HOPs! Oktoberfest 2008

Der Bier und Wine 2008

56 Beers & Wines and a few select Scintillating Softdrinks

The Hops! Oktoberfest Beer List. Click on the Brewer name for their websites!

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1) BEER: F5 Altbier, 4.5% ABV

Style: Düsseldorf-style Altbier

While Altbier ("Old Beer") is much more hop-forward than most German beers, a good Altbier uses generous amounts of Munich malt to round out the rough edges provided by the noble German hops. F5 Altbier does just that, with the Munich-heavy grain bill undergoing a decoction to allow the malt profile to stand up to the German Magnum and Spalt hops. The end result is a light and crisp copper ale which starts with an herbal bitterness but gives way to a malty sweetness with hints of honey and toasted bread.

Brewer: Kazys "Kaz" Ozelis

2) BEER: Oktoberfest, 6.0 ABV

Classic Oktoberfest lager with decoction mashing of Munich malt to
provide a toasty maltiness. Tettnang hops allow for a subdued
bitterness with minimal hop flavor and aroma.

Brewer: "The Dugg" Doug Hurst Metropolitan Brewing

3) BEER: Flywheel, Bright Lager, ABV: 5%

The kinetic beauty of Noble hops grabs you by the nose and lets you know: this is German-inspired beer. A mild, bready malt sweetness greets you at the lips, smoothing the crisp hop flavors. Flywheel is meant for bombastic celebrations of singing voices and clamoring mugs. But then, that first contented moment of happy hour is uniquely celebratory as well.

Brewer: Klavs Dolmer

4) BEER: Saison Oktoberfest

A spicy Saison, brewed with 40% Munich malt for an Oktoberfest maltiness.

5) BEER: Saison Noire

A saison brewed like a Belgian Stout - spicy and toasty.

6) BEER: Oktoberfest Dunkelweizen

A malty Dunkelweizen with tones of banana and cloves.

7) BEER: Rye Saison '07, 8% ABV

Strong Saison brewed with rye for extra spiciness. Aged one year.

Brewer: Bob Brown

8) BEER: Lemongrass Ginger Blond

Belgium Blond spiced with fresh lemongrass and candied ginger.

9) BEER: Munich Dunkle

A dark lager crafted with 50% light Munich malt 50% dark Munich malt.

10) BEER: Saison

Farmhouse yeast does its job on 100% pilsner malt and plenty of Mt. Hood hops.

11) BEER: Belgium Wit

A creamy white ale spiced with a Belgium blend.

Brewer: Joe McCloskey

12) BEER: German altbier, 5.5% ABV

With a little extra malt and hops this beer has a malty sweetness offest by the wonderful Vanguard hops - very nice balance

Brewer: Greg "Ghost of Winter"

13) BEER: Blueberry Wheat, 4.5% ABV

Talk about something different. Take the flavor of blueberry and marry it to a light refreshing Wheat beer and you have a sure fire winner

14) BEER: Apricot Wheat, 4.5% ABV

A light refreshing combination of apricots and a Wheat beer just SCREAMS summertime

15) BEER: Cherry Wheat, 4.5% ABV

A classic combo of cherries and a Wheat Beer sure to be popular

16) BEER: Blackberry Wheat, 4.5% ABV

Something different from your normal flavored wheat beers.

17) BEER: Raspberry Wheat, 4.5% ABV

A tart but refreshing Wheat beer that is sure to please

18) BEER: Americanized Bitter, 4.0% ABV

An English bitter but with an American twist of Millenium hops for bittering, and Cascade and Amarillo for flavor and aroma

19) BEER: Cream Ale, 5.0% ABV

A light refreshing beer that you you can drink on a hot summer day

20) SODA: Old Fashion Root Beer

A classic soda flavor that is sure to bring back childhood memories

21) SODA: Orange Soda

A simple orange soda for those that don't wish to imbibe, or are driving

22) SODA: Vanilla Cream Soda

Hmm... can anyone say Ice Cream Floats perhaps?

BREWER: Lovey Bissett & Julie Zook

23) BEER: cream ale, 4.5% ABV

This is a summery type beer, very light and refreshing...duplicated from the Northern Brewer recipe who raved about; this as a "lawnmower beer"...delicious and light!

24) BEER: Hefeweizen, 4.5% ABV

Lovey and I have been making hefeweizen since we started brewing (thanks Russ for that original recipe). Per Lovey, this is our best Hefeweizen yet - full of bubblegum esters and delicious clove and banana aromas. We used Hersbrucker hops this time and feel it will be a delicious addition to our Oktoberfest!

BREWER: Tom Saldana

25) BEER: Baltic Porter, 7.0% ABV

Two row roast malt, not as big as Okocim porter, but more quaffable. Baltic Porters are a version of porter which is traditionally brewed in Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden. It has a higher alcohol content than ordinary porters. Export ales (see Russian Imperial Stout) introduced from Britain in the 18th century were influenced by regional styles when they began to be produced locally. What was once a top-fermenting ("ale-style") beer, it is now mostly brewed as a lager-style bottom-fermenting beer in Slavic and Baltic breweries

26) BEER: German Bock Beer, 5.4% ABV

Bock is a strong lager which has origins in the Hanseatic town Einbeck, Germany. The name is a corruption of the medieval German brewing town of Einbeck, but also means "buck" (male deer or goat) in German. The original Bocks were dark beers, brewed from high-colored malts. Modern Bocks can be dark, amber or pale in color. Bock was traditionally brewed for special occasions, often religious festivals such as Christmas, Easter or Lent. Bocks have a long history of being brewed and consumed by Roman Catholic monks in Germany. During the Spring religious season of Lent, monks were required to fast. High-gravity Bock beers are higher in food energy and nutrients than lighter lagers, thus providing sustenance during this period. Similar high-gravity Lenten beers of various styles were brewed by Monks in other lands as well (see Trappist beer). It was rumored that Martin Luther drank this beer during the Diet of Worms. Many commercial breweries include images of goats on bottle labels. It may tangentially refer to the increased "kick" of the style, as well.

27) BEER: English Ale, 4.0% ABV

With Hallertaur, Fuggles and Cascades hops for true complexity. Low gravity, low alcohol levels and low carbonation make this an easy-drinking beer. Some examples can be more malt balanced, but this should not override the overall bitter impression. Drinkability is a critical component of the style; emphasis is still on the bittering hop addition as opposed to the aggressive middle and late hopping seen in American ales.

28) BEER: Amber Ale, 4.8% ABV

A wonderful confluence of Fuggles and Halletauer hops. A beautiful amber This style of beer tends to focus on the malts, but hop character can range from low to high. Expect a balanced beer, with toasted malt characters and a light fruitiness

29) BEER: Flor d'Jimaica Continental Pilsner 4.6% ABV

A pilsner made with dried Hibiscus Flowers imparting a light Frambois character of Cranberry and Raspberry

BREWER: Wil Turner Goose Island Brewery

30) BEER: Schwarzbier, 4.8% ABV

His German-style Black Lager is medium-bodied with nice roasted malt flavor and low to medium hop character. Weyermann Carafa malt gives the beer it’s opal color without malt astringency and a long maturation period also helps make this brew very smooth and easily drinkable

Brewer: Rich Lester

31) BEER: L.L.W.A. Lester's Lavender Wheat Ale, 4.0% ABV

Though this is not a German beer it does have a bit of Germanic essence for the celebration of Oktoberfest.
It is brewed with German Wheat as well as some Munich Malt.
Lacking the strength to be a Belgian at about 4 ABV and being spiced takes it out of being a regular wheat beer, it falls into an almost catch all category of spiced and herbal beers.
As an herb, lavender has been in documented use for over 2,500 years. Interestingly the flower's soothing "tonic" qualities added to the value of the herb in ancient times. The Goldings Hops, a mild hop, seems to be a perfect marriage with the lavender with a great nose but not perfumey .The maltiness of the Munich Malt and flavor imparted from the German Wheat puts the beer in great balance of malts and hops. This is another perfect summer time beer to enjoy with others.

BREWER: Iain Wilson Rock Bottom Brewery - Orland Park

32) BEER: Let There Be Alt - Düsseldorf Altbier

A rich, malty red ale with a bitter finish typical of the beers brewed in and around Dusseldorf using the "Old Style" of German Brewing. A stepped mash was used with the initial doughing in taking place at 125 F. This was allowed to stand for 20 minutes before the addition of 180 F hot liquor and a lot of mixing to bring the mash up to 151 F for a stand of 40 minutes. Nuggets were used for bittering and Mount hood for Flavor and aroma. The yeast was second generation White Labs 290 Kolsch yeast/ Fermentation temperature was 64F.

33) BEER: Hogshead English Bitter, w/ Green Hops, 5.1% ABV

This Best Bitter ended up being a little stronger than I planned so it is a little out of style. Brewed using pale malt with a little caramel 30 37 and wheat to provide some color and head retention. The hops were Nuggets for Bittering and a 50 50 blend of Goldings and willamette for Flavor. The aroma hop were freshly picked on the morning of the brew and arrived in time for the aroma addition. 5lbs of Northern Brewer green hops were added to the whirlpool in a white cotton pillow case. I had run out of hop straining bags. These hops had not been dried so they imparted a fresh green hop character. Yeast was our house ale strain which originates from N E England and the beer was fermented at 68 F. The beer has a very typical English Best Bitter Flavor and aroma and finishes quite dry.

BREWER: Matt VanWyk Flossmoor Station Brewery

34) BEER: ReplicAle Belgian Pale Ale, 5.7% ABV

Flossmoor Station as an Illinois Craft Brewers Guild member once again participated in the annual ReplicAle brewing project. Each brewery produces a "ReplicAle", or their version of the same recipe. Eash individual brewery decided on their own mash temperature, boil time, fermentation temperature, water treatment, and other brewing procedures, but the ingredients remained the same. This fine brew is Matt VanWyk's 2008 ReplicAle of a Belgian Pale Ale. A moderate-strength golden ale with a fruity American hop nose, a spicy and fruity "Belgian" complexity with a slightly sweet character and a dry finish. Ingredients were donated by The Mid Country Malt Group and White Labs Pure Brewers Yeast.

35) BEER: Oktoberfest

Before refrigeration, it was nearly impossible to brew beer in the summer due to the hot weather and bacterial infections. Brewing ended with the coming of spring, and began again in the fall. Most were brewed in March (Märzen). These brews were kept in cold storage over the spring and summer months, or brewed at a higher gravity, so they’d keep. This Märzenbier is full-bodied, rich, toasty, dark copper in color with a medium alcohol content and a mild hop profile

36) BEER: Pullman Brown Ale, 6.0% ABV

This robust, dark brown ale gets its rich flavor from seven different malts and three types of hops. The addition of hand-toasted oats and a generous portion of molasses give the Pullman Brown Ale an incredible smoothness and quaffability.
Great American Beer Festival-Specialty Beer-Bronze Medal 1997, Silver Medal 1998, Bronze Medal 2000, Silver Medal 2002, Bronze Medal 2005, Silver Medal 2006 World Beer Cup 2000-Silver Medal, Gold Medal 2006

BREWER: Pete Crowley Rock Bottom Brewery - Chicago

37) BEER: West Coast (of the lake) I.P.A., 6.5% ABV

An intensely hoppy American-style strong pale ale brewed with Simcoe and Amarillo hops and dry-hopped with Centennial and Amarillo

38) BEER: Hefeweizen, 5.0% ABV

An Unfiltered German style Weiss Bier, "Hefe" means yeast, "Weizen" means wheat. Hefeweizen is a top fermented, unfiltered, bottle conditioned wheat beer with a noticeable yeast sediment and a cloudy appearance. Wheat beers are also referred to as Weissbiers (white beers) because before the invention of pale lagers and pale ales, most beers were dark. Wheat beers were the exception as the wheat content lightened the colour of the beer.

39) BEER: Dry Hopped American Stout, 6.0% ABV

Wonderful stout dry hopped with Chinook hops with 55 IBU's! American stouts tend to have more pronounced roasted malt presence with a sharper, almost acidic, coffee impression. The citrusy American hops also make this style distinctive.

40) BEER: Belgian Saison, 6.5% ABV

Made with Genuine Saison Du Ponte yeast, Saison is sometimes also referred to as "country beer" Saison (French, "season") is the name originally given to refreshing, low-alcohol pale ales brewed seasonally in farmhouses in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium, to refresh farm workers during harvest season. Modern-day saisons are also brewed in the USA, and are generally bottle conditioned, with an average range of 5 to 8% abv. Although Saison has been described as an endangered style, there has been a rise in interest in this style in recent years, with Saison Dupont being named “the Best Beer in the World” by the magazine Men’s Journal in July 2005.

41) BEER: Golden Ale, 4.8% ABV

This golden ale is hopped with Centennial hops, and has an appearance similar to that of a Pilsener. Malt character is subdued and the hop profile ranges from spicy to citrus.

BREWER: Samir Warty

42) BEER: Lindwurm-Milch

An American Strong Ale (English October Beer) with a soft and rich caramel-malt character intermingled with deep vanilla tones drowning in an oak bath.

BREWER: Marty Carroll

43) BEER: German Hop Ale, 4.4% ABV

A German Kolch style with citrusey Tettnanger finishing hops, intended to be refreshing and not complex.

BREWER: John Dispensa Chinese vinyard 2008

44) BEER: Chinese Lager, 4.8% ABV

Chinese style larger from great city of Changsha, China. A well hopped beer, high in malt and barley character, with a nutty sweet taste and a hint of ginger. Made with pure spring water

45) BEER: Light German Lager, 5.2% ABV

Golden in color, full body with a touch of malty
sweetness. Light and refreshing

BREWER: Paul Werstler

46) BEER: American Pale Ale 5, 4.5% ABV

This brew was made to introduce people who normally drink Miller/Budweiser to homebrew. It has a little more flavor than the macrobrews, but seeing as I've brewed this beer more than any other, evidently somebody likes it!

47) BEER: Oatmeal Stout, 4.5% ABV

This is a very roast, mildly carbonated stout

48) SODA: Birch Beer

Non-alcoholic refreshing classic Birch Beer

FASHIONABLY LATE BEVERAGES:

49) WINE: Italian Moscato, 9% ABV- BREWER / WINEMAKER: John Dispensa

A delightful light and crisp white wine bursting with flavors of honey, peach, and citrus with a splash of sweetness.

BREWER / WINEMAKER: Scott Mikros

50) WINE: 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2001 growing season was close to ideal in the Napa Valley. Bud break was in early April. Temperatures were moderate through out the summer. Fall was warm with cool evenings and no rain. The ideal weather continued through harvest select only the idea harvest interval. This provided our Scott with grapes and ultimately wine that has been a joy to watch, first in the fermenter, then in the barrel and now in the bottle.

This dense purple-colored 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon possesses abundant quantities of black currant fruit, a liqueur-like aspect to its flavor intensity, sweet tannin, and a long, velvety-textured, juicy finish. Like many other top 2001s, it will be approachable immediatly and age well for 10-15 years.

51) WINE: 2001 Cabernet / Merlot Blend 13.5% ABV

2003 1st Place Best Red Blend - Beverage Art Winemakers Classic

This Cabernet / Merlot blend combines the firmness of Cabernet Sauvignon with the softness of Merlot and retains the natural varietal characters of both grapes. Oak maturation completes and balances this classic blend. The wine is deep in colour with a bouquet evocative of dark plums, chocolate and cedary oak. On the palate the wine shows mouth-filling softness as well as strength and complexity of flavour. Rich blackberry fruit is supported by fine oak tannins.

52) WINE: Symphony Mango Citrus, 11.2% ABV - BREWER / WINEMAKER: Tom Saldana

The Symphony grape is one of dozens of new grapes bred by Dr. Harold Olmo. It's a cross between Muscat of Alexandria and Grenache Gris.The grape makes a white wine with a slight spiciness and pleasant fruit aromas, sometimes including citrus or apricot and peach.

53) WINE: 2005 Merlot Lodi, 14% ABV - BREWER / WINEMAKER: Tom Saldana

This Merlot Lodi has a bit more than a hint of French and American Oak with Medium Toast. French influence with California soul! It's clearly California in style with Chicago attitude with its juicy, ripe and exotic fruit flavors. There is a definite French influence, however, in the balance, grace and clarity of fruit. This is a classic Merlot that bursts on the nose with aromas of plum. The palate is lush with berry, jam and earthy notes while the finish is long and spicy.

BREWER: Gregg Scholten

54) BEER: Triticum Aestivum Ale, 5.5% ABV

a.k.a "Wheat" Ale for those who are "Latin challenged" This is a truly fine Belgian Wheat for the discerning palates of our Oktoberfest faithful! Brewed with bitter and sweet orange peel.

55) BEER: Motley Brew Porter, 7.5% ABV

In preparation for our move to Baltimore, we brewed a Porter with 10 different grains and homegrown Fuggles hops served on a Nitrogen tap

.56) CIDER: Homage to Tapache - Pineapple/ Apple Hard Cider, 5.5% ABV - Brewer: Marty Carroll

Over 160 years ago, in the 1840s, hard cider held the position now held by beer as the preferred alcoholic beverage of the working class and as a matter of fact the conservative Whig candidate, William Harrison, managed to convince a majority of working class Americans that he was one of them by associating himself with the symbols of "log cabin and hard cider". Hard ciders typically run from 5 to about 10% ABV. This offering comes in at a temperate 5.5% and was sweetened (2.5% residual sugar) with 3 liters of organic pineapple juice. Tapache is a mild alcoholic drink made from fermented pineapple skins. Enjoy it as a palate cleanser as you sample the many wonderful beers. The crisp acidity of the pineapple keeps it very refreshing. So join us in a glass and get to work!

Note: This hard cider contains sulfites. As a rule Wines, ciders, and meads generally contain some amount of sulfites used as a preservative. Those with sensitivity, or are allergic to sulfites may wish to avoid these beverages."