Robin Shepard
A beer in a glass, its can and an axe on a tree stump in a fall beer scene.
A non-alcoholic Oktoberfest! Was ist das?
Oktoberfest beers, imports and locals, seem to be everywhere right now — clean, medium-bodied lagers with smooth malty sweetness and crisp hop balance. The traditional German märzen is a moderately strong lager at 5-6% ABV. For those who like the style but are looking for an NA alternative, Octopi in Waunakee is out with a non-alcohol version: Oktoberfest NA from the company’s Untitled Art brands ($13/six-pack). Octopi, an industry leader in non-alcohol beer production, says this is the first Oktoberfest beer without alcohol in the world. It’s made with German malts and Hallertau Mittelfrűh hops, which lend it some of the same qualities that one expects to find in traditional märzens. However, for my palate the absence of alcohol makes it seem thinner and less flavorful. Octopi has a number of NA beers to its credit where the flavors are strong and the taste is hard to tell apart from an alcohol-containing counterpart, so it seems fair to say this beer remains a work in progress. Then again, this is certainly an alternative for those who want an NA Oktoberfest.
The IPA report:
If you were fortunate enough to land a ticket to the annual Great Taste of the Midwest in August at Olin Park, you witnessed IPAs everywhere. One stood out for me: Feather in a Hurricane, a hazy double IPA from O’so Brewing Company of Plover. The big (9.8% ABV) juicy hop bomb took my palate by storm, enough so that I immediately went out looking for a four-pack ($16).
Watch for: O’so brewmaster Marc Buttera is working on a quadruple IPA to be out this fall. Buttera is collaborating with Hopsteiner, an international supplier of hops, to make an IPA that has more than four times the hops as Feather in a Hurricane. “It’s ridiculous. It’s over $100 of hops per barrel,” says Buttera. The beer, which defies the accepted Brewers Association style guidelines for IPAs, will be a blend of several experimental hop varieties, most so new that they don’t have a name, just a number. It is expected to come in at around 14% ABV. Watch for it in 16-ounce cans (price has not been set, but it won’t be cheap).
By the way, O’so Brewing recently closed the Madhouse at 1817 E Washington Avenue which had been in operation since April 2019. Challenges with road construction and parking contributed to its demise.
Hindenburg in a Lightning Storm from the G5 Brewing Company is not a new beer; however, the Beloit beer maker is adding this kölsch to its year-round 16-ounce cans ($10-$12/four-pack) which means Madison will see it on a regular basis. It is a light-bodied easy-drinking beer at 5.4% ABV. I like its clean malty backbone with a light crisp hint of fruity pear. It also features Wisconsin-grown Centennial hops that add to its dry finish. G5 is also ramping up Madison distribution this fall with several new beers that include a juicy IPA called Sunny Thunder.
