{"id":31407,"date":"2017-09-13T13:30:40","date_gmt":"2017-09-13T17:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/?p=31407"},"modified":"2019-06-06T10:54:11","modified_gmt":"2019-06-06T14:54:11","slug":"fall-for-oktoberfest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/fall-for-oktoberfest\/","title":{"rendered":"Fall for\u00a0Oktoberfest\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Germany\u2019s hearty M\u00e4rzen might be the Swiss Army knife of fall drinking.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the odd beer that\u2019s right in almost any occasion,\u201d says Sierra Nevada product manager and beer ambassador Bill Manley. (The brewery has locations in Chico, Calif., and Asheville, N.C.) \u201cIt can be hot out, it can be cold out, it can be (paired) with food, it can be (enjoyed) without food. It can go in so many different situations.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Smooth-drinking M\u00e4rzen is medium-bodied and moderate in alcohol\u2014it\u2019s easy to down more than one. The rich lager ranging in color from copper to gold has layered malt sweetness offset by balanced bitterness. \u201cIt\u2019s got a flavor that\u2019s familiar and complex at the same time,\u201d Manley says. M\u00e4rzens never generate buzzy headlines, instead content to withstand the test of time. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be over-the-top to be completely packed with flavor and complexity,\u201d he says. <\/span><\/p>\n

M\u00e4rzen\u2014also known as Oktoberfest, more on that later\u2014originated pre-refrigeration, when brewing season ran strictly from late fall through early spring. (Hot weather brought a heightened risk of unwanted microbes.) To prevent spoilage, Bavarians stopped brewing around March. They stored beers in icy Alpine caves until autumn, ensuring they\u2019d have plenty to drink. The beers emerged crisp, pure, and refreshing, a revelation that laid the framework for M<\/i>\u00e4rzen<\/i>\u2014German for \u201cMarch.\u201d <\/span><\/h3>\n

Originally the beers were served during annual harvest festivities, but in September 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria was married and the entire country celebrated his nuptials (with plenty of M\u00e4rzen, naturally). This was the first Oktoberfest. The fete became a yearly tradition\u2014and the beer became synonymous with the event.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cM\u00e4rzens just feel right as the leaves change color,\u201d says Dick Leinenkugel, president of Wisconsin-based Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The lagers remain stalwarts in Germany, headlined by classics such as Ayinger\u2019s biscuity, malt-forward Oktober Fest-M\u00e4rzen and Munich-made Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest Amber M\u00e4rzen. In America, meanwhile, riffs on tradition abound. Brooklyn Brewery uses German grains and hops in its Oktoberfest, as does Chicago\u2019s Revolution Brewing. Each year, Sierra Nevada collaborates with a rotating German brewery on a M\u00e4rzen, a move followed by Leinenkugel. To celebrate its 150th birthday, the brewery partnered with Germany\u2019s Hofbr\u00e4u M\u00fcnchen to create Leinenkugel\u2019s Anniversary Lager.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is something [special] about drinking a beer shaped by those world-renowned German brewing traditions,\u201d Leinenkugel says.  <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Pairing Tips<\/b> <\/span><\/h2>\n

You won\u2019t make a misstep matching M\u00e4rzens to snappy bratwurst, but the lager also shines with cheese. \u201cI would go with a nuttier white cheese, something like Gruy\u00e8re<\/a>,\u201d Manley says. Try Roth Cheese Grand Cru Surchoix<\/a> or Crown Finish Caves Wallabout\u2014walnut notes in the latter harmonize with M\u00e4rzen\u2019s prominent malt character.  <\/span><\/p>\n

Leinenkugel prefers offerings from Sartori Cheese; snag Piave-inspired MontAmor\u00e9<\/a>, noted for its crystalline sweetness. For a traditional approach choose German Limburger, such as Country Castle produced by Wisconsin\u2019s Chalet Cheese Cooperative. The cheese\u2019s tangy pungency is tamed by the beer\u2019s caramel sweetness, carbonation sweeping away the stickiness.  <\/span><\/p>\n

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