I’ve written a post quite a while back that alluded to the fact that I don’t enjoy a beer in a noisy, stuffy, “can’t hear myself think” kind of place.  I hate it.  Sometimes, even when I know the beer is great, I just cannot appreciate a beer.  Personally, I believe that we humans don’t admit how much a role emotions and psychological conditions actually define how we act and how we perceive.

So when I drank some Spaten Oktoberfest in nature’s theater, I was so throughly happy about drinking it that it was one of the best beers I’d ever had.  Of course, I think it’s a very good beer already, but it’s not earth shattering.  But in that brief dispensation of time it towered like the mountains.

What do you think?  Share your story about context making a beer wonderful.

I know that hands down, the greater beer selection would be had at the Great American Beer Fest.  Beyond my wildest dreams, I’m sure, there would monster IPAs, sour ales, and obscure beer-blogger-bragging-rights brews just waiting to be quaffed, were I able to pony up the cash for enough tickets.  I’m sure the scene would be cool…lot’s of beer enthusiasts swishing their glasses and sharing stories, beer authors and beer greats chatting it up, and so on.  But how would the culture fare?  Could it move beyond JUST the craft beer culture?  Colorado’s cool and all…I’ve been there and found it interesting.

Oktoberfest would be a different story.  For the most part, the beers would be similar and selection would be whittled down to six brews:  The same six breweries have provided the beer since 1818:   Spaten, Löwenbräu, Augustiner, Hofbräu, and Hacker-Pschorr.  (Click here for more info).  I doubt you’d bump into Papazian, Brooks or Bryson (three guys I’d LOVE to meet someday) or Betty Beer Blogger for that matter.  I think you just might revel in anonymity, lots of golden beer, and a heck of a lot of culture.  I’m sure there would be plenty accordion and tuba led dances, big old barrels of frothy Oktoberfestbiers tapped the old fashion way, and gobs of heart stopping sausage, spitzel, and kraut…God’s gift to the tongue, in my opinion.  I’ve been to Germany also, for what it’s worth, I found it to be an incredible place to visit.

I’ve been to neither of these events.  At this point in life, I’ll be relying on a wealthy benefactor to make it happen.  Given my lack of experience, I’d choose to visit Oktoberfest.  The history and culture of the mass beer party is compelling enough, let alone the allure of a foreign land.  But, besides this…sometimes I feel like I live the Great American Beer Fest on a weekly basis as I peruse the internet land of beer writing.  There seems to be little difference besides the coagulation of beer writers  and their respective beers in one building.

How about you?  If someone paid your fare, which festival would you choose to attend and why?

The Pour: The beer pours with a somewhat darker, marzen beer color.  Perhaps light chestnut or maple syrup would be a fitting color description.  A soft-looking, stable, two-finger-high head graced the top of the body.  Schlenkerla looks pretty clean and straightforward in the glass.  But that’s the end of it.

The Nose: Smoke is the first quality noted when smelling this beer.  It’s a campfire clothes aroma with a touch of the typically powdery German yeast strains.  A touch of sweetness and bready tones also come through the nose of the beer…but make no mistake, smoke dominates.

The Taste: The first quality that comes out of the beer is a fairly intense smokiness.  I personally enjoy the smokiness of the beer, but it might be a bit much for some.  A tinge of sweetness, yeast, breadiness, and a dose of caramel also played a role.  From the middle to the end was a firm and pleasant bitterness, which with the lager cleanness, made for a very refreshing quality.  This Rauchbier is a straightforward and uncompromising  smoked beer.  Expect that if you try it.

Overall, I love this beer.  The intense smokiness is somehow very refreshing, both on the palate and as a change of pace.  If you are afraid of the smokiness, then try to drink it with food.  My wife wasn’t loving the beer until I showed her that I brought home some garlic seasoned smoked pulled pork.  The beer was simply brilliant with the pork.  The fat was lifted by the carbonation and bitterness and the smoke flavors matched beautifully.  On top of that, the marzen flavors really open up when paired with most smoked meats.  Of course, German beer does particularly well with pork.  If you smoke cigars, this might be a good beer to have that way.  The pulled pork was maybe the best beer pairing I’ve had.

Mike’s Review:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★★☆ 

Among other Smoked beers: ★★★★★ 

Back in college as I started  straying from cheap macro beers, Warsteiner Dunkel was a beer I frequently purchased at the local Brown Derby for a few misguided reasons.  First off, I had this notion that imported beers were far better than domestic.  I had not yet discovered the American craft beer scene.  Second, I had this weird (but common to newbies) idea that dark brown/black beers contained more flavor and were of a higher quality than beers of a paler complexion.  Lastly, it was cheap.  I paid for college out of my own pocket, worked at least 50 hours a week on top of a full course load at both the undergrad and graduate level.  Thrift was a necessary virtue at the time.

This past Saturday, years later, I couldn’t begin to recall the flavor of Warsteiner Dunkel, the memory of which was as faded as the memory of amniotic fluid.  What did I think?

The Purchase:

It felt great buying a single bottle of this beer!  I instantly was transported back to the time when my ear lobes were gauged (00) and I rocked a Billy Idol hairdo.  Maybe someday when Mike and I own a brewery and office dress code no longer applies I’ll attempt this look again.

The Pour:

Warsteiner Dunkel poured a crisp and clean medium brown.  To be honest, it was lighter than I remember…or I was expecting it to be black.  The beer really is clean, and mid size bubbles of carbonation race to the surface.  The head is moderately robust, and rapidly disintigrates.

The Nose:

Well, what can I say…it smelled like, beer.  That is, in the sense of what you remember as your first whiff of beer, which for most folks is some macro lager.  There are hints of bread and toasted malts that break free but over all, this a pretty simple.

The Taste:

When the beer hits your tongue, you are relieved that it is bit more complicated (though not by much) than the aroma.  That classic bready lager flavor is present:  Grain and yeast.  There is a flavor, particularly as the beer washes down, of raw grain.  Mild burnt flavors are present.  There is a complete absence of fruity notes, and the hop bite is subdued, but refreshingly present when the beer touches the rear portions of the tongue.  There is a pleasant natural sweetness throughout the experience.

Overall Thoughts:

If I am going to buy a 12 pack of cheap beer, I’ll take this any day over the usual suspects (Bud, Coors, Miller), but odds are you won’t find this beer in my fridge any time soon, but it was worth the purchase for the trip down memory lane, and I found myself refreshed.

Nate’s Review:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★½☆☆ 

Among other German Lagers: ★★¼☆☆ 

The Pour: As I poured this beer, I reflected on the pitiful lack of dark and black lagers out there.  Luckily, there has been somewhat of a resurgence when it comes to black lagers specifically.  Warsteiner Dunkel poured with a very brown color and revealed some slight hints of red in the body.  Being a lager, it had a very clean body with small carbonation bubbles coming through to prop up its very small head. Occasionally, a bigger carbonation bubble would come through the beer, giving the appearance of a bubbling cauldron of oil.

The Nose:  Unlike many of the ales that we review on the site, this didn’t not have that much going on. Appropriately, there were no fruits on the nose.  This beer was all malt with no discernible hops on the nose.  Sometimes it’s nice to have a “meat and potatoes” type beer.  The malts had a pleasant tinge of sweetness, which highlighted their dominance.   I can’t be absolutely sure, but I caught the smallest sulfur aroma on the nose of this dunkel.

The Taste: Again, sometimes simplicity is a virtue.  There simply isn’t too much going on in this beer.  A tinge of malt sweetness came through on the taste, and a dry maltiness dominated the 4.8% ABV beer.  The hints of sulfur seemed to come through but only a minimal amount of hops and darker malt flavors.  I can’t stress enough that this is a simple beer.  No one ever said it is hugely complex, but that’s what makes it an immanently drinkable, not overly thinkable beer.

Overall, If this was a beer that I drank once a week I wouldn’t complain.  It is smooth, agreeably dry, and simple.  However, I wouldn’t make special efforts to go out and get this.  It’s a good session beer that you don’t have to over analyze.

Mike’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★☆☆ 

Among other German Lagers: ★★¾☆☆ 

We’re not quite there, however.  In the meantime, I want to cling to the fading thoughts of summer but realize the fall is closing in all about us.  In this stage, Warsteiner Dunkel seems to be a good choice.  It’s still a lager, which creates an indelible summer impression.  But it is also a darker lager, which gives the feel that the days are getting shorter and a dark winter beer will eventually be needed.  So, let’s call this a summer to fall transition beer.  I think most people will be able to find this one.

The Pour:

Spaten’s Optimator fills the glass with a dark brown mahogany deliquescent fluidity.  There is a reddish quality hidden in the darkness.  A ample malty head, dense and thick leaves awesome sticky lacing behind.  The beer itself is remarkably clear, a bonus from lagering.

The Nose:

The sweetness of Optimator dominates the aroma.  A strong whiff of caramel, vanilla, chocolate, and  slight fruitiness (cherry/berry) block out hop aromas.  The smell is simple, but pleasant.  The smell alone could convince a non beer drinker–partial to sweet mixed drinks like chocolate martinis–to venture past the foreboding darkness.

The Taste:

This is one of those cases where what you smell is what you taste.  Caramel and toffee are dominant.  There is a nutty flavor that wasn’t so obvious in the aroma.  The beer is very smooth and easily drinkable.  Like the smell, it isn’t a mind blowing complex mixture of exotic flavors…but does a beer have to be so intense to be good?  Not so!  Optimator is delicious!

Overall Thoughts:

Optimator is a great beer, and as mentioned above, could be a great choice for luring a loved one into the delightful folds of beer.

Nate’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★¼☆ 

Among other Doppelbocks: ★★★¼☆