Two Brew Review - Lakefront Pumpkin Lager * Sprecher Oktoberfest
Aaahhh Fall. The weather gets colder, days get shorter, and the trees start turning colors. Fotball takes up weekends and seasonal brews fill my refrigerator. Fall is probably the best time for seasonal beers with Octoberfest style lagers being the most prominent, though my favorite fall beer has always been Lakefront's Pumpkin Lager. Today I will discuss two of the beers currently taking up space in my fridge, the aforementioned Pumpkin Lager and Sprecher Octoberfest.
First, every year since before I could even legally drink beer I have eagerly anticipated the arrival of Lakefront Brewery's Pumpkin Lager. I have tried all kinds of different pumpkin ales and lagers and none comes even close to this one, which has just the right amount of Pumpkin and Spice. The beer is medium-bodied and easy drinkin’. Though many people often say “this is good but I couldn’t have more than 1 or 2, I could easily down a sixer of this stuff. It goes down as smooth as Guinness. There is even a hint of creaminess like you find in an Anderson Valley Cerveza Crema, though not as pronounced…almost adding the whipped cream finish to the pumpkin pie flavor. Of all Lakefront's Seasonal Brews, the Pumpkin Lager is definitely the best.
Next up is Milwaukee's other microbrewer, Sprecher with their Oktoberfest offering. Sprecher Oktoberfest is a good example of an American version of a German Oktoberfest beer, not a lot of carbonation or hop notes, but a medium-bodied malty, almost sweet flavor. The bottle touts its long finish, which I did notice. Though I think its a decent version of an Oktoberfest, but Capital Brewing's Oktoberfest has a more aggressive malt taste, which I prefer.
First, every year since before I could even legally drink beer I have eagerly anticipated the arrival of Lakefront Brewery's Pumpkin Lager. I have tried all kinds of different pumpkin ales and lagers and none comes even close to this one, which has just the right amount of Pumpkin and Spice. The beer is medium-bodied and easy drinkin’. Though many people often say “this is good but I couldn’t have more than 1 or 2, I could easily down a sixer of this stuff. It goes down as smooth as Guinness. There is even a hint of creaminess like you find in an Anderson Valley Cerveza Crema, though not as pronounced…almost adding the whipped cream finish to the pumpkin pie flavor. Of all Lakefront's Seasonal Brews, the Pumpkin Lager is definitely the best.
Next up is Milwaukee's other microbrewer, Sprecher with their Oktoberfest offering. Sprecher Oktoberfest is a good example of an American version of a German Oktoberfest beer, not a lot of carbonation or hop notes, but a medium-bodied malty, almost sweet flavor. The bottle touts its long finish, which I did notice. Though I think its a decent version of an Oktoberfest, but Capital Brewing's Oktoberfest has a more aggressive malt taste, which I prefer.
It should also be noted that two Wisconsin Breweries have beers that ranked in Men's Journal's top 25 beers in America. At number 17, Sprecher's Hefe Weiss, which I must admit is my absolute favorite Weiss beer. It is far more flavorful and complex then most of its German counterparts and is the first beer I reach for on hot Summerfest Days. Ranking at 25 is New Glarus Yokel, which is an unfiltered lager. I must admit that my exposure to this beer is very limited. I bought a six pack once, and it is really good, but when I look at New Glarus, I am usually buying their Hearty Hop Pale Ale, Fat Squirrel or the easy drinkin' Spotted Cow
posted by Jeff @ 11:32 AM
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