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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Oktoberfest beer from a regional perspective - Virginia & Maryland

We have looked at the benchmark German style Oktoberfests, we looked at a local, and now we are going to take a closer look at a few regional Oktoberfests. Regional in this case means Virginia and Maryland. 



Legend Brewery, out of Richmond, is a Virginia institution, brewing beer since 1994. Drink enough beer in Virginia and sooner rather than later you will have a Legend.

Legend Oktoberfest poured a clear, bronze color, with minimal head. On the drink it had a very pleasant hop and rich slight sweet toffee taste mixed together. Carbonation is a bit above average. It is lighter on the palette than expected, but interesting to note, the aftertaste is reminiscent of a much heavy beer. On the finish it leaves a cloying bittersweet taste in the mouth. I felt I needed to spit after a few drinks. For me this beer is an easy, well-balanced Oktoberfest to drink, but it requires food to clean out your mouth afterwards. This beer is not a solo companion, it needs some wurst and pretzels, otherwise you may find it sticks around too long afterwards. It comes in at a slightly low, for an Oktoberfest, 5.4% ABV.

Here is the "party line" on Legend Oktoberfest:
Legend Oktoberfest is a celebration of malt harmony! This copper hued lager is brewed on a base of Vienna malt and owes its rich flavor profile to generous helpings of Munich and Caramel varieties. This beer is on the sweet side of balance, but the soft complex maltiness is countered by a touch of German Spalt hop bitterness for a clean finish. Legend “Fest” complements hearty cool weather food like stews, sausage dishes, and smoked meats.
DuClaw Brewing started in 1996 and has established itself throughout the eastern Maryland region. They brew a diverse array of brew and are well received. Similar to Legend, you can't drink Maryland craft beer without having a DuClaw sooner or later.

DuClaw's Mad Bishop poured a clear amber color, with minimal head. It lacks the toffee, caramel notes of other marzens, replacing them with a hoppy, roasted maltiness. The hop flavor flowed through the drink and into the aftertaste eventually giving way to a light residual barley flatness in the mouth. It is bittersweet but not overwhelming, a smooth crisp drinker overall. It is a decent beer but a bit too grainy. If that is something you enjoy out of your beer then this is marzen will be right down your alley. It comes in at 5.8% ABV.

Here is the "party line" on DuClaw Mad Bishop:
So begins the SERMON

Haunting the congregation with its distinct copper color and rich toasted malt flavor, this true German-style Octoberfest lager is smooth in body and uses German hops in the brewing process to balance out the distinctive, toasted malt sweetness. The clean smoothness is created by the long conditioning (lagering) process of 8 weeks, which is something they don’t talk about in Sunday school.

1 comment:

  1. I also tried the DuClaw, it was a really good beer. Any beer that my wife enjoys, I would have to say is pretty good. Very smooth drinking beer.

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