O-fest and Harvest Ales

The leaves are changing, the days are shortening, and the shadows are getting longer.  That can only mean a few things; 1) obviously fall is upon us and the growing season is over 2) the skiing/snowboarding season is right around the corner and 3) that Oktoberfest and harvest ales are finally being released again!  Just 3 weeks ago I made my first 'real' Oktoberfest.  Last year I made one but I used ale yeast and fermented at ale temps.  This time around, I had my old fridge (now my beer/lagering fridge) to use.  After a vigorous primary ferment, it's now lagering at 33F and will sit there for another few weeks when I'll be kegging them and hopefully be drinking it from my new kegerator. 

For those of you who don't know the history of Oktoberfest beers, here's a quick run-down.  It's origins take them back to Bavaria and they were brewed in March (Marzen/Maerzen) which was the last month before the temperatures rose and risk of contamination was too high.  They were stored in caves or a 'lager' (storage) through these summer months.  Often times ice from nearby frozen ponds was cut into blocks and used in the caves to help keep the temperatures down.  They were then brought out in time to celebrate the marriage of King Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Bavaria.  Fast forward to modern times, as you can imagine, these beers are typically seasonal and coincide with the festival, but there are multiple breweries around the world that have them available year 'round.  Some commercial examples are Left Hand Oktoberfest, New Belgium Biere de Marz, and Sam Adams Oktoberfest

As for the harvest ales, I learned about these at the September edition of my Home-brew club meeting.  These aren't really a defined style, but more of a modification of existing styles.  The end of the grow season means there's a bounty of hops and other ingredients that can be used, and this gives brewers a chance to 'fresh hop' their beers or just load up on them.  Fresh hopping is pretty much exactly as it sounds; the hops are added straight from the vine instead of being dried first.  A thing to remember is that hops can degrade very quickly, so if you plan to harvest and brew a day or so later, the hops need to be vacuum sealed and thrown in the freezer to keep their freshness.  Some commercial harvest ales are Pumphouse Brewery's Hot Shots Harvest Ale, Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale, Half Moon Bay Brewing Company's Mavericks Pumpkin Harvest Ale.

That's it for now, so happy beer until next time!