The Year in Beer

Name: Beck’s Oktoberfest

Brewer: Brauerei Beck & Co., Bremen, Germany

By the numbers: About 150 calories per 12 oz.; 5 percent alcohol by volume

Notes: Well, it seems that my examination of Oktoberfest style beer has become something of an annual event. If you’re a regular reader of The Year in Beer, then you know the Märzen is probably my favorite style. I love lagers in general and I love malty beer, so a malty lager is right up my alley. To me, the Märzen IS beer. It’s got a distinct German beer flavor and it’s drinkable but has plenty of taste. You probably also know that my favorite Märzen is Spaten Oktoberfest, so all beers of this style, particularly German beers, are matched against that one. An odd fact, however, is that Beck’s Oktoberfest is only sold as such in the United States, since according to German law only Märzens brewed in Munich can be called “Oktoberfest” beer. Beck’s poured the requisite amber color. You can smell the hops and a bit of caramel in the aroma. The taste, however, didn’t carry the malt flavor I like in this style. The hops were more forward and it was a bit tart. It’s decent, but again there are better options.

Try it with: A flurry of beers to end October. Sorry folks, I fell behind a bit this month when life interfered with my beer drinking (and blogging). I’ll try to keep up in November and December, but I think this might be my last deliberate “Year in Beer”. In 2012, it may become more the “Whenever I Feel Like It In Beer.”

    — Posted by Mike Freimann