Beer Joust

Octoberfest: Final Round

2007-11-05T20:21:00.001-05:00

Paulaner versus Hacker Pschorr

I'll just get right to the point here. Both of these had a fresh balance of flavors, but the malts of the Paulaner came through better. It was smoother in texture and more distinct in flavor, but I will continue to enjoy both of these beers.

Octoberfest 2007 Winner: Paulaner!

Octoberfest: the Round of Four

2007-10-30T21:13:00.001-04:00

Lowenbrau versus Hacker Pschorr

Coat of Arms and Passes: Hacker strode to the lists with with a noble robe of amber and a fine frothy crown. Lowenbrau looked timid in comparison. Appearances translated into taste. Lowenbrau was first, seeming fatigued and mildly skunked. The malts were present and were nice, but the hint of fatigued skunkiness was there. Hacker behaved as if this were its first round, with a fresh, nutty malt flavor. The lance is lowered with a confident force, and a fatal blow is landed!

Hacker is victorious!

Paulaner versus Summit City

Coat of Arms and Passes: Looking almost identical in appearance, they both exuded a calm glow, ready for war. A quaff of Paulaner...ahhh, the fine caramael-ish malts I have come to know and love. Summit City...so nice before, so transparent now...the slight burnt tones of flavor somewhat erasing the other flavors that should have come through...a hesitation of the sword if you will, and a fatal one. Paulaner lance has shattered; his foe is devastated!

Paulaner is victorious!

Octoberfest Round 2

2007-10-28T11:44:00.000-04:00

Weihenstephaner versus Lowenbrau

Coat of Arms: Weihenstephaner comes to the field with a nobler appearance, its unique (compared with the other Octoberfests I've tried), sunlit cloudiness impressing the gallery.

Passes: Weihenstephaner casually trots out with a lemony arrogance, expecting to take down the somewhat dull looking Lowenbrau without much effort, but lo! Lowenbrau stuns again with a fuller-than-expected density to its flavor. The lemon stallion is out!

Winner: Lowenbrau

Octoberfest Round 2

2007-10-27T21:43:00.000-04:00

Paper City Brewery versus Saranac

Coat of Arms: Both appeared well, the Massachusetts entry with a deep amber coat, the thoroughbred from the countryside of New York, lighter colored but equally compelling.

Passes: Both of these came out of the gate well, Saranac with a well-balanced set of flavors, Paper City with the maltier flavors that eventually won out.

WINNER: Paper City

Octoberfest Round 2

2007-10-27T08:24:00.001-04:00

Ayinger versus Hacker Pschorr

Coat of Arms: Both of these looked impressive, but Ayinger somehow appeared more robust.

Passes: This was pretty tight, both requiring several tastes. I really liked the nuttiness that came out from the Hacker when I tried it this time. It just had an October flavor to it, more so than the Ayinger.

WINNER: Hacker Pschorr

Octoberfest Round 2

2007-10-25T21:36:00.000-04:00

Paulaner verus Brooklyn

Coat of Arms: The noble Paulaner with its dignified yet not overstated carriage, arrives with confidence, but the beer from Brooklyn not looking too shabby either.

Passes: Paulaner is just too well balanced for Brooklyn, whose malts taste almost burnt to me. Brooklyn is upended in short order.

WINNER: Paulaner

Octoberfest Round 1

2007-10-25T21:17:00.000-04:00

Ayinger versus Beck's

Coat of Arms: Ayinger wins with a cloudier, more complex appearance in spite of its lighter color. Hinted at good things to come.

Passes: Beck's came out with a surprising start with a good full bodied flavor, even if nothing particularly distinct came out. Ayinger came out staggering some what with an initially somewhat tinny/lemon, fizzy impression, but as it settled it found a nice, light bready stride, eventually wearing and kneading Beck's to exhaustion. Back to the stalls for Beck's.

Winner: Ayinger

Octoberfest Round 1

2007-10-18T17:44:00.000-04:00

Spaten versus Lowenbrau

Coat of Arms: Spaten won here for me with its full amber color with a few shades of brown. The Lowenbrau looked meek in comparison.

Passes: Spaten started off pretty strong with a smooth, creaminess, and some malt and bitterness (maybe a hint of chocolate) coming through. But Lowenbrau surprised! It's somewhat timid appearance hid a stronger body, that jolted Spaten with its slightly better balance of flavors. Nothing spectacular, but a surprise nonetheless that is enough for the win.

WINNER: Lowenbrau

Octoberfest: Round 1

2007-10-17T17:27:00.000-04:00

Weihenstephaner Festbier versus Hofbrau Munchen Oktoberfest

Coat of Arms: The much lighter colors of these beers was surprising after the first few were of such a darker color. The Weihenstephaner seemed to have a little more substance to it, even with its lighter color. Its color would later be reflected in its taste. The Hofbrau frankly seemed a little flat looking.

Passes: These two beers from these old horse brewers seemed to be a little lacking. Perhaps the fuller bodied flavors of the first few have biased me. The Hofbrau had a rather pungent odor that was not entirely pleasant, and its flavor had a bland bitterness to it with little else that I could appreciate. The Weihenstephaner at least had some distinct flavors to it. A lemon fizziness with a bitter finish is the best way I can describe it. I didn't enjoy this one too much at first either but I acquired more of a taste for it.

WINNER: Weihenstephaner

Octoberfest Round 1 continues

2007-10-15T06:35:00.000-04:00

Brooklyn Oktoberfest versus Otter Creek Oktoberfest

Coat of Arms: Otter Creek surprises with a defiant golden almost honey hue, while Brooklyn presents with a deep amber, more traditional look.

Pass 1: Otter Creek somewhat impresses with a slightly fruity yet bitter, perhaps some honey slipping into the taste as well. Brooklyn is notable only for its bitterness, yet it refuses to fall.

Passes 2 through 8: After numerous tastings, the bitterness of Brooklyn stays with me, and it is written off. Otter Creek waves in arrogant victory, but the fruitiness, the whatever flavor it has starts creating mud underfoot, and, out from the autumn darkness, Brooklyn reappears, invigorated by the crisp air, galloping upon its drier, grittier ground. A death blow is landed! Otter Creek is down!

WINNER: Brooklyn Oktoberfest!

Octoberfest Round 1

2007-10-14T06:51:00.001-04:00

Samuel Adams versus Hacker Pschorr

Thought I'd use a little more jousting terminology since this is a beer jousting site.

Coat of Arms: The "Original Oktoberfest," Hacker, enters this contest with the greater, more ancient pedigree (the label says 1417). Both pour a medium bodied amber, but Hacker's somehow seems a little livelier, with hints of honey.

Pass 1: Sam Adams makes the first attempt, but falls a little short, with a flavor not all that much different from its other more traditional offerings. Nothing stands out particularly.

Pass 2: Hacker's livelier appearance translates into taste as well, with a nice malty finish as it goes down, taking Sam Adams down with it. No additional passes needed.

WINNER: Hacker-Pschorr

Octoberfest 2007: Round 1

2007-10-11T21:06:00.000-04:00

Harpoon versus Paper City Brewery Summit House Oktoberfest

Coat of Arms: There was not a huge difference in appearance here. Both were amber, with the Harpoon slightly more on the brown side, Paper City with more reddish/orange hues. I give the edge to Paper City here, as the brownish tint of the Harpoon did not appeal to me as much.

First Pass: There is no question here: Paper City is hands down the better beer. The Harpoon started with a vague hint of nuttiness. Any additional flavor was overwhelmed by its carbonation as it went down. I was left with a faint, bitter after taste.

On the other hand, Summit City's beer was smoother without the overwhelming carbonation of the Harpoon. The malts were much more apparent and enjoyable, with a nice, smooth caramel feel to it. A very smooth, enjoyable beer. Harpoon is wrenched from his horse!

WINNER: SUMMIT CITY BREWERY

Octoberfest 2007: Round 1: Saranac verus Thomas Hooker

2007-10-09T20:56:00.001-04:00

Coat of Arms

Winner: Saranac

As you can see, the Thomas Hooker is noticeably darker, but I liked the tones of the Saranac better.

First Pass winner: Thomas Hooker won on this one, with the initial impression of a stronger more distinctive flavor and an aftertaste that seemed to have more of a bite. The Saranac did not leave any particular positive or negative impression with a smooth but non-descript feel. But Saranac managed to stay alive for another pass.

Three Passes Later: Saranac took over as I came to realize that I preferred the overall flavor of this beer. No particular flavor stood out, other than its smoothness, but the overall result was pleasant. The Thomas Hooker's slightly bitter aftertaste became less enjoyable for me the more I drank it.

WINNER: SARANAC

Octoberfest 2007: Paulaner versus Dogtoberfest

2007-10-06T07:44:00.001-04:00

Round 1 of Octoberfest begins!

Coat of Arms: About even. Paulaner's was a little clearer, but I kind of am letting this go since I made the mistake of chilling these in the freezer, then had to go tend to my 5 year old, then ended up leaving them in for too long. Interestingly, the Paulaner did not freeze, whereas the Dogtoberfest did partially freeze, resulting in the slight slushiness you see towards the top of the glass. Paulaner has the traditional edge.

First Pass:

Paulaner: A notably distinctive flavor to it, a crisp start with a malted roll as it went down.

Dogtoberfest: A more even flavor throughout, with a well-balanced if less obvious malted flavoring to it. Dogtoberfest has the better first impression. Paulaner is shaken, but not thrown off. Additional passes will be required.

Second, Third and Fourth Passes:

Paulaner: The gentle waves of maltiness and other flavors I am still trying to put a word too (pumpkin caramel?) washed over and won me over. Imagine having a pitcher of this stuff at the bar.

Dogtoberfest: The same even, enjoyable flavor throughout. I would drink this again; in fact, its the best I've tried from this brewer.

WINNER: PAULANER. More complex, and more enjoyable the longer I drank it.

Landshark Lager v.Opa Opa Light Lager

2007-10-02T21:03:00.000-04:00

Landshark Lager

Opa Opa Light Lager

I apologize about the quality of these pictures and the fact that I ended up taking them at different times...and that I couldn't resist taking a pre-picture swig of the Landshark. Oh well, I never claimed that this would be completely scientific.

Coat of Arms: Landshark appeared a little more impressive; the bottle, the color, beckoned to be drunk on this hot night.

Passes: This took several swigs to decide. There, really wasn't, in my view, an obviously superior beer here. Both of these beers were quite light and crisp. I really enjoyed them both; good beers that will go down easy on a hot day, which are quickly fading away. But, after several drinks, Landshark has conceded! Opa Opa was just a little smoother, a little more thirst quenching, which is what I look for in these types of beers.

Winner: Opa Opa

Samuel Adams Lager versus Saranac Adirondack Lager

2007-09-26T21:10:00.000-04:00

This is my first post in what I hope will be a fun and eventually informative foray into the world of beers. I am about as far from a connoiseur of beer as you can be. I am only faintly aware of some of the terminology used to describe the taste of beer. I simply enjoy a good glass, or two, or 5 of beer at night. Why not turn that process into a barbaric, medieval contest? With that, here are the first two beers.

Samuel Adams Saranac Adirondack Lager

Coat of Arms: Saranac wins here with a slightly darker tint and an appealing cloudiness.

Pass 1: Adirondack impressed with its appearance but fell a little flat on tasting with an overall flavor that was less distinct and a little more bland when compared with the Sam Adams. It was perhaps a little creamier than the Sam Adams, but it also seemed a little more watery too. Sam Adams had a nice crisp flavor with a slightly roasted quality. Adirondack is down!

VICTORIOUS: Sam Adams.

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