- THE MODERN SUBSTITUTE
- Posts
- The Oktoberfest Takeover
The Oktoberfest Takeover
🇩🇪 Kind Of Like Being There, But Not Really 🇩🇪
Myles Faulkner
September 16, 2023
Guten Morgen! This morning marks the beginning of Oktoberfest in Munich. The beer started flowing exactly 3 hours to the second that this edition went live. So this week, we are doing an Oktoberfest Takeover and dedicating all three drink recommendations to Fest Biers from different American breweries.
In this week’s edition:
🇺🇸 Self Care Brewing - Block Party Fest(ival) Bier
🇺🇸 Untitled Art - Oktoberfest
🇺🇸 Athletic Brewing - Oktoberfest Fest Brew
First time reading this? (Join here).
Enjoy!
Read time: 5 mins 37 secs
Thank you!
for recommending this newsletter to their friends
🙌 Meggan S, Mary F 🙌
Cheers for the support!
10 Things To Know About Oktoberfest
💍 The festival originated In Munich in 1810 to celebrate the Octobter 12 marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hidburghause.
🍻 It has become the largest beer festival in the world.
🚰 The Mayor of Munich traditionally opens the festival by tapping the first barrel of beer and shouting out to the guests ‘O Zapt Is!’, Bavarian for ‘It’s tapped!’
💰 Each year bets are made on how many strokes of the wooden hammer it takes to tap the first barrel. 2 is the record for the quickest, achieved numerous times over the years. 19 is the somewhat embarassing poorest record back in 1950.
🔫 12 gunshots are then fired after the ‘tapping’ to alert the breweries and restaurants that it is time to start serving beer.
🧍🏻♀️🧍🏽♂️ The festival attracts approximately 6 million visitors annually.
🎪 This year there will be 17 big tents and 21 small ones. For some perspective, these tents can seat a whopping 6,000 people!
🍺 All the beer at the festival is produced by Munich’s six breweries - Augustiner, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Spaten, Hacker-Pschorr, and Paulaner.
🌊 The amount of beer consumed over the 16-18 days is 2 million gallons or the equivalent of 16 million pints.
🇮🇹 On the second weekend of the festival, hordes of Italians descend on Oktoberfest, so much so that it is known as ‘Italiener Wochender’.
SELF CARE (THREE MAGNETS BREWING) - BLOCK PARTY FEST BIER
Olympia, WA
Calories: Unknown
Serving: 16 fl. oz.
0.5% ABV
Buy: This is a limited run so buy directly from the brewery at https://drinkselfcare.com/
Price: See website for package options and pricing
The ModSub thoughts: Self Care has long been one of my favorite breweries. Based out of Olympia, WA and brewed by Three Magnets Brewing since 2020, they have consistently produced some of the best NA beer that I have tasted.
For months now, it has been my 'treat beer.' My local supermarket sells their beers as singles, and I pick one up as a reward for the hardship of having to do the shopping. I know, poor me.
Amongst the rows of fellow NA beers, Self Care's label art pops out in the most enticing way. A little bit trippy, a little bit whimsical, a little bit punk, and a whole lot of 'pick me up and take me home; you won't regret it.'
The fine art continues inside the can, and I have yet to have a single one of their beers that wouldn't proudly stand alongside any competitor, with or without alcohol.
This is the second year that Self Care has released Fest Bier as a limited run to celebrate Oktoberfest. This year, they are bundling Fest Bier with other fabulous brews, and you can choose from three different packs on their website.
Self Care has crafted their Fest Bier using Isaria 1924 barley - an ingredient with a rich history in the tradition of German brewing. This choice barley imparts a delicate malty sweet base, that is further complemented by subtle caramel notes and a pleasant floral bouquet.
The beer achieves a wonderful balance, almost contradictory in its light yet truly exceptional full-flavor. Simply put, it's an incredibly delicious beer.
My advice is to jump on their site as soon as possible, as supplies of this run will likely get snapped up quickly. If you do miss out, though, keep an eye out for their core products at your local haunts. You won't regret it.
How Self Care describes their Block Party Fest Beer: This fest beer tribute features only premium German malt. Octoberfest was a bit wild last year and we think we spilled some steins on the brew log. We couldn’t make it out exactly, but we don’t need to. I’m kidding - we had a vision of running a really crisp, fine and sharp pilsner malt.
Then building on it more with German specialty in the vein of just mashing the heck outta' it. Germans do some esoteric stuff like decoctions; this builds full rich body of boiling part of the mash. Americans call it a "waste of time"; we just call it aspirational, in that our brewhouse simply can’t do it. We know how to magic the shit outta' the malt body though.
Get it while you can, this year's batch was brewed on a seemingly normal day. Everything was going smoothly, until one seagull decided to blow up the transformer on our block during our knockout (filling the fermenter). We were at least able to get half the batch into the tank. The power was out 11 hours, we had to dump the remainder. So consider this amazing brew a Swans Seagulls song.
Learn more about Self Care at https://drinkselfcare.com/
Untitled Art - Oktoberfest
Waunakee, WI
Calories: 75
Serving: 12 fl. oz.
0.5% ABV
Price: $16.99 - for a six-pack
The ModSub thoughts: Hot on the heels of my recommendation for the Untitled Art’s American Gold a few weeks back, it was great to see my local bottle shop carrying their Oktoberfest brew.
Brimming with anticipated Vienna malt and caramel flavor, this Oktoberfest has a little more boldness than other Fest Biers that I have tried. The Cascade hops turns things up a notch or two on the hoppy side of things and it’s a 12 fl.oz. can that is bursting with German fest bier flavor.
Fortune favors the bold, as the bloke from Rome said. I couldn’t agree more when it comes to this beer.
Their website is showing ‘Out Of Stock’ as of the day before publication but keeping checking back or look at other online stores. The brewery is getting wider distribution so also check your local NA outlets.
How Untitled Art describe their Oktoberfest: Prost! Fill your stein and celebrate the world’s favorite fall beer holiday with this non-alcoholic version of the beloved German festbier featuring rich caramel and Vienna malts for body and a crisp finish courtesy of Cascade hops. All flavor, no alcohol!
Learn more about Untitled Art at www.drinkuntitled.com.
Athletic Brewing - Oktoberfest Fest Brew
Milford, CT
Calories: 70
Serving: 12 fl. oz.
0.5 %ABV
Price: $14.99 for a six-pack
The ModSub thoughts: If I’m not mistaken, this is the 5th year that Athletic has put out its limited-run Oktoberfest Fest Brew. Brewed with German Vienna and Munich malts and German Hersbrucker hops, this one definitely awakens the tastebuds.
It's a lighter pour than the previous two options, with far less emphasis on the malt flavor and more of a heavy lean into the hops. Its bitter aftertaste and overall crisp bite remind me of a classic German Pilsner. To be honest, the first sip didn't immediately win me over, but by the time I was halfway down the glass, I was sold and ready to open a second can. Which, in fact, I did.
Given Athletic Brewing's prominence in the market, you shouldn't have a problem finding this anywhere despite it being on a limited run. It's definitely a thirst-quencher!
How Athletic Brewing describe their Fest Brew: Oktoberfest is a brew inspired by traditional Bavarian Festbiers and crafted for celebration every fall. It pours a sunny golden hue with a fluffy foam cap and boasts a clean malt backbone from Vienna and Munich malts. Hallertau Mittelfruh hops add light bitterness to complement the bready aromatics and slightly sweet body. Spirited, yet delicate, and supremely refreshing
Learn more about Athletic Brewing at athleticbrewing.com.
So which Oktoberfest beer was my favorite?
It sounds like a cop-out but I honestly liked them all for different reasons. The smooth depth of flavor from Self Care’s Festbier, the boldness of Untitled Art’s Oktoberfest and the crisp bitterness of Athletic’s Fest Brew.
If I was waking up in Munich this morning, excited to rush into the tents with thousands of beer drinkers, I think I would play out the day a little like this.
I’d start with Athletic’s Fest Brew, to quench my thirst from waiting for hours in line and for the Mayor to tap the keg. I would enjoy a few of these Fest Brews while soaking in the energy of the crowds and the excitement of the event.
Later, as the oompah bands starting getting the crowds off their feet and food starts coming out of the kicthen, I’d switch to Untitled Art’s Oktoberfest and pair the bold flavor of the beer with the sausages, pretzels and sauerkraut.
Then I would round off the evening with the smoothy malty finish of Self Care’s Fest Bier watching crowds thin out, the staff and organizers start preparing to do it all again the next day and the band play one last song.
WHAT DO YOU EAT AT OKTOBERFEST?
Check out this chap experiencing the traditional festival foods, and more!
SHARE THE MODERN SUBSTITUTE
Know someone that might like this newsletter?
It takes just 15 seconds to:
Forward this email to them
Copy the following link and email or text it to them - www.themodernsubstitute.com/subscribe
Thanks for your support!
Reply