7 days of Oktoberfest beers – Hofbräu München
Colin Joliat Two Oktoberfest beers down, five more little slices of heaven to go. While almost all of this week’s beers will be from US microbreweries, it seemed appropriate to include a product of Germany. It is their festival after all. Who better to represent Zee Germans than Hofbräu München?
One key thing to know about German beer, and what sets it apart from others, is their stringent purity laws. Back when men were men, German beers were only allowed to contain water, barley, and hops (you really don’t want to know what’s in some beer today). This was partially to ensure consumers were getting what they thought they were, but as we know, cash is king. Brewers also wanted to fight off competition from other countries by not allowing them to market their product as “bier.” Those regulations are no longer in place, but many breweries still abide by them, and Hofbräu happens to be one of them.
I’m fairly familiar with Hofbräu’s beers. They have “Hofbräuhauses” in various places around the world, and one of them just so happens to be in Chicago. Right in the middle of a row full of frat bars lies überstein, with its full line of draught beers right off the boat from Germany. Whenever I’m in need of a change of pace, I know I can count on them to kick things up a notch. Most of the beers are heavier, contain more alcohol, and are flat out delicious. Shamefully though, until today I had never had their Oktoberfest offering.
The first thing I noticed is carbonation. It doesn’t feel like I’m drinking Sprite or anything, though it does have a citrus taste, but it’s certainly more prevalent than the prior two. It gives the beer a light, crisp feel even though it’s medium bodied. The hops come through more than the Sam Adams and the Boulevard, but the bitterness matches well with the crisp, clean taste. Overall it’s not one of my favorites, but if you want a real German beer, you can likely find this one nearby. I can’t say as though I’d recommend it, but as I’ve said before, beer taste is incredibly subjective. This gets a 8/24 on the session scale, mostly due to the carbonation.
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