Oktoberfests
It is late in the year to be commenting on Oktoberfest beers, but I have just finished the last of the autumn sampler I picked up at Total Wine and More, and the verdict is: I do not particularly care for Oktoberfests. My sample included the Harpoon Oktoberfest, the Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest and a couple others I don’t remember because I didn’t like them.
I was informed at a beer tasting this summer that Oktoberfests, while sometimes done in the U.S. in a dark and heavy style, are meant to be quaffable for people who are spending all day at the actual Oktoberfest. I get the purpose there, and they are by no stretch of the imagination terrible, but I will stick with my Belgians. Oktoberfests lack a certain meatiness I like in my beers, but I do appreciate that they have a fragrant, slight hoppiness that could appeal to many.
