One girl. One city. Ten Märzens.
2021 Zwei Oktoberfest. This was the first time I wore this hat. And the last - I left it at Zwei, never to be seen again.
I learned the hard way that Oktoberfest is not for drinking in October. You might get lucky and find some, but your favorite brewery might also be sold out already because their limited-run falltime nectar got slurped up during the September Oktoberfest rush and there were nary but dregs left for the latecomers mere weeks later.
So, this year, I was ready. I made a list of my favorite local breweries. I noted their Oktoberfest release dates. And over the course of several September weekends, I did it.
I conducted my Unofficial Official Fort Collins Oktoberfest Taste Test Tour: One woman’s subjective journey to identify the Oktoberfest most pleasing to her palate. The weather was beautiful. The beer was delicious. And, sadly, because I ordered before my husband on most occasions, my ale photos are lacking in head.
Without further ado, here it is — my Fort Collins Oktoberfest Taste Test.
I didn’t get every brewery. I didn’t use a specific scoring rubric. I just drank beer and wrote down what I thought. Please also note, my ratings here are going to be misleading. 5/5 is “everything I ever dreamed of and hoped for in an amber lager aged for six sweet months - the pinnacle of perfection as dictated by my tastebuds’ unique preferences”. So, very scientific.
Let’s go.
Beer 1: Oktoberfest — Odell Brewing Co.
Rating: 3/5
One star deduction for each of the following: Lack of bready sweetness, too hoppy.
Description:
Crisp and flavorful. Malty, bitter, and a bit boozy. Definitely hop-heavy, but not too bitter, with a hint of charred oak. Nice caramelization and balance. I knew this one would be good. I’ve had it before.
Aside:
Again, let me say: A three doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. I took my first crispy golden sip and said “oooh yeah. YUM. that’s good stuff.” This was also a very informative trip to Odell’s. I learned that we drink amber ales/Märzens for Oktoberfest in America basically because it’s the throwback German ale. Apparently, at Real Oktoberfest, they’re drinking a much lighter ale these days, but Americans are like “WE WANT THE RETRO STUFF!” Which I think is cute.
I also learned that Monday night is a dope time to go to Odell’s. Nobody’s there and we had the whole biergarten to ourselves.
Beer 2: Octoberfest — CooperSmith’s Old Town Brew Pub
Rating: 2/5
One star deduction for each of the following: Thin body, lack of warmth, metallic bitterness.
Description:
Bright and appley. Lightly bready with a somewhat metallic, bitter finish. Too bright, but with caramelization that lends to a caramel apple effect. Deeper, maltier flavors develop as the drink warms, but the bitterness increases over time, too.
Aside:
CooperSmith’s has solid brews, but I go there more for the food. They used to have this green tea beer called “P.Y.T.” on tap that I LOVED but it gave me wicked acid reflux, so I stopped going. This was definitely my least favorite oktoberfest of the season, but by no means a bad beer all-up. Also, our server was so nice.
Beer 3: Oktoberfest — Breckenridge Brewery
Rating: 4/5
Practically perfect. One star deduction for still not being as bready as I prefer.
Description:
Sweet and honey-forward. Nice and malty, though still not as bready as I ultimately prefer. Warm yet not boozy — still crisp and light. Wonderful balance of bitter and sweet, malty and hoppy, crisp and warm. Extremely well-rounded flavor profile. This beer is pretty dang close to perfection. Was really looking forward to trying this one, as I’ve enjoyed several of Breckenridge’s brews, but hadn’t had their Oktoberfest.
Aside:
This was the only beer in the lineup that I did not have on draft. We showed up, excited that Oktoberfest was on the “currently pouring” list only to find the taproom had already blown through their current inventory and were waiting for a fresh shipment.
Seeing the depth of our disappointment, the wonderful tap-tender offered us a 6-pack of bottled Oktoberfest from the fridge half-off, so we took him up on this offer and consumed our Breckenridge refreshment at home, poured into frosted glasses.
Hate to have broken the pattern on this one, but it had to be done. And I still have 3 more bottles in the fridge which I can safely enjoy without rushing now that it’s October.
Beer 4: Oktoberfest — Verboten Brewing
Rating: 4/5
One star deduction because I WANT IT TO TASTE LIKE BREAD.
Description:
Sweet, warm, and hefty. Velvety smooth mouthfeel, with medium maltiness. It’s not super bready, but not hop-heavy, either. Lightly bitter toastiness with a lingering booziness. Perfect carbonation and the most gorgeous color. Almost perfect, but a little boozier than I was expecting. This was maybe my most-anticipated sip of September. Verboten has blown my socks off many a time, and I couldn’t wait to taste their Märzen because I knew it would be a top contender for sheer flavor.
Aside:
We actually drank this beer at Verboten Loveland vs Verboten North, because they released it earlier. I would assume it’s the same beer as the one served in FoCo, though. And, if you want some (right now), it appears to already be gone in FoCo, but still on tap in Loveland. So, get thee to Verboten. I have never had a beer that didn’t impress me from these guys.
Beer 5: Oktoberfest — Mythmaker Brewing
Rating: 3/5
One star deduction for each of the following: Lack of richness, lack of breadiness.
Description:
Dry and mellow with a sweet nose. Smooth malts. Lightly hoppy with a mild yeast flavor and medium body. Crisp and light gold, like fall leaves. Actually kind of reminds me of PBR, which I love.
Aside:
Mythmaker is the closest brewery to our house and the owners are the loveliest people! They also have a pumpkin spice beer and a pickle beer on tap right now which are both killer.
Beer 6: Festbier — Gilded Goat
Rating: 4/5
One star deduction for lack of sweetness and depth.
Description:
On the first sip, I thought, “yes! The breadiness I’ve been seeking!” Toasty malts with no sweetness, yet a nice, clear yeasty note. Pretty much exactly what I want in a lager. Hefty but not boozy, smooth and crisp and incredibly drinkable. Has a dry, bitter finish, but not in a sharp way. However, I did find it lacking in depth and warmth on the palate and ultimately not as satisfying as I first imagined it would be, in terms of Oktoberfests. If I were comparing to a standard lager, this reminds me of a Narangansett, which I love. Warms up to a deeper flavor which I enjoyed - might actually be better served at a higher temp.
Aside:
I LOVE Gilded Goat. Gilded Goat is in my top 3 favorite FoCo breweries, and I’ve had their Festbier after a long hike before and it really hit the spot. Their Frumpy Moo Moo is my favorite milk stout, maybe ever, and they have an incredible seasonal IPA called “Brew Spruce.”
As for the beer, Brian didn’t love this one, but I thought it was incredible. It still didn’t *quite* hit exactly the chord my tastebuds were looking for in terms of My Dream Oktoberfest, but I have nothing bad to say about it.
Also, apparently, Festbier is what they call the lighter-colored, lower-alcohol beer they’re serving in modern Oktoberfest festivals in Germany. While this brew is named Festbier, it does seem to follow in the more traditional Märzen style. There was a lot of Googling beer styles and names and traditions during this beer-drinking journey.
Beer 8: OKTOBERFEST Fest Märzen — Zwei Brewing
Rating: 5/5
Description:
THIS IS THE ONE! The one I’ve been waiting for. Bready up front with soft caramel depth and a sweetness. Supremely smooth and malty with a fizzy honey note. Just the right dash of bitterness for balance, with no harshness. Gentle carbonation level exactly to my taste. Good warmth and body without being boozy. The hops are complementing and balancing the malt-forwardness I love so much. Didn’t get a good head on my glass, which was disappointing, but this is the perfect oktoberfest.
Aside:
This was a predictable win. If you know me, you know I will sing the praises of Zwei all day every day. Their brewers have hands-down the most finesse and make the most balanced German beers with incredible depth of flavor and clean, crisp drinkability. I don’t know all the right beer terms, all I know is this team hits it out of the park every time. Sure, the locale lacks a little ambience. But if you want the BEST beer, especially the best GERMAN style beer? This is the way.
I also enjoyed that the official name of the beer on the tap list covers all the bases.
Beer 9: Märzen — Prost
Rating: 3/5
One star deduction for each of the following: metallic harshness, lack of breadiness.
Description:
Malty nose, with a slight harsh metallic taste. Sweetness with a bit of hoppy bitterness. A darker, toasty, roasty flavor with strong caramelization. Very drinkable carbonation level. A little bitter for my preference, but a really solid oktoberfest.
Aside:
I think this was actually Brian’s favorite. I think there’s a bit of a rivalry in town as to who’s the better German brewery, Zwei or Prost. My preference is Zwei, but lots of folks prefer Prost. Prost has a really nice dunkel that we both enjoy, and I also had a nice crispy kolsch from them recently too!
Beer 10: Oktoberfest — Stodgy Brewing Co
Rating: 4/5
One star deduction because ya girl wants. more. breadiness.
Description:
Crisp and imminently drinkable. caramel apple crispness with soft bitterness on the palate. Light and dry body with bold, oaky flavor. Great malts that deepen as the drink warms. This was definitely the “oakiest” one I had this season, and yes I know there is no oak involved.
Aside:
I lost my Galaxy Smart Ring at Stodgy and I was actually there to look for it with a metal detector borrowed from a friend. Embarrassing. I ordered a half-pour as a consolation prize when my missing technology did not turn up, and the sweet man behind the bar gave it to me on the house. That made it taste even sweeter.
Beer 11: Waves of Disdain — Purpose Brewing
Rating: 5/5
Description:
Milky/lactose nose (we asked, no lactose), velvety and impeccably balanced and smooth. Warm malts with a sweet crispness but no standout primary or secondary flavors, just incredibly smooth, smooth, smooth. Lingering straw flavor hints of the great outdoors on a fall day.
Aside:
Whoops, I said ten beers, didn’t I. This one was never supposed to be on the list.
Purpose is a super-micro brewery that specializes in experimental beers, and as such was not on the original Oktoberfest Taste Test list. When Brian said, “I wonder if Purpose has an oktoberfest?” I said “I doubt it - they probably look upon the rush of breweries all brewing the same amber lager with disdain. But let’s look up their tap list.”
WE DIED when we saw they did, indeed, have an amber on tap named Waves of Disdain. It was incredible. It was hilarious. Also, we were drunk. My notes may seem lackluster because I could not think anything except the word “delicioussss.”
Conclusion: Winners of Best FoCo Oktoberfest
First Place:
Zwei. This was a given.
Second Place:
Purpose. This was a dark horse. I didn’t even plan to go here. But my lord, was that a great amber.
Third Place:
A tie between Gilded Goat and Breckenridge. I’d drink both of those all day long.
Non-local honorable mentions:
We went to Mayor of Old Town to see if they had any other local festbiers on tap. We wound up trying these two. The bartender said the Lawson’s is the best Oktoberfest he’s ever had, and I think I might have to agree.
Lawson’s (Vermont)
Rating: 5/5
Description:
Immediately bready, super crisp. Rich and light at the same time. Light sweetness super well rounded malts and depth of flavor. Well balanced aftertaste with no lingering harsh bitterness. Clean and crushable. Exactly what Oktoberfest should be.
Hofbrau (Germany)
Rating: 3/5
Description:
So crisp. So German. So refreshing. Hoppy and bright. Super delicious, just not what I’m looking for in a beer called “Oktoberfest,” though it an actual German beer brewed specifically for Oktoberfest!
Anyway, Prost, y’all! Get out there and drink some beer.
