Oktoberfest Blind Beer Tasting 2020 | Ep. 241
Oktoberfest brings Festbiers, Märzens, and Mustard Flights
Once again it is time for our annual Oktoberfest blind beer tasting! We look forward to this show every year and its frequently my first dip into Oktoberfest beers after my self-imposed ban from drinking any before September 1st. It’s my little way of standing up against seasonal creep. Just say no to Oktoberfests and pumpkin beers in July.
To help us with this daunting task we invite some of our friends from the industry to help us out. This year’s judging panel:
- Joe McIntyre | Brewmaster at Scofflaw Brewing Co.
- “Digi-Dude” Nate Hanson | Executive Producer and On-Air Personality at Bailey and Southside on Atlanta’s Rock 100.5
- Nathan Schieber | Renaissance Man. Nathan has worked at a couple of brewers and can frequently be found collaborating with other brewers in the South.
- Nathan Ellingson (aka “No Mic Nathan”) | Beer Buyer for Vintage Bottle Shop in Acworth, GA and occasional Beer Guys Sound Assistant
That’s right, the studio was 50% Nathans this week. Weird. I’m glad that’s over.
We go all out for this show and bring in a bit of a German buffet. This year we had Brats, a flight of four mustards and pepper kraut made personally by me, some soft pretzels, and various cheeses and pickles. It was all delicious and a perfect accompaniment to our beers. We also share a few facts and fun stuff about the Munich Oktoberfest. If you’re ready to party and need to get in the spirit check out our Spotify Oktoberfest playlist.
Our Blind Beer Tasting Methodology
We taste the beers in flights for each of the shows four segments. 2-3 beers per round. We consider appearance, aroma, and taste in our judging. Overall the final vote is all about how much we enjoy each beer. We pick a favorite from each flight then we are allowed to re-taste our favorites for the final round. We tally up everyone’s Top 3 for a final list as judged by the group as a whole. Informal, fun, and delicious.
The Beer List
- Arches Festbier | Märzen | 6.3%
- Ayinger Oktoberfest | Märzen | 5.8%
- Brooklyn Oktoberfest | Märzen | 5.5%
- Highland Clawhammer | Märzen | 5.0%
- Hofbrauhaus Festbier | Festbier | 6.1%
- New Realm The Bavarian Prince | Märzen | 6.3%
- Paulaner Oktoberfest | Märzen | 5.8%
- Sam Adams Octoberfest | Märzen | 5.3%
- Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest | Festbier | 6.0%
- Spaten Oktoberfest | Märzen | 5.9%
- Tucker Tucktoberfest | Märzen | 5.5%
If you’re interested in some of our past info and thoughts on Oktoberfest check out our episodes from 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016.
As always and as expected, we had a great time with this tasting. Our next one is our Christmas beer tasting which I’m sure will be here before we know it. For now I’m just going to hope for some cooler temps and get all over as much Oktoberfest beers as I can. Prost!
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