Life On Tap

Dan cracks open open Wayfinder Beer Freiheit!, their German Festbier, from the Untappd/Half Time Octoberfest box.

Wayfinder Beer Freiheit!

STYLE: German FestbierINGREDIENTS: German pilsner malt with noble hops ABV: 5.7%IBU: 28AVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Clear, golden in color, with a huge, fluffy, white head.

Aroma

Earthy and herbal hop notes meet a minerality and hint of malt sweetness.

Taste

Gently-toasted malt and grain meets the minerality and hop notes from the aroma.

Mouthfeel

Crisp, with the carbonation and mouthfeel optimized for quaffability.

Overall

I could definitely see myself drinking this by the liter in a beer garden. Pairing-wise I was feeling fries, but spaetzle and the like would also slay. Prost!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan samples his first (of hopefully many) Human Robot beers, Festbier, from the Untappd/Half Time Octoberfest box.

Human Robot Festbier

STYLE: German FestbierINGREDIENTS: All German pilsner and a touch of Munich malt with noble hops ABV: 5.6%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Brilliantly clear, medium yellow/golden in color, with a solid, white head.

Aroma

Mix of honey, earthy, herbal, and floral notes mixed with cracker.

Taste

The earthy/herbal hop notes lead off with a minerality hitting before the honey note hits on the mid-palate.

Mouthfeel

Refreshing and crisp, with a moderately dry finish and carbonation.

Overall

Full disclosure: after tasting this many festbiers, I feel like I am falling in love with the style all over again. I really hope I can make it down to Human Robot soon. Pairing-wise…do you even have to ask? German beer hall fare. Prost!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan opens a local Märzen as the fifth from the Untappd/Half Time Octoberfest box: Kings County Brewers Collective (KCBC) Zoktoberfest.

Kings County Brewers Collective (KCBC) Zøktoberfest

STYLE: German MärzenINGREDIENTS: All German malt and noble hops ABV: 5.4%IBU: 22AVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Burnt orange in color with a big, fluffy, off-white head.

Aroma

Toast, bread, breadsticks all the way.

Taste

Taste profile continues from the aroma and is consistent to style.

Mouthfeel

Crisp on the finish, with the carbonation providing a smooth mouthfeel.

Overall

Because of the mouthfeel and finish, I think I could session a considerable amount of these pours. German beer hall fare, obviously. Prost!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan opens a collaboration festbier as the fourth from the Untappd/Half Time Octoberfest box: Von Trapp/Narragansett Stowe Style Festbier.

Von Trapp Brewing Stowe Style Festbier

STYLE: German FestbierINGREDIENTS: All German malt and noble hops ABV: 5.8%IBU: 30COLLABORATION: Narragansett Brewing CrompanyAVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Yellow/golden in color with thick, fluffy, white head.

Aroma

Bread, with the earthy noble hop note coming through.

Taste

Fresh and clean, with the bread and earthy hop notes continuing from the aroma.

Mouthfeel

Great body and fairly dry, providing a smooth, great balance and serious drinkability.

Overall

I wanted to throw in one of the festbiers as a break from the märzens. Von Trapp never disappoints and I could definitely drink a good amount of these at home or outside in a tent. Another plate of brats, please. Prost!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan cracks open the third beer from the Untappd/Half Time Octoberfest box. This time, it’s Gretel from Foundation Brewing.

Foundation Brewing Gretel

STYLE: MärzenINGREDIENTS: All German malt and hops (double-decocted)ABV: 5.5%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Burnt orange with a fluffy, white head.

Aroma

Bread with a hint of toasted bread.

Taste

Biscuits and breadsticks with an earthy/herbal noble hop presence.

Mouthfeel

Lighter mouthfeel and balanced on the palate with the carbonation keep things smooth.

Overall

Another American-made märzen that is pretty true to style. I hope that folks in Portland had a ton of this up there this season. Once again, German beer hall fare and more on the pairing front. Prost!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan is full into Oktoberfest beers care of Untappd/Half Time, continuing with another Märzen, Live Oak Brewing Oaktoberfest.

Live Oak Brewing Oaktoberfest

STYLE: MärzenINGREDIENTS: All German malt and hops (double-decocted)ABV: 5.8%IBU: 20AVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Burnt orange/amber with a beautiful, white head.

Aroma

Malt forward with some sweentess with the characteristic noble hop notes in the earthy and herbal realm.

Taste

Very close to its German counterparts, with a nice balance between the hop presence and malt sweetness.

Mouthfeel

The malt sweetness is pleasant and not too heavy, allowing easy quaffability.

Overall

Super accessible märzen here, as I could see myself putting liters back if I was in Austin at the time of this recording. Obviously, German beer hall fare for sure, but you could go many ways with this style for sure. Prost!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan digs into some Oktoberfest beers care of Untappd/Half Time, leading off with Schilling Beer Konstantin, an Austrian-style Märzen.

Schilling Beer Konstantin

STYLE: Austrian-style MärzenABV: 5.0%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Burnt orange and ruby-esque in hue with a frothy head and even some lacing on the glass.

Aroma

Bready notes lead with an almost biscuity nose.

Taste

Toasted bread continues on the palate, but is not overly malty or sweet.

Mouthfeel

Velvety mouthfeel with some scrubbing bubbles carbonation and a good weight.

Overall

Way more sessionable than some märzens out there, as the palate does not fatigue from a sweeter malt note. This obviously goes with German beer hall fare, but also a bevy of rustic poultry/fowl dishes and some light meats as well. Prost!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

A can-conditioned spelt saison? Sign Dan up! Threes Brewing Closer To The Point, delivers on traditional saison notes and then some.

Threes Brewing Closer To The Point

STYLE: Can-Conditioned Spelt SaisonINGREDIENTS: SpeltABV: 6.0%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Translucent with a little bit of haze and medium yellow in color with a beautiful, large-bubbled and fluffy head.

Aroma

Lemony at first, followed by a little funkiness, spice, and herbality.

Taste

Honey enters accompanied by the lemon that mixes with the other aroma notes.

Mouthfeel

The weight and mouthfeel are a little fuller than most other saisons, but the carbonation coats the tongue and invites for another sip.

Overall

Another lovely saison from Threes. This is a tremendously food-friendly brew, so feel free to snag your rustic chicken and your herb-centric dishes or even your favorite chicky-chicky parm-parm.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Dan enjoys Wild East Brewing Company’s maibock, Prevernal Love, at home after sampling it during his previous visit.

Wild East Brewing Company Prevernal Love

STYLE: MaibockABV: 7.0%IBU: 22AVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited Seasonal)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can and Untappd.

Appearance

Burnt orange in color with a beautiful, white, fluffy head.

Aroma

A mix of earthy and herbal notes from the hops lead off with a gentle, grainy sweetness in the background.

Taste

The hop notes from the aroma continue to meet the grainy element from the malt, with some fruitiness in the mid-palate akin to a muddled berry of some sort.

Mouthfeel

The weight and mouthfeel on this is perfect and glides across the tongue effortlessly with the carbonation accentuating so many of the lovely notes of the brew.

Overall

While maibocks are not meant to be sessioned, this one drinks so smoothly that it might trick you into trying it…be careful for sure (wink wink). This seasonal would be a great way to bridge the gap of a tasting between the lower-ABV, non-hoppy offerings to the styles that will have more edgy or fuller flavors for sure. Food-wise I was feeling chicken, fried or wings, but it could go with a number of other well-spiced poultry and other dishes.

Thank you so much to Joel for joining me on a mini-crawl to Wild East and other locations!

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers

Strada, an Italian Pilsner from local NYC’s Torch and Crown Brewing Company, helps Dan refresh his taste buds this time.

Torch and Crown Brewing Company Strada

STYLE: Italian PilsnerABV: 4.6%IBU: N/AAVAILABILITY: 16oz Cans, Draft (Limited)Stats above taken from the brewery’s can, website, and Untappd.

Appearance

Light yellow in color with a half-inch, fluffy, white head and even some lacing.

Aroma

Earthy, floral, and herbal notes from the hops a la Holy Basil.

Taste

The hop notes from the nose meld together with the graininess of the pilsner malt.

Mouthfeel

Crisp, slightly dry, with a pleasant mouthfeel.

Overall

This is a beer that I would have no problem finishing the 4-pack. For some reason, breadsticks were the first thing that came to mind, though pizza and lighter pasta dishes like orecchiette or even grilled Branzino would work.

Cheers and remember:

Life’s a tap…drink up ’til it’s dry.

All music on this show came to us from the now defunct Music Alley.Intro: “Meet Me At The Bar” by The Beer Drinking FoolsOuttro: “Bubblegum and Beer” by The Supersuckers