| Big pretzels versus mini doughnuts. Horse-drawn beer carriages versus chuckwagon races. Lederhosen versus cowboy gear. Oktoberfest and the Calgary Stampede are like evil twins separated at birth.
Oktoberfest is the granddaddy of all keg parties. It began with a wedding reception and horse race for Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig) on October 12 of 1810, as a way to share this celebration with the common man in Munich. The first Oktoberfest continued long after the wedding couple left and was such a success that the next year residents celebrated the couple’s anniversary with a horse race and agricultural festival. Each year after that it continued to grow until it eventually became the commercialized mayhem that Munich, Germany hosts today.
The festival starts the third weekend of September and ends the Sunday of the first weekend of October. The fallout of this festival is felt worldwide and, like Munich, it is all about beer. Or, specifically, about selling yellow, bubbly, insipid lagers in mass quantities (pun intended – the one-litre size steins, which are the only serving size available at the Oktoberfest grounds, are referred to as mas).
However, for those who care more about the beer than the party, Oktoberfest also means the release of the Marzen, an amber-styled lager that is slightly stronger than average at six per cent ABV (alcohol by volume). In the days before refrigeration, most of the beer was brewed in the winter and allowed to continue to ferment until consumed. The Marzen, also called an Oktoberfest, was traditionally the biggest batch brewed for the festival, and was lagered, or laid down, the longest – during this process, the beer sits in vats or tanks to allow the residual sugars to be converted to alcohol.
After all this special treatment, it was saved for the festival season of late September and early October. For mouthwatering succulence, nothing compares to an Okotberfest. The colour ranges from amber-bronze to red, and the beer is very malty in taste as well as aroma. Typically, an Oktoberfest has a light but smooth body, and a spicy, fruity malt character with a dry whisky finish. Some beer aficionados describe it as having a hint of toast in the aroma and taste.
Having just come back from attending the Oktoberfest event in Munich, I can attest that it is easier to get a quality Marzen or Oktoberfest-style beer in Calgary than it is at the festival. Oktoberfest has grown so big that only the six biggest breweries within Munich’s city limits (Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Spaten, Hofbrau Munchen, Augustiner and Lowenbrau) are allowed tents on the festival site. Ironically, the Konig Ludwig brewery, owned by King Ludwig’s descendants, cannot even participate in the festival because the brewery is in Klatenburg, outside of Munich – Konig applies to participate and is turned down every year, then marches in protest, with beer in tow, to the city limits.) Unfortunately, this monopoly of breweries has taken the beer to the lowest common denominator – the beer served at the festival grounds is a light coloured lager that is a very loose interpretation of Oktoberfest beer.
Meanwhile, each year during October, award-winning Alley Kat Brewing of Edmonton makes an outstanding example of this under-appreciated style. Alley Kat’s 2003 "Ein Prosit" (which translates to "cheers" in German) is a sweetish, dry, sherry-like example of an Okotberfest. The beer changes from year to year, and this year’s seasonal treat is a strong balance between Munich malt and hops that is almost as tantalizing to the nose as it is to the palate. A smooth, warming, full-bodied lager with a rich, toasty, hop-balanced taste, the beer is currently available on tap at the Unicorn and at the Hop in Brew until supplies run out.
Thankfully, you can sample Ein Prosit in manageable half-litre steins (er, pints), but sadly, it won’t be served with large pretzels, bratwurst and oom-pah bands, so feel free to sing to yourself,
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit der Gemutlichkeit! |
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