Oktoberfest Beer Part 1

Since brewing began with the rise of early civilizations, brewers throughout time have been forced to create novel solutions to problems that modern technology has since easily solved.  The Germans may be best known for techniques and innovations in the creation of lager beers.  In this post we’ll look at only one of these innovations.  Back in the day, brewers of the old world did not have refrigeration to then keep the beer fresh.  Instead, they relied on caves and cellars to store beer at an appropriate temperature…about 45-55 deg F.  Since they lacked the ability to control temperature, these brewers stopped producing beer in the warmer months of the year. 

      

In March, the brewers would brew a beer slightly higher in alcohol to store in the caves for consumption later in the summer.  This is where the term “lagerbier” originated: the word “lagern” is German for “to store”.  The last beer produced in the spring before the summer was called Märzen, which is German for March.  As fate would have it (or maybe it was planned…I’m not sure), the marriage and first Oktoberfest as described in an earlier post, took place late in the summer when this beer was being pulled from the cellars for consumption.  As beer and concessions became part of the festivities in the few years after the original celebration, this beer was eventually called Oktoberfest.  The origins of the modern day Oktoberfest style according to the BJCP: “Origin is credited to Gabriel Sedlmayr, based on an adaptation of the Vienna style developed by Anton Dreher around 1840, shortly after lager yeast was first isolated.”

      

Up next…what does an Oktoberfest taste like?  I’ll follow that up with information on modern commercial beers to try.