My Experience at New Bohemia's Oktoberfest

Mike from the New Bohemia Wurst+BierHaus invited me to partake in the first annual rendition of their Oktoberfest this past Saturday evening. I was pouring samples at a beer tasting at the Hastings Coborn's Liquor earlier in the day, so I wasn't able to make it to Minneapolis location of the celebration until 8pm. When I did arrive, I met up with Mike briefly and he was kind enough to let me into the 'fest for free with a tasting glass. Thanks for that, Mike!

First off, the tasting glass handed to me at the entrance was a Ball-branded pint jar, which was kind of ingenious on their part. It had to be a lot cheaper and required a lot less work for them to use cases of canning jars, which benefits them greatly. Plus, everyone at the 'fest seemed to enjoy drinking their brews out of those pint jars!

The event was held in the public parking ramp behind Kramarczuk's, on the ground level. After entering the main gate, I took a look around to see where everything was. Three beer trailers were present, serving all sorts of varieties appropriate for this fall celebration. There were spots for numerous activities, including: Bean Bag Toss, Keg Bowling, Sausage Eating Contest, Hammerschlagen, and even a mustache seesaw from The Traveler Beer Company (which really cracked me up - any of you who have seen Super Troopers will understand why). Of course, they had a three man polka band playing all the tunes you'd like to hear, which was located very near where you could pick up some delicious food.

The food required the use of tickets, which you could purchase near the entrance for $3 each. Snacks like Belgian fries and your basic large pretzel (along with desserts) were 1 ticket, wursts were 2 tickets, and a giant pretzel was 3 tickets. I had Belgian fries and the "Exotic Wurst of the Day", which was made from duck. Both selections were awesome!

Since I had to drive home, I didn't hit the beer very hard. However, the brews I did choose were quite good. I really enjoyed Indeed Brewing's Sweet Yamma Jamma; a creation that involves sweet potatoes, candied yams, and a special blend of spices. The big winner for me that night, though, was Bad Weather's Windvane that was cask conditioned with Mosaic hops. Mmmm, good stuff!

New Bohemia's Oktoberfest definitely felt like a great success to me, especially since there was a lot of fun to be had without an overcrowded space where people are jammed in shoulder to shoulder (they limit their general admission entries). I've been to other Oktoberfest celebrations where it was nearly impossible to move, let alone hold a bratwurst and a mug of beer while chatting with friends. Plus, there were some very good quality brews, tasty food, good polka tunes, and plenty of fun activities. If you didn't go this year, I recommend checking it out next year.

Thanks, Mike! I'm glad you invited me to check it out!

Hastings Coborn's Beer Tasting

I just wanted to make a quick post to let you all know that I'll be pouring some delicious beer samples at the Hastings Coborn's Liquor tomorrow - Saturday, September 21st.

I've chosen some fall brews for you all to enjoy, including pumpkin beers and Oktoberfest Marzens. This should be a fun day (especially weather-wise) to enjoy these fall seasonals. Stop by the store anytime from 2 - 6pm if you want to taste some beer, or even if you just want to geek out about beer with me.

I hope to see you there!

Oktoberfest at New Bohemia

Ah, fall. My favorite season. I definitely got a nice taste of that crisp cool autumn weather this weekend and I really enjoyed it. Fall is also great for beer, with all the breweries releasing their Harvest Ales, Pumpkin Beers, and Oktoberfest Marzens. Then, there's all the great Oktoberfest celebrations, usually involving big tents in parking lots, polka bands, and lots of tasty brews. Recently, I met Mike from New Bohemia in Northeast Minneapolis, who invited me to attend their first annual Oktoberfest celebration.

I've never been to New Bohemia before, but after checking their website I see that they brand themselves as a "Modern European Bier Hall" and they serve up a large selection of beer and wursts to satisfy your thirst and hunger, respectively.

Their Oktoberfest is this coming weekend and sounds like it should be a great time. They will have a ceremonial keg tapping with the Lord Mayor of New Bohemia and will have the music and beer ready for all your Oktoberfesting needs. There will be a number of breweries represented, including: Ayinger, Bad Weather, Brooklyn, Goose Island, Leinenkugel's, Paulaner, Samuel Adams, Schell's, Third Street, The Traveler, and Widmer. Sounds like a good time, right?

So, I'm going to head to New Bohemia this weekend and check it out. Maybe you should, too!

Beer Brief #49 - High Road Everyday Ale

Brewery - Badger Hill Brewing Company, Minnetonka, Minnesota

Beer - High Road Everyday Ale

Style - Badger Hill claims this one doesn't fall into any standard style category (we'll find out)

ABV - 5%

IBU - 24

Color - Light golden copper with an eggshell white head

Aroma - Honey, biscuity malt, herbal spice, hay, tropical fruit, hint of sourness when agitated

Flavor - Biscuit/cracker malt, light toast, hops take over quickly and are floral, then herbal, then spicy, with a perfect bitterness to the finish

Verdict - When I poured this into the glass, it foamed like mad even though I poured carefully. That's the one and only thing that challenged me on this brew. The aroma is very complex and pleasant, while the flavors blend together beautifully and are punctuated by the light, drinkable body and awesomely crisp finish that goads you into taking your next sip. I definitely agree that this doesn't seem to fall neatly into a specific style category. In my mind, it's almost like Badger Hill crossed an English bitter with a Bohemian pilsner. I really enjoyed this brew and look forward to drinking it again in the future!