Oktoberfest @75th Street

Bring your friends & fraus for:

Outdoor Seating
LIVE local music
All the wurst German Eats
[bratwurst, knockwurst, sauerkraut, braised cabbage, German potato salad, GIANT Bavarian pretzels & chocolate cake]

Pints of stein-wothy beers
[75th Street's Imperial Oktoberfest, Bitburger Pilsner & Warsteiner & Paulaner Oktoberfest brews]

Beer Review: Bob's 47

I mentioned that I have been drinking good beer again. Must be the fall weather. So after all my name dropping, I thought that I should throw another actual beer review into the mix. It's been too long.

I have great beer in the fridge. Tonight felt like a Bob's 47 night, with a crisp bite in the wind outside, me warm inside, watching my Jayhawks dance all over Texas A&M. Boulevard's Bob's 47 is a Munich Style Lager. Very oktoberfest. I poured a bottle of the brew into a glass beer mug, and snapped this picture with my phone. The head pours bubbly, but thin, and quickly dissipates, leaving very light lacing. The color is an orangey-amber, like copper, and very clear, in a filtered sort of way. Sticking my nose into the mug, it smells sweet, a little fruity and slightly spicy. The first sip has a sweet, malty, bready flavor, followed by minor bite, perhaps hops. (The Boulevard site says the beer is brewed with a combination of Pale, Munich, Carapils & Aromatic malts, and Magnum & Hallertau hops.) It is carbonated well to provide some lightness, and the mouthfeel is on the thinner side. This beer presents like it will be too sweet, but the taste left afterwards is a bit dry, only slightly bitter, and drives me to take another sip, and another. Like most of Boulevard's seasonal brews, I wish this one was available for longer periods. Our keg at work is sporting Bob's right now. I have been working overtime lately. :)

Random note, belated congrats to J & D! You guys are the cutest couple ever.

Things I Fall For

I not-so-secretly love fall. Everyone I know seems to love the season they were born in, probably because as a child it meant good things, parties, presents, etc. I whine about having to rake roughly 10 million leaves, but I'd gladly rake my yard forever, if it meant I wouldn't be shoveling snow in 10 degree weather or mowing the grass in mid-August when it is 110. I had the best weekend, and it wasn't that exciting. We cleaned up the yard, trimmed trees, attempted once again to murder my neighbors out of control vine collection, cleaned the house top to bottom, had friends hang out on the deck, drank dark beers and went furniture shopping. (We didn't buy anything. We shop past the point of it being fun, then impulsively buy things on the internet. That's how we roll. )

We drank Paulaner's Oktoberfest, Boulevard Bob's 47, Lowenbrau Original, and a healthy dose of Gentleman Jack was administered amongst the guys. Somebody brought some 12 year Elijah Craig, and this was a wonderful development, I was told. I am more of a beer sort of girl, regardless what tales anyone has told to you, related to vodka or tequila. I was young and foolish once too.

Next weekend my mom is coming to visit, and then after that I am off to Vegas to celebrate turning 31. It just sounded like the good, adult, responsible thing to do.

Engraved Invitation

When: This Saturday evening, Oct 20th
Where: My backyard
Why: Good drinks, random tunes, cheap seating and awesome company
RSVP: email me

Fall is officially here, but the leaves are still on the trees. That means that this weekend is probably one of the last weekends we will be able to spend completely rake-free! It will also be perfect weather. These are reason enough for us to declare a celebration.

It's a house party, a fall deck party, a much delayed Oktoberfest, an excuse to have open flames in our backyard, and basically a decent setting to sit around, drink, and talk to some very cool people.

Come enjoy a crisp fall evening on the deck with some tasty beverages and snacky treats. We'll provide a selection of Oktoberfest beers, spiced cider and mulled wine, as well as finger food munchies. Feel free to bring anything (or anyone) you'd like. I'd recommend bringing a sweater or a sweatshirt.

It's September - time for Oktoberfest!

I have Oktoberfest on the brain today, and came across these articles that give all kinds of detailed advice for people attending the festival in Munich.

Guide to the tents
Don't look like a tourist

It isn't really the kind of advice about where to stay or where to eat, but practical tips on navigating the beer tents and what not to do. If you're headed out there, color me jealous. Someday, my friends. Someday.

In the meantime, all I have to look forward to the local KC version. It is Sept 21-23, held in Crown Center, and it only costs a measly $5 to get in the door, listen to some oompah music, see grown men in lederhosen, and watch a few women, fresh from the local Ren Fest display their ample bosoms in corsets and peasant blouses. Although between you & me, most of those women have overly ample everything.

I haven't reviewed an Oktoberfest in a while. I think I'll have to grab a few bottles and do a little tasting party at the beer sort of house. I'm thinking that we'll need some Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbrau, Lowenbrau, Paulaner, Spaten and the local, Bob's 47.

Date Night is Beer Night

I haven't seen much of The Husband lately. We've both been a little busy. I've been out of town when he is around, and he's out of town or in town and working 15 hour days when I am home. Saturday we were both in town on the same day, so went out for beer. We were both so tired that we didn't stay long, but we managed to grab the last freakin' Sam Adams Octoberfest that Tom Fooleries had in the house. They didn't expect it to go so fast, the bartender said. Not so fast? Duh. I love this stuff.

This beer ours a redish/orange brown with a white head. The smell is mostly of malt and almost sweet. The flavor is rich and bold and is of mostly malt, with hardly any hops to be found. It has a great balance of flavor and carbonation. It is very smooth, medium body but the beer has a thick flavor. It has a long, lingering aftertaste that some sweet notes that just add to the character. I wish I could get it all year round.

I'm a planner

A beer sort of girl should have a sort of Oktoberfest, don't you think? I'm planning a party. In the Sosenhausen Biergarten. That is now the name of my backyard. October is a long time to wait, but it also means I'll have a lot of time to prepare. And get the patio stones out of my imagination and into the area of the yard that I refer to as the mudpit. Start making your suggestions for bier now. You know you want to be invited.

September

Beer is good, beer is great...

"They who get drunk on other intoxicating liquors fall on all parts of their body; they fall on the left side, on the right side, on their faces, and on their backs. But it is only those who get drunk on beer who fall on their backs and lie with their face upwards." -- Aristotle

"Beer is living proof that God loves us & wants us to be happy." -- Ben Franklin

I love beer. Today I love this beer: Harpoon's Oktoberfest.
Harpoon's site says this: Of all Harpoon beers, Octoberfest takes the most time to brew, adding to its complexity and smoothness. A blend of six malts imparts a smooth, medium body, balancing a medium hop bitterness. This legendary beer is brewed for celebrations. Prosit!

A reviewer on BeerAdvocate says this: Gorgeous Coppery orange color with 1/4" khaki colored head that faded a bit. Fruity malt aroma; sweet malt back is highlighted by fruity yeast smell, caramel, fresh bread, and black cherry notes. Good body. Crisp malt to start, malt is somewhat dry compared to the sweet aroma. Slightly bready but mostly toasty malt taste. Finish has a good earthy/ herbal hop twang with slow bitterness that makes the dry malt crawl off the tongue. I'd take this one over Otter Creek's Oktoberfest anyday.

Beer Girl says that I like a lot of oktoberfests, and while the above reviewer says he'll take it over Otter Creek anyday, I'm not so sure. Otter Creek was pretty darn tasty. Not having both in front of me, I can't really do the comparison, but this is good stuff, either way. Cheers!