More Okto tastings
Over the past couple days, I’ve cracked open a few more of my Oktos: Paulaner, Penn Brewing and Hacker-Pschorr. I’ll take them in that order. But first, a little trivia about Oktoberfest. The first Oktoberfest was held in Munich, on Oct. 18, 1810, to commemorate the marriage of Bavaria’s Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. Only breweries located inside Munich are allowed to sponsor a “beer tent” inside the Oktoberfest grounds; this includes Spaten, Lowenbrau, Augustiner, Hofbrau, Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr.
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Paulaner
Paulaner pours a lovely light amber-color, almost an orange-blossom. Finally, a beer that actually looks like an Oktoberfest! The head is creamy and soapy and fades quickly to a thin cap. The aroma is fairly subdued although you can pick up some sweet spices and earthy undertones. But let’s get down to business. Of all the Oktoberfests I’ve had so far, this one is the most thirst-quenching. It has a very “slick” and creamy feel that makes it awfully easy to put away, despite the fact that it’s 5.8% ABV. It tastes faintly of caramel and a light hop biterness; the alcohol isn’t very well disguised and occasionally comes through as sharp unfortunately. Not very complex, but highly, highly drinkable, and ultimately that’s what you want in a sweaty bier tent.
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Penn Brewery
Penn’s Oktoberfest pours a medium-amber, almost a tan really, on the darker side of most Oktoberfest brews, but the orange highlights are definitely there. Very light carbonation produces a soapy, cream-colored head that practically vanishes as soon as it’s poured. It’s almost like an afterthought. This beer smells great, though — I mean great, like toasted caramel, maybe even toffee notes, with a bready, biscuity yeast smell. But for as great as it smells, the taste was really disappointing. It’s slightly sour, maybe a hint of bubble gum, and a really offputting soapy/astringent aftertaste. I can’t think of any other way to describe it. The soapy mineral taste fades somewhat as the beer warms, but not enough to save it. Finishes very dry. It’s a shame because this is one of the more complex Oktoberfests I’ve had so far this year, the execution just wasn’t there I suppose.
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Hacker-Pschorr
That brings me to Hacker-Pschorr, which now takes the lead for my favorite Oktoberfest in 2009. It pours a really, really pretty, brilliant copper-amber, with very light carbonation, and a soapy off-white head that fades quickly to a cap, like most of the style. The nose is very subtle, some bready yeast and maybe a slight malty sweetness laced with a nutty aroma, but really very subdued. Holy crap, though, it tastes great. Huge malt flavor up front, balanced with a slight resiny hop bitterness on the finish. It’s light-bodied, without being thin, with a very nice, creamy texture that makes it extremely drinkable. Two thumbs up for Hacker-Pschorr this year.