Beer Week

I'm going to tell you that Beer Week is here. I'm going to tell you that Alison, Scott and I are doing it. I'm going to tell you that the whole week is chock-full of alcoholic goodness. What I'm not going to tell you is that Oktoberfest ends on the first Sunday of October, which was yesterday. Because that would ruin it. And I'm not that guy.

Seriously.

Luckily for us, local breweries promote their Oktoberfest brews throughout the month without a trace of irony. While Bavarian residents are busy churning out inventions that rival the steam engine, American nationals are still enjoying (and recovering from) the fruits of the season (the pumpkin ales around this time of year are nice).

So what is an Oktoberfest beer? My Page-a-Day "365 Bottles of Beer for the Year" desk calendar describes it thusly:

In general, Okeboterfest beers are malty, sweet, copper-colored lagers with low to medium levels of bitterness. This beer style was originally brewed in March for consumption in the fall, but today many of these beers are made year-round.

Got that? So you've got a darker (but not "dark"), sweeter (but not "sweet") beer. Won't be as carbonated as a Budweiser, but they'll finish a lot smoother. Great for those crisp fall days when you're enjoying the foliage from the comfort of your cubicle at work. Just don't get caught.

And for a bit of beer news from outside the European continent, check out this gas-inducing concoction from our neighbors to the south.

You've reached the bottom of the glass.
Check out the archives on the right side of the page for more.

All material Copyright © 2005 Brad C., sole publisher of this blog