As I flip my calendar over to September and that evening nip in the air reminds me summer is over (although the days are still quite lovely), I find myself contemplating the coming season’s beer happenings. Having been out of town for much of the spring and summer, I am looking forward to being anchored in town for the fall, despite the shorter days and cooler weather. However, there seems to be much happening to keep me in beer and busy over the coming weeks.
It seems two Alberta breweries are going German this fall with their latest seasonals, and a couple of interesting beer events are on offer as well.
September 8: Alley Kat is releasing both its latest big bottle release, Red Dragon Double IPA, and its fall seasonal, which is the return of Ein Prosit! Oktoberfest. I remember having Ein Prosit! a number of years ago and absolutely loving it. At the time it was the only Oktoberfest style available in town and I appreciated its bready malt. Very curious to see how it turns out this year. Plus any time of year is the right time for a Double IPA.
September 8: The same day down the Queen E. highway, Wild Rose is releasing their latest seasonal – a Marzen (for all intents and purposes an Oktoberfest by its spring name…). It will be a limited release, so I suspect you will have to be in Calgary to sample any of it. I wonder why they are calling it a Marzen instead of an Oktoberfest? I know some argue there are differences between the two, but for my money they are so similar as to be twins.
September 24: SHA-BAM returns! This (now) annual fundraiser for the Kidney Foundation, which is a blend of craft beer tasting and local artists, returns to the Mayfield Conference Centre. It is one-night only this year to concentrate the beer-y goodness. I am also told they are expanding it slightly to include other craft brewers from the prairies and Yukon (sounds a lot like the subject of onbeer.org…), so expect to see Yukon Brewing and hopefully Half Pints there in addition to our Alberta friends. Serving is from 5-10 pm. Tickets are $20 in advance/$25 at the door. Get them on line at the Kidney Foundation website (see above link). And remember, kids, this is for charity so round up a few friends and buy lots of tickets!
October 16: The latest Urban Diner Beer Dinner takes place, with an added twist this time. The featured beer will be Sherbrooke Liquor Store specialties, including Heatseeker and Bad Hare Day. The menu is still being planned, but they promise to incorporate the beer into the dishes, as usual. The added feature is that the evening will start with Sherbooke’s two efforts at spirits. Samples of their 13-year-old rum and their Jack Daniels cask whiskey will be served as a welcome. Tickets are $69 and available at Urban Diner on 109 Street.
September 6, 2011 at 11:53 PM
I am excited about the Marzen’s being released. One thing Jason could you post something about the Marzen/Oktoberfest name differences. In all my years of beer geekiness this is the first I have heard of it. I always thought the name was interchangeable and just checked my Iphone BJCP app and it states the same.
The spring beer German beer that I know is a Mai Bock.
September 7, 2011 at 9:12 AM
Hoser,
To clarify, Marzen and Oktoberfest most argue that the name difference is a result of differing traditions in regions of Germany. Historically some named the beer after the date it was released (Oktober – this is back when Oktoberfest was actually IN October), and some after the date it was first brewed (March). The beer was normally lagered in cellars over the summer.
However, I have read some sources that argue that there is more than name differences between the regions, and that there were also slight differences in method and recipe, creating slightly different profiles. This may be historically accurate, but my opinion is that any variation between the regions could just as easily be subsumed under “interpretations” of the same style.
My shorthand comment about it was intended to convey that – but clearly because it lacked sufficient detail may have created confusion.
I hope this clarifies things.
Jason
September 12, 2011 at 6:29 AM
I remember reading that it was too warm to brew beer in the summer, so they would make this stronger beer in March to lager all summer and be ready to drink in the fall (October – which coincided with the time that they could start brewing fresh beer again).
September 12, 2011 at 4:03 PM
Chad, you are right. That is one of the reasons for it. However, given that Oktoberfest is traditionally 5.5% or so – only a few fractions of a percent higher than the regular lager – I can’t imagine it made THAT much of a difference. Still, it is part of the history.