The first Sunday of October fast approaches and since I know a great majority of you have been tirelessly oiling your lederhosen, I thought it appropriate to find the best beer to drink while wearing your leather shorts. Oktoberfest is the sixteen day festival celebrating the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The festival typically runs for sixteen days and ends on the first Sunday of October, which for those of you not paying attentions is this Sunday. The three beers in the lineup all hail from Munich and are Augustiner-Brȁu Edlestoff, Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest, and Hofbräu München Oktoberfest.
First up we have Augustiner-Brȁu Edlestoff. Unfortunately I was not able to find the fest beer, but I figured a beer from one of the six breweries actually allowed at Oktoberfest was close enough. This beer which is actually a Munich Helles and not a Marzen is light straw colored brew with a bright white head. The brewery which has been in operation since 1328 proves its craft with this expertly produced and outstandingly crisp lager. I’m surprised at how much flavor is packed into such
a lightly colored beer.
The Hacker-Pschorr brewery which finds its roots in the Hacker brewery that was founded in 1417 provides our second offering. For beer number two I was able to find Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest. This marzen offers a deep amber colored brew capped by a frothy two-fingered head. It is crisp with a slight residual sweetness that is finely complemented by a strong taste of noble hops. If only I had a couple of bratwurst or pretzels to wash down with this beer.
My third choice is presented by the youngest of three breweries. The Hofbräu München brewery has been in operation since 1589 and their Oktoberfest is the last of my choices but not necessarily least. The color of this lager sits smack dab in the middle of the first two being reminiscent of a loaf of bread. The taste and aroma of this fine drink are both light and subtle. There is little to no residual sweetness and the noble hops flavor is only barely present. I could drink this beer all day; say in a large tent filled with long picnic tables for example. I can hear the oom-pah music now.
As thoughts of sauerkraut, baked apples, pretzels, mustard, and wurst fly through my head
I’m not only trying to figure 
which beer would be best to enjoy in my leather shorts, but also wondering why I didn’t get myself some snacks before I started drinking these beers. All three of these breweries present fine beers that all have their merits and I can almost taste the history that’s associated with them. The beer I chose to drink in my leather pants is the Hofbräu München Oktoberfest.
Prost!
Mike Berube is a beer lover who has the belief that there are good beers, there are bad beers, and then there is the right beer. He has begun a quest to find the perfect for every situation.
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