Eins...Zwei...Drei...Suffa!

It's Oktoberfest time!

Is there a better way to wrench oneself out of the end-of-summer beer doldrums then to cast one's palate full-force into Oktoberfest? If there is, I certainly can't think of it. Fall has arrived! Halloween merchandise is on the shelves, the air has that wonderful chill, the kids are back in school, and breweries are peddling their Märzen creations. I can't say I'm disappointed in any of this.

This year, I was lucky enough to attend a Labor-day Oktoberfest extravaganza. Nine local microbreweries brought their shot at the celebratory brew. A complete list of the offerings can be found on the Berea Oktoberfest Website. I got to try them all and, subsequently, vote on the best. This gal was in beer_nerd heaven.

Great Lakes Brewing Company offered a disappointingly watery brew with a strange fruity aftertaste. Luckily, this is not what the beer tastes like in either the bottle or at the location, so you should be safe grabbing it elsewhere. Actually, it's quite good, so I recommend you do so.

Rocky River Brewing Company is one of my favorite local brewpubs, but their Belgian and English-style offerings seem to be on the whole stronger than their German. Their Oktoberfest was no exception. It was still one of the best and, in fact, took home the gold.

Willoughby Brewing Company, unfortunately, often disappoints me. Their beer was not terrible, but was nothing stellar. Not necessarily a bad thing in an Oktoberfest beer, but I would have liked more richness.

In my opinion, The best of the evening was by the Rock Bottom Brewery. It was well balanced, smooth, and left none of the funky aftertastes common in the other offerings. I could have drunk quite a bit of this stuff. And, really, isn't that the point?

Oktoberfest beer, at least a good one, is two things:

1. A well-balanced lager that is malty but not cloying, and
2. Easily drinkable in mass quantities.

If you want to get technical (and as a beer_nerd, I do), here are some more official stats:

3. European Amber Lager 3.b. Oktoberfest / Marzen OG: 1.050 - 1.056 FG: 1.012 - 1.016 ABV: 4.8 - 5.7% IBU: 20 - 28 SRM: 7 - 14 Good flavors / Impressions: Dark Gold to Deep amber Toasted Malty Rich Starts sweet, ends dry Bad flavors / Impressions Too light / dark No head Cloudy Fruity Roasty Caramel Overly Hoppy / bitter

You might not live in Cleveland or, even worse, might not live near any Oktoberfest celebration at all! Here's some brews you just might be able to grab in your local store. Why not have your own competition?

• Great Lakes Brewing Company Oktoberfest
• Sam Adams Oktoberfest
  
• Paulaner Oktoberfest-Marzen
• Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest-Marten
• Warsteiner Oktoberfest
• Spaten Oktoberfest
  

And, while you sit back with one of those beers, why not learn more? Read up about the history of Oktoberfest the celebration and Oktoberfest the beer.

Do you have a favorite Oktoberfest? Break out those steins and tell me about it in the comments!

Prost!