends with a very spicy finish. I don’t pick up the East Kent Goldings and Fuggles hops but they likely are what lifts this nice drink excellence.
Fat Jack Double Pumpkin Ale (8.5 ABV 25 IBU)
With more than 28 pounds of pumpkin per barrel, accented with more of those East Kent Golding and Fuggles hops and malts including Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, rye Special B and smoked malt, this selection from the Small Batch catalogue shows intense classic pumpkin pie spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. In the mouth, roasted and smoked malts deliver hints of molasses and caramel. and pretty high alcohol but still with a smooth mouth feel. Obviously perfect for Thanksgiving, this will “age” for a while.
Deschutes Jubelale (6.7% 60 IBU)
A festive winter warmer ale, Jubelale, now in its 27th year, actually is the first brew ever bottled by Deschutes. With six types of hops and five types of malts, I found this impressively flavorful and complex. Just like last year’s! It opened with nice roasted aromas and spicy-herbal notes (coriander?) that carried into the mouth. The flavors also present as malty (from Pale, Crystal, Extra Special, Carapils, and Roasted Barley) and even a touch of blueberry but with a spicy hop kick and nice hop bitterness (from Nugget, Cascade, Willamette, Styrian, Tettnang, and East Kent Goldings).