Robin Shepard
The very first beer Bull Falls Brewery offered commercially was the fall seasonal Oktoberfest, a beer that that defines brewmaster Mike Zamzow as being malt-focused. “We hang our hat on traditional styles like Oktoberfest with its true malt character,” he says. Now, nearly eight years later, that special seasonal brew is finally making its way to Madison store shelves.
What is it? Oktoberfest from Bull Falls Brewery .
Style: The Oktoberfest, or Märzen, is medium-bodied with rich golden to light copper color. It is a clean and well-balanced lager, with firm yet medium-sweet maltiness, complemented by a light background of hoppy bitterness. The aroma features a light maltiness, and while the finish can be dry, it’s not overly bitter — it has just enough hoppiness to lend a balance to flavors. The Oktoberfest style will range from 5% to 6% ABV. Historically, before modern refrigeration practices, Märzen were brewed in March and stored (lagered) until fall.
Background: After starting his brewing career with a kit and winning a few homebrew competitions, Zamzow decided it was time to take his hobby to another level. In 2007, he and his father, Don, started Bull Falls Brewing. The name comes from Big Bull Falls, a spot on the Wisconsin River near Wausau.
Lots of breweries talk about making traditional German beer, especially this time of year, when Oktoberfests are at their peak. But separating Bull Falls from the pack is brewmaster Mike Zamzow’s dedication to German brewing techniques. When Zamzow decided to expand in 2013 with a new $2M brew house he had making Oktoberfest in mind. He set up the brewery to maximize how wort is heated, in a process called decoction mashing that accentuates the smooth malty flavors in the finished beer. It’s a technique only a handful of Wisconsin brewers use in making this style, and fans of Oktoberfests swear they can tell the difference. “We made sure we had a continental brewing setup that would allow us to do German lagers. It makes a big difference in the malt character of the beer,” says Zamzow.
Zamzow’s grain bill for his Oktoberfest is largely Vienna malt, the core of its flavor. The hops are imported German Magnum and Hallertauer, which lend balance and stay in the background. Zamzow, who grew up in Schofield, Wis., says he’s been influenced by his travels in Bavaria. “You go into these breweries and they have hundreds of years of history,” he says.
While you may have seen beers from Bull Falls off and on in the Madison market over the past couple of years, it’s only this past summer that the brewery became a more regular fixture on local shelves, with several of its brands available in 16-ounce cans. Its Oktoberfest started appearing in early August. This year, as in the past, Zamzow will release it as a draft-only brew at its Oktoberfest celebration Saturday, Sept. 19 — the same day as the start of Germany’s famed Oktoberfest.
Bull Falls Oktoberfest ends up at 5.8 % ABV. It’s sold in four-packs of cans for around $10.
Tasting notes:
Aroma: Light caramel and biscuit maltiness.
Appearance: Clear, orange-copper color. A medium soft tan head.
Texture: Medium bodied and soft.
Taste: Smooth caramel tones from the malt. Clean and balanced.
Finish/Aftertaste: A light maltiness, but overall it’s a very clean, slightly dry (but not hoppy) Oktoberfest..
Glassware: Though this comes in a can, I want to enjoy my Oktoberfest in a glass stein, the kind one can hoist and say “prosit.”
Pairs well with: This Oktoberfest is a wonderful meal beer, and well suited for pork and sausages.
The Verdict: Zamzow’s version of this perennial style is malt-focused with smooth caramel and light bready-biscuit tones that finish clean and dry. This is pure fest-beer enjoyment. When the Germans find out, they may want to import it!
