Friday, January 31, 2025
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Brew Review – Oktoberfest at Stormhouse Brewing


It’s the best time of the year again, Oktoberfest! And in true Oktoberfest fashion, pretty much every brewery had their parties starting in early September.

Sausages of an indeterminate origin! Questionable use of lederhosen! Painful looking stein holding competitions that I have no desire to participate in!

And beer, glorious, glorious beer served in liter steins.

As an aside, as much as I love having a liter of beer, I realized that a liter for me is now ‘one and done.’ I can be offered a second liter, and I can start it, but I can’t finish it.

Which is how I knew I needed to slow down when I went to the recent Stormhouse Brewing Oktoberfest event.

I was not expecting there to be a craft fair, but there was. I am seriously hoping that the sourdough starter that I purchased (Which we have lovingly named Wilheim because reasons) will make it successfully.

To be honest, an Oktoberfest is partially as good as its food, and Chef Ray is just a bit on the insanely good side. He was telling us that he would trade recipes with his German neighbors while growing up in New York.

It’s very obvious, the sausages were all absolutely amazing, the sauerbraten was nice and flaky and buttery smooth, and the spaetzel beside it was to die for. I think we all also liked the schnitzel, perfectly cooked, nice and juicy, tender and flavorful.

Of course we are here for the beer, but before starting on the traditionals at the insistence of Stormhouses owner and friend to the blog Josh Brinzo, I had to start with the Helles (Helles, 4.8% ABV, 18 IBU).

It’s what he has been drinking quite a bit of recently, and I can definitely see why. It is light and buoyant, with a beautifully moderate yellow color and a very bright, lemony, and almost wheat ale-like aroma. There’s definitely less of the wheat and more of a quality golden malt in the flavor, and it’s got all of the biscuity bright goodness of a classic Helles with very little bitterness to be had.

The other beer of note to start with was what my wife went for, Resting Witch Face (Pumpkin Ale, 6% ABV, 15 IBU).

This is the other prerequisite beer style of the season, your pumpkin ale. And this beer was a massive beast I did not expect. Usually with a pumpkin ale you tend to get a brown ale with some pumpkin spices. Apparently Josh’s brother Christian, the brewmaster at Stormhouse, used an insane amount of actual pureed pumpkin along with whole spices, most of which did not make it out of the kettle.

So what you get is a deep brown and incredibly chewy drinking experience. It’s very heavy, in both the bold vegetative pumpkin notes and absolutely resplendent pumpkin spices, both of which are in bigger amounts than you can shake a stick at. It’s not a light and easy drinking beer; this is an experience in a pint glass and is to die for. Very desserty and very rich.

Of course it’s time to go to the main event beer, and of course the question I always ask is “Are they going Festbier or Marzen?” Stormhouse Oktoberfest (Marzen, 6% ABV, 20 IBU) went Marzen.

This slightly caramel malt explosion had a great light brown color with just a moderate amount of sweetness and very low earthy hops in the back. It still maintains a lighter mouthfeel and just a touch of richness, but it ended up being a very easy to drink and yet quite tasty beer. Very much a simple and easy to liter beer, perfect for the style and for the event.

Is this going to be my first marzen of the season? Actually, it was. Will it be my last? Absolutely not. It’s one of my absolute favorite styles and, since everybody goes all in with the style at this time of year, I will as well.

Thank you so much to Stormhouse for your amazing hospitality. I definitely need to get another plate of that schnitzel and spaetzel soon. Maybe I’ll even get a liter stein of the marzen this time.

Drink Florida Craft,

Dave
@floridabeerblog
[email protected]

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