Maierfest
Style: German Oktoberfest Lager
ABV: 5.6%
Presentation: 650 ml brown bottle
Brewery: Rogue
Country: Oregon, U.S.A.
KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk
This excellent beer is not only named after and dedicated to Rogue’s Brewmaster John Maier, but brewed by the man himself as an homage to the fine lagers produced in the Fatherland of his German heritage. It’s also worthy of the name of the man that has been there since the first batch of Rogue beer ever produced, and who has helped that brewery win over 500 awards for the quality of his creations.
Utilizing a blended strain of lager yeast that promotes a richer malt character and a full-bodied mouthfeel, Maier has pulled off a complex and satisfying Oktoberfest style beer. The curious thing about Oktoberfest is that it is not only the name of a festival, but a style of beer as well that of course was eventually spawned by the annual event itself. The very first Oktoberfest itself was not a festival at all, it was the October 17, 1810 public celebration of the marriage between the Crown Prince Luitpold I and Princess Theressa of Bavaria upon a large meadow in the German city of Munich. An anniversary celebration has been held in Munich between the last week of September and the first week of October in the guise of the Oktoberfest for nearly 200 year, except during periods of war. Regarding the beer itself the Oktoberfest style with initially presented at the festival of its namesake in 1872, credited to Gabriel Sedlmayr of the Spaten Brewery, which was an adaptation of Austrian brewer Anton Dreher’s Vienna style lager. Traditionally it is a style noted for a complex malt profile with a dry finish and creamy texture.
This Maierfest Lager is best served in either a mug or pint glass, a wide rim will help accentuate the rich aromas waiting to be released and experienced. As it warms the aromas and flavours revealed will become more complex. The beer itself is a deep rustic golden amber in appearance, crowned by a tall frothy slightly off-white head with excellent retention, and that will slowly settle over time. Upon inhalation be prepared for aromas of rich bready malts, from buttery notes to baked bread to a toasted character, followed by clean crisp grains and grassy, mild herbal hops. The mouthfeel is one of the best and most enjoyable aspects of this lager, creamy smooth and full, with a brief kick of carbonation on the finish-I wish if only all beers could be delivered this way… True to the aroma the flavour nearly mirrors it with complex bready malt up front, toasted and even nutty at times, with crisp grains in the middle, and finishing with dry, well-contained grassy hops, and a faint lingering buttery malt aftertaste.
Regardless of your personal favourite beer style this Maierfest is an excellent choice worth checking out and exposing yourself to an exemplar of the style, and how rich and complex and fulfilling a lager truly can be. Rogue recommends pairing this beer with seafood and poultry dishes. I would take a step beyond that and suggest this Oktoberfest beer would pair well with at first the obvious choice, German cuisine. Other good options would be white sauce pasta dishes, sushi, seared or grilled ahi tuna, roasted or roti chicken, peanut sauce based noodle dishes, plus curry dishes such as balti, roganjosh, jalfrazie and even a thick bhuna. Maierfest would be fine on its own as well as a very satisfying session beer.
The next steps in the cooler:
From This Brewery:
American Amber
St. Rogue Red
Kell’s Irish Lager
Brutal Bitter
Chipotle Ale
Chocolate Stout
Dad’s Little Helper
Dead Guy Ale
Double Dead Guy
Hazelnut Brown Nectar
Juniper Pale Ale
Mocha Porter
Morimoto Black Soba Ale
Shakespeare Stout
Summer Orange Honey Ale
Santa’s Private Reserve
Younger’s Special Bitter
XS Imperial Porter
XS Imperial IPA
XS Imperial Red
XS Imperial Stout
XS Old Crustacean Barleywine
XS Younger’s Special Bitter
Lateral Steps:
Warsteiner Dunkel
Ayinger Jahrhundert Bier
Hacker-Pschorr Edelhell
Kilkenny Cream Ale
Caffrey’s Cream Ale
Boddington Pub Ale
For The Adventurous:
Samichlaus
Konig Ludwig Weiss
Don De Dieu - Unibroue