However, most Oktoberfest beers you get have more malt and are a little darker.
At the 'fest, do we get Helles or a different Oktoberfest brew?
In the Beer Gardens, during the f'est, I usually see Helles ont he menus, but don't remember if we could also order the Oktoberfest beer.
Maybe they just give us whatever they have handy. Not sure.
What say you?
5 comments:
I think I can answer some "what", not sure about the "why".
Helles is definately the Oktoberfest bier in Munich. The darker Oktoberfest bier you reference is more of an American invention I think.
It is definitely murky for me. I did a little research and the slightly darker is surely called Oktoberfest Bier (Marzen)in Germany.
I have also seen references to Helles Marzen. Hmmm. Wikipedia: ". In Germany, the term covers beers which vary in colour from pale (Helles Märzen), through amber to dark brown (Dunkles Märzen)."
They are 2 distinct sub-styles, which we are all familiar with, I just can't recall a difference at the 'fest. Hmmm.
I believe the mystery is as follows. Marzen was originally a bier brewed in March (the German word is marzen). This bier was intended to last through the summer and into the fall. That's why it is usually more full bodied and hoppy. The final batches were consumed in early fall, hwence the name of an Oktoberfest bier.
I'll take a Mass for 12 Euro Alex.
I think we will have to wait until we get there and experiment a little. I checked past photos and the beer sometimes looks Yellow and sometimes Gold.
just the quality of the camera
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