Hit me with one more Oktoberfest

Beer Log: Right Now
State: eating some boxed macaroni and leftover turkey meatballs with leftover broccoli. All served nicely in three separate cereal bowls.

Brooklyn Oktoberfest
Great big head with a nice caramelly aroma. Amber color once again. This one tastes a little sour and veggie like at first. In the middle of the experience I get a nice sweet maltiness true to style, and a not so true to style light metallic finish and bitter hops. First off, this Yo Gabba Gabba is an acid trip. Anyway this is certainly the lowest on the rung Oktoberfest I've had in this season. 2 Stars.

Luckily I have me some good ol' Ayinger, my top Oktoberfest beer from last season to finish up the night.

And later on:

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen
Try saying that three times fast... Drinking in a skinny mug, with a vibrant head. Nice malty nose on top of a huge head. Nose is a little fruity. Clear to hazy copper colored beer. Nice moderate sweet maltiness that is a touch of maple syrup. High 3 Star. I've got think if this one out the bottle is better than the stuff I had in Munich...

Tinged Orange beer at the Saucer

Beer Log: Last Night

State: Thirsty, awaiting my first Astros game

We finally made it back to the damn Flying Saucer in Houston. I think it's been about a month since I last made it there. Why you ask: one, I've been studying for the PE Exam, two, I live about 25 miles from downtown Houston. I need a good mega beer bar somewhere in Katy, Texas and I would be good. Maybe a Taco Mac or something.

Anyway, we wanted to down about 3 beers to make before the 'Stros game. I drove the whole way leaving the top down on the convertible. Normally not a big deal, but I still had the baby seat in the back. Is that ghetto, rolling around town with a drop top and an empty baby seat. I guess I should put it in the trunk next time. But the temperature on I-10 got over 95 degrees on my car thermometer, so I'm actually sweating. Why not some German wheat beers...

Ayinger Brau Weisse

We had to order just the right beers as it was happy hour and we wanted to get the 22 oz beers for 12 oz prices. Looks lightly tinged orange and rather cloudy. On the nose we have oranges and just barely some bubble gum, and I detect a touch of the mustiness from the hops you get in those German beers. First I notice the medium body and carbonation with a very nice orange flavor and a pinch of sweetness. High 3 Star. Great way to start the night. You can always count on Ayinger.

Schneider Edel Weisse

Ah yes, another weisse beer. Banana ester nose. (I'm trying to remember to do the smell before the appearance. The smell can change pretty rapidly, the appearance ain't goin anywhere). Strong white head with a deep orange tinge. It tastes like a great 4 star wheat beer at first with all that ester, a touch of sourness, and banana, and then BAM! it's followed up by the taste of copper coins and icky hops at the back of the tongue. What in the blue hell? That is a damn shame. It could have been in the transportation or something up with the keg, but come on, it's on TAP. It's not like they shipped it in a green bottle. And usually that comes with skunkiness. And how long could it have possibly been sitting in the keg as it was on the new beer list on the chalkboard? Low 3 Stars.

After choking down the banana flavored pennies, I did what I always do when hit with a bad taste, IPA ALL THE WAY! But somebody got cute and made an IPA Tripel. A superstrong light colored Belgian strong ale with American hops.

Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel by Brasserie d' Achouffe

That's a name that I can't pronounce any of the names to, except for IPA and Tripel. Cloudy tinged orange with a strong white head. It was actually on tap, so I'm glad I was able to try it without the green bottle affect. Smells like strong citrus hops (maybe cascade) with a ester and sourness. Oh yes. The taste reveals an overpowering hops with low malt and great creaminess. Great mashup for a Belgian beer. The aftertaste is a little bitter, but it works. You keep drinking it and you'll find the tripel fighting for taste buds with all those hops. That smoothness, that banana/ester, that great mouthfeel. Fantastic 4 Star beer.

While downing the IPA Trip, we decided that for our guys trip we should try to go to Amsterdam and to Munich for Oktoberfest. Hopefully we can pull it off. Of course, the trip seems easier when your on your third weisse beer. After leaving the Sauce we made it to the Stros game and they beat the Dodgers. Actually grabbed me a Drop Top amber with my BBQ sandwich. That was a good hour after we had our last beer at the Saucer, and the amber may as well had been a budweiser. Couldn't taste a thing but some bread. I should have just ordered the Saint Arnold Amber anyway. Oh it's real.

Live Blogging: Ayinger Oktoberfest

It's 9:26PM, do you know where your beer is?

So I'm sitting here still recovering from my trip back to Charlotte (posts coming later), and I notice that there are a couple Marzens or Oktoberfests I have not tried that are at the house. I tried this one yesterday...

Michelob Marzen
Bottle to Beer Mug
Copper colored, white low head. light caramel smell with vegetal. Some breadiness and sourness. A little more bitter than I would like.It has moderate drinkability and slightly high carbo. The bitter aftertaste lasts on the back 2/3 of my tongue for a good 60 seconds.Maybe it's b/c I'm near the end of my oktoberfesting, but this one is angling for a 2 star. A couple more swigs and the munich malt is coming through. And the bitterness is not as pronounced. Not bad,but not all that great either. High 2 star b/c it's of the more boring oktoberfests I've had.

One time for Michelob at least putting out a Marzen. Again, they are digging their own graves with these light versions of craft beer. But moving on...

Trying this one right now...

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen
It's in a 500 ml bottle that I'm pouring into my 2005 North Carolina NCAA Basketball champion beer mug (go Heels). Mmm, cloudy copper color with an off-white strong head. Smells good and malty. There is even a small slight citrus sourness in the smell as well. The head is very sustaining, and I will pour a little more in there. Tasting, now that's more like it. Malty, medium bodied, slight roastiness and a slight sourness on the aftertaste, all in that order. It could be that I just ran 4 miles in 40 minutes in that park about an hour ago, or that I've been having some disappointments in Oktoberfests, but this one is very tasty. The aftertaste is now more roasty. This baby moves instantly to the TOP of my Oktoberfest lists, which I will stop messing with come Halloween. I f8cks with this Oktoberfest. 4 Stars for sure.