Reviewed September 2009

The latest seasonal beer to be bottled by Daniel Thwaites has an overtly continental theme. ‘An Oktoberfest Ale’, they call it, ‘inspired by this annual celebration of great beer and Germanic revelry’.

In essence, it’s a brave attempt to re-create the colour, flavour and character of an Oktoberfest beer within the English ale idiom.

Beers at the Oktoberfest have gradually changed nature as the event has become increasingly commercial and international.
 
Traditionally, it was Märzen beer that was served – full-bodied, malty beer brewed up to the end of winter (March, hence the name) and stored in cold conditions over the hot summer to be consumed by the autumn, when lower temperatures and a fresh crop of barley and hops allowed brewing to resume.

These days, most beers on sale at the Munich shindig are just pale lagers (helles) and this is probably what Thwaites were aiming at with the new beer.

To achieve the delicate golden colour, the brewers have raided their stores of Maris Otter pale malt and combined it with distillers’ malt.

Thwaites is an ale brewery, so there’s no chance of authentic lager brewing. Instead the beer follows all the expected patterns of ale production, including fermentation in open squares with a top-fermenting yeast.

Germanic Accent

To provide a Germanic accent, however, the hops are all from Germany. Magnum and Hersbrucker go early into the copper for bitterness, with more Hersbrucker added later to enhance the aroma.

The beer looks bright and attractive in the transparent bottle, but whenever I see a pale beer in clear glass I immediately anticipate a skunky aroma, as sun or artificial light plays havoc with the hop chemistry.

So I flipped the cap with some dread, only to be pleasantly surprised at the cleanness of the aroma. No skunk, just lots of soft malt, a faint spiciness and subtle hints of banana and lemon.

The hallmark of a proper lager is, of course, its smooth but crisp palate, and Thwaites have made a good fist of emulating that, with pale malt leading the way in the bittersweet taste that becomes more and more tangy as herbal notes from the hops begin to bite.

A gentle lemon note is present throughout, becoming more obvious on the swallow, which develops into a dry, bitter finish as hops finally push malt aside and assert their dominance.

If anything, though, the finish is perhaps a touch too bitter, even harsh, and is probably the least impressive aspect of the beer.

On the whole, an interesting, well-planned beer that – well chilled – could easily provide a bridge between ale and lager drinking.