Brew Q&A: Oktoberfest

Fall is just around the corner, and with it comes a seasonal favorite: Oktoberfest. Odell Brewing Company is looking forward to sharing its version, created by Head Brewer Bill Beymer and the rest of the brewing team. He chatted about the concept and the final product in this month’s Brew Q&A. We can smell the malt and bratwursts already.

Q: What was your role in creating this year’s Oktoberfest?

A: It’s my recipe, but I had some guidance from [Production Manager] Brendan McGivney on developing it. We’ve had demand for it in previous years, but with the new brew house being dialed in we thought it would be a great time to brew it. We wanted to brew a German-style Oktoberfest in our new German brew house.

Q: How does this brew differ from our past Oktoberfest releases?

A: We’ve done it on a small scale, usually 5-6 barrels, every year on the pilot system. But this time we brewed 300 barrels. It’s one of the first beers that we’ve done on the big system that we won’t be bottling. It’s draft only; it’s going to be available for about a month, and then it’s probably going to be gone until next year.

Q: What sets our Oktoberfest apart from others?

A: Normally when we do a beer there is that Odell influence—we put a lot of hops into it. This time we didn’t. We decided to go with a traditional malt-forward beer, so we used German malts for the main backbone. I think one thing people will find with our beers is that they are very balanced. It’s a very smooth, malty beer.

Q: Do you have any food pairing recommendations?

A: A bratwurst would be great with it. Bratwurst and pretzels.

Oktoberfest will be released in the taproom during our Oktoberfest celebration Sunday, Sept. 28. We will also be featuring it at the following events:

• Sept. 11: Tap takeover at Black Orchid Lounge in El Paso, TX
• Sept. 12: Oktoberfest kick-off party at Chester’s Kitchen in Rochester, MN
• Sept. 13: Oktoberfest celebration in downtown Breckenridge, CO
• Sept. 19: Oktoberfest celebration at Lowry Beer Garden in Denver, CO
• Sept. 27: Tapping at House of Brews in Gilbert, AZ

See a full list of events here.

Want to learn more about your favorite Odell beer? E-mail us a Brew Q&A request!