Robin Shepard
A man in a brewery is holding a pint glass half full of a brownish gold beer.
Clint Lohman of Working Draft with the smoky Oktoberfest he made in collaboration with Full Mile 's Bill Morgan.
Tis the season! Not that season — yet. It’s Oktoberfest season and many local breweries and brewpubs are in the midst of releasing their annual fall vintage of the German marzen.
This type of seasonal lager is known for its drinkability, with light maltiness, caramel, toffee and biscuit notes and with just enough hop character to balance things out. Breweries don’t like to wait until the calendar says October to release them. Some start releasing them in mid-summer. However, those dedicated to the German tradition from which the style originates (the royal wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen in October 1810) will hold back their annual offerings until at least September in order to align their timing with the present-day festivities in Bavaria and especially in Munich.
Not all Oktoberfests are the same. The traditional marzen has a copper-amber color with an emphasis on clean malty sweetness. The “fest” style, made for the party crowd, is a lighter pale golden lager with a long-lasting frothy white head and crisp hoppy character. Both versions usually fall between 5-6.5% ABV. Try both versions in a side-by-side comparison at Full Mile in Sun Prairie, Working Draft in Madison, and Sunshine Brewing in Lake Mills.
Of the different takes on the Oktoberfest style, I’m most excited about a smoked marzen, a collab from Full Mile and Working Draft. Clint Lohman of Working Draft and Bill Morgan of Full Mile have made a number of smoked beers together and this is among their best. They named it Kettenraucher (“chain smoker” in German), a nod to their numerous previous rauchbier co-creations.
Smoked beers are an acquired taste even among craft beer drinkers. Made with smoked malts, they have the intensity of a smoldering campfire sometimes with hints of bacon or ham. It’s easy to overdo smoke, but the best of these beers will blend smokiness with the malt sweetness of the beer. The standard for rauchbiers comes from the Schlenkerla Brewery of Bamberg, Germany.
Kettenraucher is a dark amber lager, medium bodied with malty sweetness of caramel and toffee. The smoke is definitely assertive in the aroma, however, it doesn’t overpower the beer. It remains very smooth, balanced and approachable. This is a taproom-only beer, available at both Full Mile and Working Draft ($7/glass).
Local Oktoberfest events with beer, food and music include:
Working Draft Beer Company in Madison (Sept. 11-13).
Essen Haus in Madison, Sept. 12.
Capital Brewery in Middleton (Sept. 19, ticketed).
Full Mile Beer Company and Kitchen in Sun Prairie (Sept. 19).
Starkweather Brewing in Madison (Sept. 26).
New Glarus and New Glarus Brewing (Sept. 24-27).
