Autumn is approaching! Hooray! Huzzah! The beast of summer is returning to it’s cavern to lie in wait for the next vernal season to become it’s prey. Summer is a predator, a vicious bear lying in wait for the vernal sheep to be slain. Autumn is a delightful healer. A matron, a grandmother, grandfather, fairy godmother, whatever you wish to name her. Autumn is like a Clara Barton in the midst of the heat and humidity that Illinois suffers from May to September.

With Autumn comes seasonal beers, that I love.

Oktoberfest beers are a delight, and Sierra Nevada has one that it is of high quality. This year’s brew is a collaboration.

Beer: Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest 2016

Beer Style: Oktoberfest (Marzen, Lager)

Brewery: Sierra Nevada, Mahrs Brau

Serving Methodology: 12 oz bottle poured into pint glass.

Country of Origin: United States of America/Federal Republic of Germany

Abv: 6.0%

Background: I adore the Sierra Nevada brewery. This brewery is one of the cornerstones of the craft brewing movement and since 1980, they have helped make the craft of brewing to what it is today. Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale, Torpedo, and Celebration Ale, are superb brews and this one certainly is as well. The German brewery of Mahrs Brau helped craft this collaboration beer. I do not know much about them, but after drinking this beer, I certainly plan to research them.

Taste & Aroma: My sniffer tells me that there’s a nice autumnal aroma present here. Is that a superfluous statement that could be mildly redundant? I suppose so. But when we are talking about beer it doesn’t matter. This is delicious. I smell fresh hay, crackers, and biscuits. The flavor is as always the star of the show. We don’t have to worry about the aroma too much. That’s only a third of the story. Unless it is in a green bottle, then we need to worry. I digress.

I love a sharp bite in my beer. When you take a gulp or a sip, you’ll be greeted by a nice sharpness. Then the toasty warming malt with a spicy, but not too spicy hop finish at the end. This toasty feeling has an oaky quality to it that is reminiscent to an aged beer. But, of course it is not oak finished to my knowledge. Perhaps this is a secret of the Record hop varietal? This is an archaic and arcane hop varietal from Germany that has been out of vogue apparently. As the beer warms a delightful cracker taste comes through. An Oktoberfest? Yes. A Lager? Yes.

Pending Analysis: This is a delightful lager. The Oktoberfest lagers are some the finest seasonal beers available. Winter beers are hit and miss, Spring beers are excellent. We won’t discuss Summer beers. I’m eager to enjoy a pint of this on draught. This is quality beer from Sierra Nevada. As I stated earlier, I need to get some Mahrs Brau beers to try as well. I would expect nothing less though. Look here, here, here, and here for evidence. Grab some of this beer right away.