Enbeerment’s Oktoberfestbier of the Week (2020): Oktoberfest Bier by Golden Road/Spaten

First off, let me address the elephant in the room by saying that yes, this is a post about Golden Road and their collaboration with Spaten. Yes, both are under the AB-InBev portfolio. If one has a problem with this for whatever reason, you may click away. But, I hope you stay.

Now, let’s get on with the post. Our final Oktoberfestbier for this year comes to us from Golden Goad in collaboration with Spaten, Oktoberfest Bier.

Spaten is one of the six original breweries in Munich that can serve their Festiber at Oktoberfest at the festival grounds. We are all aware of the famous wedding between Prince Ludwig Princess Therese In October of 1810 that serves as one of the reasons for the modern-day Oktoberfest celebrations. But the modern Märzen style has a strong connection with Spaten. This collaboration with Golden Road is yet another winner for the historic brewery.

In 1833, Gabriel Sedlmayr II of Spaten and brewing colleague Anton Dreher from Vienna traveled to England to learn about new malting techniques. Legend has it they used a hollowed-out cane to swipe some wort for analysis. While this is probably true, the new malting techniques were more valuable than any wort they might have siphoned off. Each brewer got to work.

Sedlmayr released a Märzen in 1841 using the Munich Malt he developed and Dreher released a similar beer using Vienna Malt some months later. One year later, in 1842, Josef Groll released a Pilsner out of the city of Pilsen in modern-day Czechia. In 1872, Gabriel’s brother Joseph Sedlmayr of Franziskaner released an Ur- Märzen in the year 1872 after using the best of both worlds (Märzen and Vienna) and an influence of the popular pale lager. This beer resembles our modern-day Märzen. As of 1922, Franziskaner merged to become part of Spaten.

Today, Golden Road has many pubs and has seen much growth since becoming part of AB-InBev. Although, it can be argued that their success and popularity would have happened anyway because of the talent on the brew-deck. Award-winning brewers Victor Novak and his right-hand man Steven Torres can usually be found in Anaheim and sometimes in Huntington Beach (HB). Novak had a heavy hand in generating the recipe for this beer. A legend in the beer industry, Novak shows his masterful gift in this beer.

Amber in color, clear with a beautiful cap of foam. The aromas are toasty with rich toffee and sweet bread. On the palate, this beer is malty and chewy, yet balanced with enough bitterness to keep it from cloying. A lovely example of a Märzen! Pick some up before they’re gone.

Visit Golden Road Anaheim: 2210 E Orangewood Ave.

Visit Golden Road HB: 16390 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 100

Or, on the Web.

Prost! 

Gilbert “Charlie” Perez, Advanced Cicerone®

Enbeerment’s Oktoberfestbier of the Week (2020): Maß Effect by GameCraft

It may be towards the end of Oktober, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have new Oktoberfestbier’s, right? There have been some breweries that have been notably absent this year (for reasons we are all aware of) with a Märzen/Festbier. Coming off an impressive Silver Medal win at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) for Umbeereon (Schwarzbier), we can cross one off the list with GameCraft finally releasing their version. Maß Effect is our Oktoberfestbier of the week.

First off, let’s clarify what that “ß” is in the name. The Eszett (ß) is pronounced as an “ss” and the word “Maß” essentially means, as a noun, a measure of one liter of beer and is often referred to as the one-liter dimpled mugs associated with the festival (Krüge, or jugs, is another name they go by). The name is of course of play on the popular video game series Mass Effect.

The beer is a copper Märzen with some Festbier qualities. Toasty and pleasant on the palate with a soft biscuit note and a bit of a bitter finish that’s more suggestive of a Festbier. Good balance of malt and hops with a touch of a tree fruit note that doesn’t hurt the beer in my eyes. It is easy to drink and looks beautiful in the 1L Krüge.

Andrew Moy (Head Brewer) and Mike Ewoldt (Assistant Brewer) keep improving and impressing me with their ales but especially their lagers. Add to that the aforementioned GABF win for a lager. At this rate, I may need to move closer, so I have more of their tasty creations. Keep up the great work, fellas!

Visit GameCraft in Laguna Hills at 23301 Avenida De La Carlota, Suite C, or on the web, Instagram, and Facebook.

Prost!

Gilbert “Charlie” Perez, Advanced Cicerone®

Barrel & Stave: Pour Yourself Something Good!

Barrel & Stave Pour House

When I first heard about the plans Chris Gayer and Chris White had for a taphouse, I was not surprised. You may remember them from the BrewHaHa festivals as the guys in the cigar tent (Golden State Cigars), but they also gave us Wild Barrel in our southern neighboring county. I wonder how many out there were aware of that one. Coming off the success of them bringing us Wild Barrel with “Dr.” Bill Sysak, Chris² were confident in their ambition. A pour-yourself concept in Downtown Fullerton? Well, they did it and it’s awesome!

The pour house has 32 self-pour faucets powered by iPourIt. The system is well integrated and installed so long as you pull the handle and close it properly, the beers flow nicely. Along the wall of faucets, you’ll find a plethora of hard-to-find brews (IPA’s Hazy’s, etc…), particularly those from producers from Northern California. It seems that will be the norm for the foreseeable future. There are also a few wines for you to try on draught plus an impressive variety of to-go cans and bottles.

To-Go Cooler.
Photo by Barrel and Stave, used with permission.

From the moment you walk in, you know you’re not at a standard bar from Fullerton. A spacious and well-lit atmosphere sets up the mood for a beer-tasting experience. Plenty of glassware is available to accommodate your tasting needs. From taster glasses for multiple pours at once to a tall Pilsner glass for a full easy-drinking lager.

As of this post, the food you can order is from Garcia’s (located a short walking distance away) and is delivered upon ordering. Garcia’s set-up a taco-stand on Tuesday’s and they are wonderful. On Sunday’s, I am fond of their breakfast burrito that goes well with a fruited tart beer that should nearly always be on draught. The saltiness will tone down the acidity and bring out any sweetness left from the fruit while the flavors add a sauce-like complexity. The remaining acidity cuts the unctuousness and savory meat leaving your palate ready for the next bite.

Breakfast Burrito from Garia's.

After the Sunday morning sports season is over, brunch will take its place with some special drinks and of course breakfast provided by Garcia’s. I’m looking forward to that!

Visit them in the SOCO District of Downtown Fullerton at Malden Station. Park at the Metrolink structure (FREE!) and walk over next door to 250 W Santa Fe Ave, Suite 20, and check out their Website, Instagram, and Facebook.

Cheers!

Gilbert “Charlie” Perez, Advanced Cicerone®

Enbeerment’s Oktoberfestbier of the Week (2020): Funfest - Bronze Medal Winner - by Bootlegger’s Brewery

We have a winner!

Bootlegger’s, Fullerton’s first and currently only brewery, brought home a bronze medal at this year’s Great American Beer Festival (GABF). The hardware was awarded to Funfest, their Festbier style lager that has recently become a year-round production beer due to its popularity. Good things happen when you make the same beer time and time again. Funfest is our Oktoberfestbier of the week.

Funfest pours out golden in color with a rich white cap of foam. Made in the style that’s served at the festival since about 1990, Festbiers are essentially an amped-up Helles-Style Lager. They differ from the Märzen which are copper in color and are much toastier in flavor and aroma. Funfest has aromas of rich cereals and grass. On the tongue, the beer imparts a biscuit and light toasty malt character with some bitter flowers on the finish.

Bootlegger’s was the first craft brewery I walked into when they are about 6 months young. I walked into the industrial warehouse-style building with my dad. Aaron Barkenhagen was sitting on the steps of his 7-barrel brewhouse and simply says, “Hi… you two thirsty?” I find out he’s the owner and his wife, Patricia, was walking around with their firstborn. Months later, the place is packed to the gills with beer enthusiasts. Fast-forward from 2006 to now and Boots has a production facility and a larger tasting room in Fullerton, plus two other locations in Costa Mesa and Redlands, and a handful of GABF medals.

Congratulations Aaron, Patricia, Robert Margalis (Head Brewer), and the entire Boots Crew on the Funfest bronze medal win!

Visit, web, Instagram, and Facebook:

Bootlegger’s Brewery (Fullerton) – 130 S Highland Ave, Fullerton
Bootlegger’s Brewery (Costa Mesa) – 696 Randolph Ave, Suite B, Costa Mesa
Bootlegger’s Brewery (Redlands) – 2351 W Lugonia Ave, #G, Redlands

Prost!

Gilbert “Charlie” Perez, Advanced Cicerone®

GABF 2020 OC Winners!

There were plenty of newcomers and some very pleasant surprises. With the judging circumstances this year, it was to be expected that we have such a diverse range of winners along with some very notable snubs. There’s always next year. Congratulations to all the hardware winners! (For a complete list, click here.)

OC is always a winner in my book. There was a strong showing for our little group of brewers with 12 total awards. And the winners are…

Gold:

Coffee Stout of Porter: Super Tonic, Docent Brewing, San Juan Capistrano (75 Entries)

Session India Pale Ale: Hefty Fee, Docent Brewing, San Juan Capistrano (94 Entries)

Other Strong Beer: Rico, Chihuahua Cerveza, Costa Mesa (82 Entries)

English-Style Brown Ale: Get Up Offa That Brown, Golden Road, Anaheim (55 Entries)

Belgian-Style Specialty Ale: Tangible Passion, RIIP Beer Co., Huntington Beach (47 Entries) 

-5 Total Gold Medals-


Silver:

Coffee Beer: Golden Stout, Karl Strauss, Anaheim (72 Entries) 

Coffee Stout or Porter: The Riizzo, RIIP Beer Co., Huntington Beach (75 Entries)

American-Style Black Ale or American-Style Stout: Black the Riipper, RIIP Beer Co., Huntington Beach (69 Entries)

-3 Total Silver Medals-

Bronze:

Fruited American-Style Sour Ale: Summer Sun, Stereo Brewing, Placentia (180 Entries)

Wood-and Barrel-Aged Beer: B. A. Dunkel, TAPS Brewery & Barrel Room, Tustin (65 Entries) 

Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest: Funfest, Bootlegger’s Brewery, Fullerton (90 Entries) 

German Dark Lager: Umbeereon, GameCraft Brewing, Laguna Hills (98 Entries)

-4 Total Bronze Medals-

Cheers!

Gilbert “Charlie” Perez, Advanced Cicerone®

Enbeerment’s Oktoberfestbier of the Week (2020): Festbier by Green Cheek

To say that I wasn’t excited for Green Cheek to release a Festbier would be a lie. Talented brewers producing classic styles, especially lager styles, is very exciting to the beer community. With the current trend for hazy and seltzer, it is refreshing (pun intended) to see these malty lagers accurately represented in Orange County. Festbier by Green Cheek is Enbeerment’s Oktoberfestbier of the Week

Comparable to the Helles Lager, but amped up with more bready and grassy notes, and a touch more bitterness. Green Cheek’s Festbier is rich in malt notes of toasted biscuits, wet hay, sweet flowers, and a snappy herbal character. The beer finishes dry with a bit of a bitterness that tones down any lingering doughy sweetness that may want to creep back up. Clean lager taste.

The Festbier style is what has been served at Oktoberfest in Munich since about 1990 in place of the richer, more malt driven Märzen. Although these beers are paler in color, they still fit perfectly as the replacement to Märzen at the festival.

Pick up a 4-pack and pour a couple into your Green Cheek branded 1L Mass to enjoy the cooler evenings (well, cooler by OC’s standard). Pair with your favorite Bavarian comfort food and enjoy the night.

Green Check is located at: 2294 N Batavia St, Suite C, Orange AND 2957 Randolph Ave, Unit B, Costa Mesa, or on the Web, Facebook, and Instagram.

Prost!

Gilbert “Charlie” Perez, Advanced Cicerone®

Enbeerment’s Oktoberfestbier of the Week (2020): Festbier Ja! by Brewery X

Continuing from last week’s kickoff of Oktoberfest focused beers until the end of this month, we travel up La Palma Ave a bit for our next lagerbier. We arrive at Brewery X, the striking and almost unfathomably popular brewery that is celebrating its 1st year since it officially began pouring beer. One of the beers that was available shortly after opening was briefly flowing once again. Festbier, Ja! is our Oktoberfestbier of the week.

During their Oktoberfest and 1st Year Anniversary combo celebration the last weekend of September, Festbier, Ja! flowed so much the draught version unfortunately no longer available. But, as of this post, packed six-packs are available to take home. It is unfortunate you can’t enjoy this on draught out in their spacious biergarten, but there’s plenty of Stein Me Up, their Helles Lager which serves as a great substitute for on-site enjoyment.

The beer is one of the few local examples of the Festbier style. Not to be confused with the Märzen style, Festbier is more golden in color and a bit less on the toasty notes you’ll find in the darker malty lagerbier. Festbier, Ja! is perhaps slightly too pale gold, but I won’t knock it too much for that. The aromas are that of light toast, and a bit floral with notes of biscuits, rich cereal with honey, and a touch of grass on the palate with a lingering bitterness to prevent the finish from being overly sweet.

Brewery X is in Anaheim located at 3191 E La Palma Ave, or on-line (Website, Facebook, Instagram).

Prost!

Gilbert “Charlie” Perez, Advanced Cicerone®