German Beer Wars - The Oktoberfest Round

Since we live in Munich, we decide to include some Oktoberfest beers in the tournament. It is an important part of the beer culture here, after all!

Maybe not the wisest decision, as it isn't available year round and could be a problem to find in later rounds...

Pork chops with roasted winter veggies and warm goat cheese salad

Tonight featured 3 of the Big Six's Oktobefest beers.  Hofbrau vs Spaten, and then Löwenbräu vs one of Altenmünster brewery's offerings. We weren't really sure where to fit the Altenmünster, which was a beer we did not know. It's supposed to be a flavorful lager, but not sure if that means Helles, or something different. But we thought it would stand well with the Oktoberfest beers. Luckily, we were correct in that guess.

The Altenmünster was very tasty when compared to the Löwenbräu Oktoberfestbier - it had a very clean taste, with good flavors, but was not overly hoppy. The Löwenbräu was good too, but was less carbonated and also felt a bit flat in taste when compared to the Altenmünster.

I was surprised at the outcome of the Hofbrau vs Spaten match, as I think of Hofbrau more in terms of a touristy (but fun) beerhall, not in terms of good beer. However, HB has proved to be more than just a good party...it's a really good beer! The Spaten was good, and it's hops had a little bit of sweetness to them. The Hofbrau, on the other hand, was very crisp and not too hoppy, . It was just a perfectly balanced beer. Both were good, but we prefered the note of the hops used in the Hofbrau. The strange thing was that the Spaten was much better in the bottle than it was in the Oktoberfest tents.

Hofbrau went on to an easy victory over the Altenmünster. Despite how good it tasted in the first round, it seemed light and watery when compared to the Hofbrau, which was sparkly without being overly carbonated.