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Nicole Simeone
Oktoberfest Begins
Who’s ready to break out the lederhosen? No one? OK. That’s fair. But I bet you’re ready for Oktoberfest. Yeah, now I’ve got your attention.
It’s that time of year again when the malt-forward, amber-hued beauties make their debut. And boy have they. I’ll admit that I started sampling this year’s offering in August. I know, letting yourself get pulled into the seasonal slide allows it to continue, but I couldn’t help it. Some really cool days felt more like budding fall as opposed to summer. I buckled. And regret nothing.
Perhaps the best thing to come out of a wedding tradition is Oktoberfest. Seriously, neither something borrowed, etc. nor The Chicken Dance cannot hold a candle to a two-week beer fest. Munich plays host to this beer lovers’ dream each year. The festival, this year starts on September 19th and runs through October 4th.
Well…it would have if COVID hadn’t happened. But it did happen, so we’re just going to have to make do with what we can. And the only way I can think to turn this particular frown upside down is to focus this month and next month on fall beers. So, without further adieu, let’s get into some marzens.
Our first stop today is Ragged Island in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Their storefront is located on High Point Ave in a small yet cozy commercial space. But, even in these uncertain times, things change. The brewery is converting a garden shop and adjacent farm into their new brew space and tasting room.
Their Hydrofoil and Two Tree offerings, both IPAs, are the more common options you’ll see on tap at local restaurants. That said, IPAs aren’t their only game as their beer rotation runs the full gambit of beer styles. I am a particular fan of their Barbertime Barleywine and their Sea Cave Dark Saison.
But we’re not here to talk about Barleywines or Saisons. We’re here for fall. Well, let’s take a minute to talk about words. Marzens are one of the two beers we’re going to be talking about over the next two East Coast Thirsty Thursdays. And, Ragged Island releases a Marzen as their fall beer. What does Marzen translate to, you ask? March. Marzens were initially brewed in March, barrelled, and stored until late summer and into the fall season. So, we’re drinking a beer called March in September for Oktoberfest. Yep, words.
Anyway, back to actual beer. Their Marzen is aptly and simply names Oktoberfest. Barely a nose to be found at all on this brew. There is just the slightest hint of malt coming up from the glass. This continues into the brew itself. True to its recipe, Ragged Island’s Oktoberfest has the characteristic sweetness upfront on each sip. The sweetness mellows out into bitterness coming from the beer’s hops, followed by bready goodness. A bit of stickiness hangs on your tongue afterward, but it is not oppressive or unpleasant.
Ragged Island’s Oktoberfest hits a very nice balance and is definitely easy to drink, even if you pour it into a heavy glass stein. It counts as an arm workout, right? Asking for a friend. I know the answer to that one. I am glad I stopped to pick up a four pack of this one on my travels.
Let’s pop over to Hudson, Massachusetts, next. Who doesn’t like a bit of virtual traveling? Medusa Brewing has two horses in the Oktoberfest game- Hecubus and Simon. I’m going to save Hecubus for next time.
Simon is their festbier, Marzen’s little brother, if you will. Medusa’s take on the festbier is light on aroma. I’m getting faint wafts of malt here and there, but nothing overpowering or pronounced.
As you can see from the photo, the beer doesn’t present with the Marzen’s amber and copper colors. The malts in the festbier can be attributed to that. Here we have a straw yellow color with a little bit of haziness to it.
Again, the sweetness presents upfront, but Simon isn’t as sweet as our first beer on the trip. Festbiers, being the little brother, bring a lot of the same flavor components that Marzens do, just not with the same boldness.
Here we get a smooth mouthfeel as we’re sipping on this beer. The stickiness is almost nonexistent. I will say the bitterness from the hops is more pronounced in Simon than in Ragged’s Marzen. There’s a twinge of lemon, maybe? And some melon mingled in with the bread finish.
Glad to see Simon make an appearance on their menu again. I will admit I lean more towards Hecubus. But that’s not to say I don’t enjoy Simon. I do. It’s just hard to make a choice when there are so many good options.
The next stop on our virtual Oktoberfest is South Deerfield, Massachusetts, for Life on Marzen, Berkshire Brewing’s fall release. I’d love to say I sampled this year’s brew from their outdoor beer garden, but alas, I didn’t. Such a great brewery. A bit of a hike but worth it. Especially if you can make the Saturday tour at one o’clock. Well, if this wasn’t COVID times. I doubt they are still running tours right now. But, when things get back to normal, you won’t be disappointed.
On to the beer. Berkshire opts to keep it traditional with their brew. Life on Marzen is aged for months before tapping in late August. It’s a beautiful amber, orangy color, which harkens to the planet Mars. Given the name of the beer, I am going to assume the choice was intentional. Another quick word stop- Mars is the Latin root word for, you guessed it, March.
I can’t get a nose at all off of Life on Marzen at all. Not sure if it’s me or just being a windy day. There is definitely the characteristic bready finish. The bitterness doesn’t really hit that hard for me. And there’s something else I’m getting toward the start of each sip.
At first, I thought it was apricot, but I don’t think so. Something a bit spicy. Not Allspice necessarily. That would bring the flavors all too close to pumpkin beers, which this doesn’t have. I would say that maybe what I’m getting are hints of cinnamon. If only CJ were here, she’d be able to nail this down in a quick second. Whatever the exact spice is, it pairs well with the pronounced caramel flavor.
Life on Marzen definitely packs more flavors in than the Marzen from Ragged Island. For me, Berkshire’s offering edges out Ragged Island’s Marzen, but I don’t know that everyone would agree with me. And this isn’t a bracket-style series anyway.
I’m going to stop our sampling here for this edition. Don’t worry, there will be plenty more from the East Coast in two weeks. Prost, Nerd Girls!
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