ONE A DAY
Julian Zelazny '96
If you haven't already started your Oktoberfest beer, you are
rapidly running out of time, that is, if you want to serve it at
the traditional time. While Oktoberfest homebrewed beer can be
made and enjoyed any time, the traditional season for Oktoberfest
is in September and October.
Oktoberfest actually has two distinct meanings relevant to
this column. The first refers to that familiar festival, the
mention of which conjures up images of Bavarian beer gardens,
sturdy braufrauen serving armloads of over-filled liter mugs
frothing with beer, and the sound of "oompa bands" barely audible
over the joyous babble of a sea of revelers. The second meaning
refers to a delightful style of beer with an unlikely pedigree.
Each meaning will be addressed in turn.
The festival itself has only been with us since 1810. This
was the year that the Crown Prince of Bavaria was wed. The
Oktoberfest that year was a celebration of the Royal nuptials.
Presumably it was a heck of a party because it has been repeated
ever since. The festival starts on a Saturday in mid to late
September and runs for 16 days, ending on the first Sunday in
October. On that day all the Munich brewers take part in a great
parade ending at the fairgrounds. During the course of the
festival some five or six million people attend. Remarkably, the
beer consumption figures show less than a liter swallowed per
person. There are several similar festivals held throughout
Germany at approximately the same time, but the Bavarian
Oktoberfest is certainly the most renown.
One reason why the Oktoberfest has lived on is because of the
tough realities of the brewing industry through the 19th century.
This was a time when brewers were discovering lager yeast. Beers
like pilsners and Oktoberfests were very fashionable. The
difficulty resides in the fact that lager yeast ferments best at
temperatures below 40F, and in a time before refrigeration, the
brewers were forced to respond to the changing seasons.
Consequently they were unable to brew after late March. Brewers
of the time had to brew enough beer during their brewing season to
last through the summer. This extra beer was stored in cool caves
and allowed to mature slowly as it awaited its chance to satisfy
an appreciative beer drinker. October brought back the cool
weather and the brewing season, so the supply could be
replenished. In order to celebrate the new brewing season, all
the beer that remained in cold storage was brought out and
finished at the Oktoberfest.
The recipe for the beer known as M„rzen/Oktoberfest was
actually "borrowed" from a legendary Austrian brewer named Anton
Dreher. The Bavarian brewers became enamored with Dreher's soft,
malty Vienna lagers and brought the style, slightly modified, to
Bavaria. While, in theory, a Vienna is lighter in color and body
than the M„rzen/Oktoberfest, in practice there is a great deal of
overlap. Eckhardt describes the style as amber to pale copper
and medium to strong alcohol (up to 6% by volume). Fix
eloquently characterizes the malt character as the most important
component of the flavor, reflecting "both elegance and softness as
well as a measure of complexity." The best examples of the style
are malty without being sweet or cloying, and that maltiness is
allowed expression through very sparing use of hops. Traditional
M„rzen/Oktoberfest beers are imported to this country,
though, naturally, they are seasonal offerings. Most of the major
Bavarian breweries send their products to us, so don't be
surprised to see Wurzburger, Paulaner, or Spaten Oktoberfests. If
you purchase an imported Oktoberfest be certain it is this year's
version and not a left-over from last year. Ironically, there are
no longer any breweries in Austria producing Vienna style beers.
The beers now known as Viennas are from Mexico. During the brief
time as subjects of the Austrian Empire, Mexican brewers learned
the way of the Vienna lager that is today manifested in such
pleasant, if somewhat pedestrian beers as Dos Equis and Negro
Modelo.
Today the M„rzen/Oktoberfest is brewed by craft brewers
throughout the country. As is typical with American micros, the
interpretation on this side of the Atlantic includes a liberal
dose of domestic hops. Locally, a short drive into Brattleboro
will win you a taste of one of the most stylistically accurate
'fest beers at McNeil's Brewpub. Catamount has a seductively
smooth interpretation in their Oktoberfest. In past years they
had gone too far with the addition of hops, especially those hops
in the aroma, but happily they have come closer to tradition with
this year's batch.
Wherever it may come from, Oktoberfest is a delightful beer
during a study break and it's great with pizza... in any month.
If you have any comments, questions or advice concerning this
article or anything else that may be on your mind, please feel
free to email me.
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