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Oktoberfest- September 19th – October 4th Opening Ceremony Cask Tapping – Sept. 19th at 12pm An Historical Brief Oktoberfest for us at the Wunderbar is a celebration of German food, beer, and culture in honour of the marriage of Konig Ludwig I to Therese of Saxe - Hildburghausen in 1810. For us it is a festive kick-off to a glorious beer season that lay ahead. The dog days of summer and the lighter bodied beers associated with them have traversed into painful banality. It is time to celebrate cooler days with fire pit lit evenings, heartier meals, and the transition into beers with more character and depth. The Germans have certainly excelled in personifying this seasonal shift. Through excellent examples of food and drink that revive the senses and remind us that change most certainly can be a wonderful thing we emphatically say, Prost! Celebrate with us by raising a glass of some of the finest offerings we have selected for you on this Oktoberfest. ------------- Draft Selections Available During the Course of the Festival and throughout October *Denotes beer may not be available during the festival but will follow based on availability as they relate to seasonal changes or historical relevance* Uerige Dopplesticke – Dusseldorf 8.5%ABV – Altbier specifically brewed for US consumers. Aroma and flavours of caramel and roasted malts blended with sweet fruit and a slight bitterness Schneider Organic Wiesen Edel-Weis Kelheim 6.2%ABV – Traditionally brewed for Oktoberfest in Munich, Schneider’s facility was destroyed in 1942 during the war. Subsequently, Edel-Weiss is no longer served for the occasion because, by German law, only breweries within Munich can provide beer for the festival. Hence, the Original, was reborn and brewed at their locationin Kelheim. It has a cloudy golden body w/an aroma of bread, wheat, a touch of banana, and hops. Finisheswith a soft touch of bread and light hop bitterness. Schneider Aventinus – Kelheim 8%ABV – The world’s first known top fermented wheat dopplebock displaying fruit spiciness from the top fermenting yeast and notes of chocolate from the malts. Notice aromas and flavours of dark fruits like raisins and dates intertwined with banana and clove. Hoffstettner HoxhzeitsBier von 1810 6.3%ABV – Unfiltered, unpasteurized, dark, strong lager brewed w/100% Munich malts and in accord with accurate historic Oktoberfest specs. This lager is a re-creation of the Maerzen (e.g. Oktoberfest) beer you would have been drinking in 1810 at the time and ceremony of the royal wedding. The lower abv and slightly lighter coloured Maerzens, brewed by Spaten for example, were derived sometime after the wedding and set the standard for and tradition of the style we know and consume today. Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lager – Bamberg 4.3% - Light bodied with a sweet malt accent and a touch of spice from Hallertau hops give way to a clean, dry finish. Note the hint of smoke on the aroma and palate as a result of using the same brew kettles that are used to make their classic old world smoke beer. *Aecht Schlenkerla Oak Smoke – Bamberg 8% - Following a rather old method of drying malts over fire, this brew is kilned with oak instead of the more traditional beech. The oak, in this case, brings out a smoother smoky note than beech. Historically, oak has been regarded as a precious timber for its solid form in ship building and in the erection of and structural supports for buildings amongst other uses. Beech wood was more commonly used for recreational purposes. As a result of oak’s significance for other more pressing uses this beer was brewed in small batches and typically stored as a special commodity for consumption during Christmas. Hint hint. *Apostelbrau Farmhouse Bavarian Rustic Saison 5% - A pronounced cereal flavor and a touch of vanilla are present as a result of using a variety of ancient grains. Slight hint of spice is also noticeable from the use of rye malt. Also present is a touch of “funk” possibly from the Bavarian yeast strain.* Jever Pilsener – Jever 4.9% - A very crisp and clean pilsener resulting from a balance created by using the same well water for over a century. Once blended with the hops a lingering bitter finish is the result and unparalleled by most pilseners. Radeberger Pilsener – Radeberg 4.8% - A clean pilsener w/grassy notes in the body followed by a mildly bitter, yet crisp, clean finish. Erdinger Dunkelweizen – Erding 5.3% - Well-balanced and refreshing full-bodied dunkel-weizen. Touches of caramel, roasted malt sweetness, nuts, spice, and light fruit flavour (banana) blend in both aroma and flavour– 4.7% - Unpasteurized Maerzen w/a slightly sweet and spiced aroma which gives way to flavours of some malt andfruit sweetness. Finishes w/a touch of wheat tanginess. Not as malt-forward as other Maerzens Ayinger Oktoberfest – Aying 5.8% - This Maerzen is medium bodied w/flavours of caramel malt sweetness, bread/biscuit, and a subtle floral hop aroma. A beautifully well-crafted Maerzen from start to finish Warsteiner Oktoberfest – Warstein 5% - Well-balanced and mildly smooth, it has a slight nutty, toffee, malt body w/a touch of hops in the soft finish. Konig Ludwig Weiss – Kaltenberg – 5.5% - Hefeweizen w/notes of malt, wheat, and banana. The perfect introduction to the style Weihenstephaner Vitus – Weihenstephan 7.7% - Slightly spiced single bock wheat beer w/fruit aromas and flavours of apricot, banana, & citrus Weihenstephaner Hefe-Weissbier – Weihenstephan 5.4% - Beautiful wheat beer w/an aroma of clove and flavour of banana. Well-balanced and refreshing, this beer just may be the prime example of what other brewers should look up to when entertaining the style Spaten Oktoberfest – Munich 5.9% - Maerzen amber in colour w/a medium body boasting a roasted malt aroma and flavour Hofbrau Oktoberfest – Munich 6.3% - Rich, full-bodied beer w/notes of bread, malt sweetness, and a slight spice hint Neshaminy Creek Dunks Ferry 5.2% - Dunkelweizen brewed in Croydon, PA w/flavours of clove, banana, bread, &/a full-on delicious malt body to sweeten the pot . Ramstein Amber 5% - Amber lager brewed in Butler, NJ w/a rich malty aroma, smooth palate, and a spice-hop character -------------- Bottle Only Bavarian Beauties Apostelbrau First Bavarian Pale Ale – 5% -16.9Fl.Oz. – The 1st Bavarian pale ale brewed in the English tradition. An aroma of fruit w/an unfiltered malt body, and a fruity hop- spice finish Apostelbrau Historic Roggenbier – 5.3% -16.9Fl.Oz. – Rye beer w/hints of spice, a subtle malt sweetness, & dry finish. Ettaler Curator – 9% - 16.9Fl.Oz. Rich dopplebock wheat w/notes of fig, fruitcake, port, licorice, cherry, raisin, chocolate, toffee, coffee, & caramel. Whew! No doubt a sipper and the perfect bottle to split for dessert =================== Special thanks to my favorite beer website, BeerNexus.com , for joining with me in presenting this newsletter. If you like beer be sure to check out their great stories and news reports. For me it's the true crossroads of the beer world! Also take a look at my own column on BeerNexus. Thanks, and don't forget to say hello when you see me at Nik's Wunderbar! Prost! Matt Martinkovic |
| 454 Route 22nd West Whitehouse Station, NJ (908) 823-4308 |
| Matt's Newsletter - nikswunderbar@gmail.com |
The Best German Food And Beer Outside of Deutschland
