Complex Numbers

Beer Hunter: The Quest for Fest

It's Oktoberfest season.

Yes, I know it's not October yet. Don't blame me. Blame the Germans - they're the ones that start Oktoberfest in September.

Every year, I look forward to this time because that is when all the Oktoberfest beer comes out. It's kind of the man version of pumpkin spice latte everything (though I'm sure someone, somewhere, has come up with a pumpkin spice latte beer). It's not my all-time favorite style, but since it's seasonal, I like to drink it when it's around. That pic of me in my bio? That's an Oktoberfest, from a visit to New York City a couple of years ago.

But.

I went to my favorite (read: closest and within stumbling distance) bar the other day, and the only fest they had was Sam Adams. Now, I'm not going to rag on Sam Adams - they've done a lot to promote craft beer in general, though they're big and corporate and their beer tends to be inoffensive and therefore uninteresting.

We live in a golden age of beer, with over 6000 breweries in the US alone at the moment. Just about any style you can think of, and more, is represented somewhere in the world of craft beer. Moreover, in my local area, there's probably about a dozen breweries. So there's plenty of diversity in beer selection around here. And yet, the only fest this taphouse could come up with was Sam?

Okay, so there's Alamo, the drafthouse/movie theater I mentioned a few entries ago. I got to the Wonka party early so I could have a couple of beers. I was hoping for an Oktoberfest. But no - I mean, they have a good selection, but dammit, it's nearly the end of September so where's my fest?

So I spent my time drinking a nice stout and trying to use my phone to find out who around me has the holiday spirit.

There's a BJ's in town now, and I looked at their menu and behold! An Oktoberfest. The accompanying text said, "lagered for up to three months." Okay, well, I like beer but I'm not an expert - I thought fests were supposed to lager for six months. Whatever. Their beer is okay for a chain, so perhaps I'll pay them a visit soon.

But really, it shouldn't be this hard to find an Oktoberfest lager in September in a place with that many breweries around. Maybe if the taphouses weren't so fast to jump on board the whole "sour beer" fad, there would be more room for seasonal offerings. And yes, for the uninitiated, sour beers are actually a thing. I don't like them. I prefer my beer to taste different going down than it does coming back up.