Great Lakes Brewing Oktoberfest

October 28^th, 2011

3.5 stars out of 5

Brewed and kegged by Great Lakes Brewing co, Cleveland, OH. bought and drunk at J's American Pub in Lima,OH with my friend and colleague Byron after a day spent watching and in some cases assisting the counting of our inventory at Wannemacher's Lima, OH warehouse. A great crew at the warehouse made the inventory painless and excellent instructions left by Jeff made the data entry painless - with a little assistance at a couple of rough spots from Debbie and Patty on the phone.

We wandered across the parking lot from the hotel to J’s after the short drive from the warehouse and sat at a high table in the bar area.  J's service, from Sarah, was excellent and the food was very good. Byron and I both ate filet medallions with baked potatoes, the steaks were nicely cooked and the price was right. The beer was a perfect accompaniment to the steak.  All in all a very good end to a good day.

Web site: http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/beer/an-exceptional-family-of-beers/seasonal/oktoberfest

The web site says “Style Origin: Oktoberfest is Vienna’s stronger brother. Gabriel Sedlmayr adapted the Vienna style for brewing in Munich. Because refrigeration had not yet been invented, March was traditionally the last month in which lagers were brewed. Sedlmayr’s beer was made in March to last until September and was served in autumn amidst traditional celebrations.

Flavor: Rich malt flavor and fragrant noble hops

Ingredients:

MALT

Harrington 2-Row Base Malt: Allows color and flavor from other specialty malts to come through; makes for very clean beer

Munich: Traditional German malt for Oktoberfest beers; provides malty aroma and full-bodied flavor

Caramel 45: Contributes to amber color; provides complexity

HOPS

Hallertau: U.S. version of classic German noble hop; contributes mild bitterness and fine aromas; used sparingly since malt is main ingredient in flavor profile”

I found this to be an interesting beer with a lot of flavor. A little bitterness made an interesting aftertaste that went well with the steak and mushrooms.  A nice, well balanced beer with a full flavor.