July FABTS Meeting Style of the Month - American Ales

July is American Beer Month (for obvious reasons), so the style will be American Ales.  This includes American Pale Ales, American Ambers, American IPA, even American-style Barleywines and American Wheat beers!   Below are the BJCP ale styles with "American" in the style name along with their commercial examples.

6. LIGHT HYBRID BEER
D. American Wheat or Rye
Commercial Examples: Bell's Oberon, Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen, Three Floyds Gumballhead, Pyramid Hefe-Weizen, Widmer Hefeweizen, Sierra Nevada Unfiltered Wheat Beer, Anchor Summer Beer, Redhook Sunrye, Real Ale Full Moon Pale Rye, Anderson Valley High Rollers Wheat Beer, O'Hanlon's Original Rye Beer

10. AMERICAN ALE
A. American Pale Ale
Commercial Examples: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Stone Pale Ale, Great Lakes Burning River Pale Ale, Bear Republic XP Pale Ale, Anderson Valley Poleeko Gold Pale Ale, Deschutes Mirror Pond, Full Sail Pale Ale, Three Floyds X-Tra Pale Ale, Firestone Pale Ale, Left Hand Brewing Jackman's Pale Ale, Pyramid Pale Ale

B. American Amber Ale
Commercial Examples: North Coast Red Seal Ale, Tröegs HopBack Amber Ale, Deschutes Cinder Cone Red, Pyramid Broken Rake, St. Rogue Red Ale, Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale, Lagunitas Censored Ale, Avery Redpoint Ale, McNeill's Firehouse Amber Ale, Mendocino Red Tail Ale, Bell's Amber, Hoptown Paint the Town Red

C. American Brown Ale
Commercial Examples: Bell's Best Brown, Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale, Big Sky Moose Drool Brown Ale, North Coast Acme Brown, Brooklyn Brown Ale, Lost Coast Downtown Brown, Left Hand Deep Cover Brown Ale, Great Lakes Cleveland Brown Ale, Avery Ellie's Brown Ale

13. STOUT
E. American Stout
Commercial Examples: Rogue Shakespeare Stout, Deschutes Obsidian Stout, Sierra Nevada Stout, North Coast Old No. 38, Bar Harbor Cadillac Mountain Stout, Avery Out of Bounds Stout, Lost Coast 8 Ball Stout, Mad River Steelhead Extra Stout, Three Floyds Black Sun Stout, Bell's Kalamazoo Stout, Mendocino Black Hawk Stout

14. INDIA PALE ALE (IPA)
B. American IPA
Commercial Examples: Bell's Two-Hearted Ale, AleSmith IPA, Russian River Blind Pig IPA, Stone IPA, Three Floyds Alpha King, Great Divide Titan IPA, Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA, Victory Hop Devil, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Anderson Valley Hop Ottin', Dogfish Head 60-minute IPA, Founder's Centennial IPA, Anchor Liberty Ale, Harpoon IPA, Avery IPA, Mendocino White Hawk Select IPA

19. STRONG ALE
C. American Barleywine
Commercial Examples: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, Great Divide Old Ruffian, Victory Old Horizontal, Rogue Old Crustacean, Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine, Bell's Third Coast Old Ale, Anchor Old Foghorn, Three Floyds Behemoth, Stone Old Guardian, Bridgeport Old Knucklehead, Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws, Lagunitas Olde GnarleyWine, Smuttynose Barleywine, Flying Dog Horn Dog, Brooklyn Monster Ale, Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot, Old Dominion Millennium, Left Hand Widdershins

June FABTS Meeting

We beat the heat on Saturday, 6/14/08 at Kybecca, with a few "Summer Beers!" So, what are summer beers? Lighter, crisper, and typically lower in alcohol so you can drink 'em all afternoon and stay upright. The best summer beers are custom-tailored for warmer weather. From wheat beers and fruit beers to summer ales and brisk lagers, we tasted a lot of what's out there. Beer list from the meeting. Sorry, I forgot to get who donated what.

• Blue and Gray Classic Lager
• Blue Moon Honey Moon Summer Ale
• Blue and Gray Virginia Hefeweizen
• Rogue MOM Hefeweizen
• Brooklyn Summer Ale
• Saranac Pomegranate Wheat
• Smuttynose Summer Weizen
• Magic Hat Circus Boy
• New Holland Zoomer Wit
• Mendocino Summer Ale
• Dogfish Head Festina Pêche
• Southern Tier Hop Sun
• Brooklyn Summer Ale
• Tröegs Sunshine Pils
• Old Dominion Beach House Golden Pilsener
• Clipper City Red Sky At Night
• Brasserie de Blaugies Saison De L'Epeautre

Somehow, Sierra Nevada Summerfest was conspicuously missing (I left it in my beer fridge...)

March FABTS Meeting

The March FABTS meeting will be on March 8th at 1:30PM at Bangkok Boulevard. The style for March is BJCP category English Pale Ale. Specifically, sub-categories 8A (Standard / Ordinary Bitter), 8B (Special / Best / Premium Bitter), and 8C (Extra Special / Strong Bitter). Below are the Overall Impressions and Commercial Examples from the BJCP style guide. I will update the FABTS beers when I hear what people are brining. As always, any style of homebrew is welcome and appreciated.


8. ENGLISH PALE ALE

8A. Standard/Ordinary Bitter
Overall Impression: Low gravity, low alcohol levels and low carbonation make this an easy-drinking beer. Some examples can be more malt balanced, but this should not override the overall bitter impression. Drinkability is a critical component of the style; emphasis is still on the bittering hop addition as opposed to the aggressive middle and late hopping seen in American ales.
Commercial Examples: Fuller's Chiswick Bitter, Adnams Bitter, Young's Bitter, Greene King IPA, Oakham Jeffrey Hudson Bitter (JHB), Brains Bitter, Tetley’s Original Bitter, Brakspear Bitter, Boddington's Pub Draught

FABTS Beers:
2 15oz Tetleys Bitter (widget in can) (Kevin B.)


8B. Special/Best/Premium Bitter
Overall Impression: A flavorful, yet refreshing, session beer. Some examples can be more malt balanced, but this should not override the overall bitter impression. Drinkability is a critical component of the style; emphasis is still on the bittering hop addition as opposed to the aggressive middle and late hopping seen in American ales.
Commercial Examples: Fuller's London Pride, Coniston Bluebird Bitter, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Adnams SSB, Young’s Special, Shepherd Neame Masterbrew Bitter, Greene King Ruddles County Bitter, RCH Pitchfork Rebellious Bitter, Brains SA, Black Sheep Best Bitter, Goose Island Honkers Ale, Rogue Younger’s Special Bitter

FABTS Beers:
2 15oz Ruddles County (Kevin B.)
1x 12oz Fuller's London Pride (Rob A.)
1x 19oz Bluebird Bitter (Kybecca)


8C. Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)
Overall Impression: An average-strength to moderately-strong English ale. The balance may be fairly even between malt and hops to somewhat bitter. Drinkability is a critical component of the style; emphasis is still on the bittering hop addition as opposed to the aggressive middle and late hopping seen in American ales. A rather broad style that allows for considerable interpretation by the brewer.
Commercial Examples: Fullers ESB, Adnams Broadside, Shepherd Neame Bishop's Finger, Young’s Ram Rod, Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery Pale Ale, Bass Ale, Whitbread Pale Ale, Shepherd Neame Spitfire, Marston’s Pedigree, Black Sheep Ale, Vintage Henley, Mordue Workie Ticket, Morland Old Speckled Hen, Greene King Abbot Ale, Bateman's XXXB, Gale’s Hordean Special Bitter (HSB), Ushers 1824 Particular Ale, Hopback Summer Lightning, Great Lakes Moondog Ale, Shipyard Old Thumper, Alaskan ESB, Geary’s Pale Ale, Cooperstown Old Slugger, Anderson Valley Boont ESB, Avery 14’er ESB, Redhook ESB

FABTS Beers:
2 15oz Old Speckled Hen (widget in can) (Kevin B.)
1x 12oz Old Speckled Hen (bottle) (Rob A.)
2X Welsh ESB 16oz (Lyle B.)
2X Fullers ESB 16oz (Lyle B.)
2X Bass 12oz (Lyle B.)
2X Sierra Nevada ESB 12oz (Lyle B.)
2X Whitbread 12oz (Lyle B.)
2X Fullers 1845 16oz (Lyle B.)
2x 15oz Greene King Abbot Ale (widget in can) (Rob A. and Scott F.)
1x 15oz Black Sheep Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale (Rob A.)
2x 12oz Lakefront (from Milwaukee) ESB (Scott F.)

2x 12oz Coopers Pale Ale (Kybecca)

1x 15oz Greene King Olde Suffolk English Ale (Old Ale) (Rob A.)
Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Pale Ale (Joe G.)
Redhook Copper Hook and/or ESB (Joe G.)

February FABTS Meeting - Strong Ales

The February FABTS meeting will be on February 9th at 1:30PM at Kybecca. The style for February is BJCP category Strong Ale. Specifically, sub-categories 19A (Old Ale), 19B (English Barleywine), 19C (American Barleywine), and one in the Scottish and Irish Ale category, subcategory 9E (Strong Scotch Ale). Below are the Overall Impressions and Commercial Examples from the BJCP style guide. I will update the FABTS beers when I hear what people are brining.

As always, any style of homebrew is welcome and appreciated.


Strong Ales

19A Old Ale
Overall Impression: An ale of significant alcoholic strength, bigger than strong bitters and brown porters, though usually not as strong or rich as barleywine. Usually tilted toward a sweeter, maltier balance. “It should be a warming beer of the type that is best drunk in half pints by a warm fire on a cold winter’s night” – Michael Jackson.
Commercial Examples: Gale’s Prize Old Ale, Burton Bridge Olde Expensive, Marston Owd Roger, J.W. Lees Moonraker, Harviestoun Old Engine Oil, Fuller’s Vintage Ale, Harvey’s Elizabethan Ale, Theakston Old Peculier (peculiar at OG 1.057), Young's Winter Warmer, Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild, Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome, Fuller’s 1845, Fuller’s Old Winter Ale, Great Divide Hibernation Ale, Hudson Valley Old Man Ale, Cooperstown Pride of Milford Special Ale, Coniston Old Man Ale, North Coast Old Stock Ale
FABTS Beers:

19B English Barleywine
Overall Impression: The richest and strongest of the English Ales. A showcase of malty richness and complex, intense flavors. The character of these ales can change significantly over time; both young and old versions should be appreciated for what they are. The malt profile can vary widely; not all examples will have all possible flavors or aromas.
Commercial Examples: Thomas Hardy’s Ale, Burton Bridge Thomas Sykes Old Ale, Robinson’s Old Tom, J.W. Lee’s Vintage Harvest Ale, Fuller’s Golden Pride, Young’s Old Nick (unusual in its 7.2% ABV), Whitbread Gold Label, Lakefront Beer Line, Heavyweight Old Salty
FABTS Beers:

19C American Barleywine
Overall Impression: A well-hopped American interpretation of the richest and strongest of the English ales. The hop character should be evident throughout, but does not have to be unbalanced. The alcohol strength and hop bitterness often combine to leave a very long finish.
Commercial Examples: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, Rogue Old Crustacean, Anchor Old Foghorn, Victory Old Horizontal, Brooklyn Monster Ale, Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine, Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale, Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot, Three Floyds Behemoth, Old Dominion Millennium, Stone Old Guardian, Bridgeport Old Knucklehead, Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws, Left Hand Widdershins
FABTS Beers:

9E Strong Scotch Ale
Overall Impression: Rich, malty and usually sweet, which can be suggestive of a dessert. Complex secondary malt flavors prevent a one-dimensional impression. Strength and maltiness can vary.
Commercial Examples: Traquair House Ale, Orkney Skull Splitter, McEwan's Scotch Ale, MacAndrew's Scotch Ale, Belhaven Wee Heavy, Broughton Old Jock, Scotch du Silly, Gordon Highland Scotch Ale, Founders Dirty Bastard
FABTS Beers:

January FABTS Meeting - Stouts

The January FABTS meeting is today, January 12th, at 1:30pm at Bangkok Boulevard in Central Park. The style of the month is Stouts.

For the benefit of the students in the BJCP class, this month's beer list is categorized by BJCP Style Guide. Categories for the individual beers were determined by Beer Advocate. I've included the Overall Impression and Commercial Examples from the style guide.

13. Stouts

13A. Dry Stout
Overall Impression:
A very dark, roasty, bitter, creamy ale.
Commercial Examples:
Guinness Draught Stout (also canned), Murphy's Stout, Beamish Stout, O’Hara’s Celtic Stout, Dorothy Goodbody’s Wholesome Stout, Orkney Dragonhead Stout, Brooklyn Dry Stout, Old Dominion Stout, Goose Island Dublin Stout, Arbor Brewing Faricy Fest Irish Stout
FABTS Beers:
2x 12 oz bottle Guinness Draught Stout - Lyle Brown
2x 12 oz bottle Beamish Stout - Lyle Brown
2x 12 oz bottle Murphy's Stout- Lyle Brown
2x 12 oz bottle O'hara's Celtic Stout - David Turley
2x 12 oz bottle Lakefront Brewing Snake Chaser Irish Style Stout - James Russ
1x 12 oz bottle Shipyard Brewing Bluefin Stout - James Russ
2x 12 oz bottle Dominion Oak Barrel Stout - David Turley

13B. Sweet Stout
Overall Impression:
A very dark, sweet, full-bodied, slightly roasty ale. Often tastes like sweetened espresso.
Commercial Examples:
Mackeson's XXX Stout, Watney's Cream Stout, St. Peter’s Cream Stout, Marston’s Oyster Stout, Samuel Adams Cream Stout, Left Hand Milk Stout
FABTS Beers:
2x 12 oz bottle Mackeson Triple XXX Stout - Joe Gherlone
2x 14.9 oz can Young's Double Chocolate Stout (actual chocolate in it) - Joe Gherlone
2x 12 oz bottle Lancaster Milk Stout - David Turley

13C. Oatmeal Stout
Overall Impression:
A very dark, full-bodied, roasty, malty ale with acomplementary oatmeal flavor.
Commercial Examples:
Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout, Young's Oatmeal Stout, Maclay’s Oat Malt Stout, Broughton Kinmount Willie Oatmeal Stout, Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout, Goose Island Oatmeal Stout, McAuslan Oatmeal Stout, McNeill’s Oatmeal Stout, Wild Goose Oatmeal Stout
FABTS Beers:
1x 18.7 oz bottle Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout - Joe Gherlone
2x 12 oz bottle Wild Goose Oatmeal Stout - James Russ
Growler Vintage 50 Oatmeal Stout (maybe) - Chuck Triplett

13D. Foreign Extra Stout
Overall Impression:
A very dark, moderately strong, roasty ale. Tropical varieties can be quite sweet, while export versions can be drier and fairly robust.
Commercial Examples:
Lion Stout (Sri Lanka), ABC Stout, Dragon Stout, Royal Extra “The Lion Stout” (Trinidad), Jamaica Stout, Guinness Extra Stout (bottled US product), Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (bottled, not sold in the US), Coopers Best Extra Stout, Freeminer Deep Shaft Stout, Sheaf Stout, Bell’s Double Cream Stout
FABTS Beers:
2x 12 oz bottle Guinness Extra Stout - Lyle Brown

13E. American Stout
Overall Impression:
A hoppy, bitter, strongly roasted Foreign-style Stout (of the export variety).
Commercial Examples:
Sierra Nevada Stout, North Coast Old No. 38, Avery Out of Bounds Stout, Three Floyds Black Sun Stout, Mad River Steelhead Extra Stout, Rogue Shakespeare Stout, Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout, Deschutes Obsidian Stout, Mendocino Black Hawk Stout
FABTS Beers:
2x 12 oz bottle Mendocino Black Hawk Stout - David Turley
2x 12 oz bottle Bell's Kalamazoo Stout - David Turley
2x 12 oz bottle Dogfish Head Chicory Stout - Dave Fredrickson

13F. Russian Imperial Stout
Overall Impression:
An intensely flavored, big, dark ale. Roasty, fruity, and bittersweet, with a noticeable alcohol presence. Dark fruit flavors meld with roasty, burnt, or almost tar-like sensations. Like a black barleywine with every dimension of flavor coming into play.
Commercial Examples:
Samuel Smith Imperial Stout, Courage Imperial Stout, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Rogue Imperial Stout, North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Stout, Victory Storm King, Bell’s Expedition Stout, Dogfish Head World Wide Stout, Thirsty Dog Siberian Night, Stone Imperial Stout, Avery The Czar, Founders Imperial Stout, Newport Beach John Wayne Imperial Stout, Great Lakes Blackout Stout
FABTS Beers:
2x 12 oz bottle Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout 07-08 (no actual chocolate in it) - Joe Gherlone
2x 12 oz bottle Bell's Java Stout - Scott Fisher


Homebrew
Pretty Heavy Pale Ale - Dave Fredrickson
Smoked Pumpkin Ale - Dave Fredrickson

Musings Over a Pint - Tommyknocker Imperial Nut Brown Ale

Local beer-drinker and FABTS member David Turley maintains a craft beer blog called Musings Over a Pint. I thought his article yesterday regarding a beer for our first snow was great and got me in the mood for a pint or two. The leadoff paragraph is below...

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We had our first snow fall of the season today. Nothing substantial, the ground covering didn't last the day, but it looked pretty none-the-less. In addition, the temperature is expected to be in the low 20's tonight. Seemed an apropos time to try out the Tommyknocker Imperial Nut Brown Ale I picked up last week. ...read more

Typical FABTS Meeting

Here's a typical FABTS meeting, especially when Dave Fredrickson attends.

December FABTS Meeting Beer List (Update 1)

The December FABTS meeting is coming up on December 8, 2007 at Kybecca. We have quite a list of beers going already. If you have anything to add, please let us know.

Lyle Brown
===================
Hook Norton 12 Days (Hook Norton Brewing Co. - Oxon, UK)
Jenlain Noël (Brasserie Duyck - Jenlain, France)
Fantome Speciale Noël (Brasserie Fantôme - Le Village de SOY, Belgium)
Oppigårds Winter Ale (Oppigårds Bryggeri - Hedemora, Sweden)
Nøgne-Ø Winter Ale (Nøgne-Ø Brewing Co. - Grimstad, Norway)
Corsendonk Christmas Beer (Brouwerij Corsendonk - Purnode-Yvoir, Belgium)

Dave Frederickson
===================
Mad Elf Holiday Ale (Troeg's Brewing Co. - Harrisburg, PA)

James Russ
===================
Pursuit of Happiness Winter Warmer (Clay Pipe Brewing Co. - Frederick, MD)
K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale (Flying Dog Brewery - Denver, CO & Frederick, MD)
Bad Elf Winter's Ale (Ridgeway Brewing Co. - Oxfordshire, UK)
Santa's Butt Winter Porter (Ridgeway Brewing Co. - Oxfordshire, UK)
Scaldis Noël (The Dubuisson Brewery - Pipaix, Belgium)
Smuttynose Winter Ale (Smuttynose Brewing Co. - Portsmouth, NH)
Roxy Rolles Winter Amber Seasonale (Magic Hat Brewing Co. - South Burlington, VT)
Odd Notion '07 (Magic Hat Brewing Co. - South Burlington, VT)
Santa's Private Reserve Ale (Rogue Brewing Co. - Newport, OR)
Celebration Ale (Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. - Chico, CA)
Abita Christmas Ale (Abita Brewing Co. - Abita Springs, LA)
Heavy Seas Winter Storm "Category 5 Ale" (Clipper City Brewing Co. - Baltimore, MD)
Delirium Noël (Brouwerij Huyghe - Melle, Belgium)
'06 Samichlaus Bier (Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg - Vorchdorf, Austria)

Scott Fisher
===================
Stoudt's Winter Ale (Stoudt’s Brewing Co. – Adamstown , PA )
Lump of Coal Dark Holiday Stout (Ridgeway Brewing – Oxfordshire , UK )

Rob Abbott
===================
1996 Samichlaus Bier (Brauerei Hürlimann AG -- Zurich, Switzerland)

*NOTE* - Hürlimann discontinued production of Samichlaus in 1996 when it was taken over by the Feldschlösschen Brewery. In the following years, many people clamoured for it and finally, in 2000, it returned, this time produced by Schloss Eggenberg.

October Meeting Notes - by Kevin Brown

1. Wiessen Brau
Or meadow brew as in the meadow in which Oktoberfest is held (supposedly also originally held) after many complaints from locals for a lighter more easily drunk beer some of the brewery’s have started to brew Wiessen Brau instead.

2. Höfbrau München (HB) - Donated by Kybecca
Joe - “Smell the aroma carefully. Sharp and pungent then immediately behind that, something like concord grapes, sweet like taste, Saaz.”
Dave - “Like a Heineken Plus.”
Joe - “That’s what Heineken is take the to the lowest common denominator and you get Heineken.”
Dave - “eh… I'm an ale guy.”

3. Weihenstaphaner Festbier
Hallertauer - more malt sweeter

4. Saranac Oktoberfest
Honey in the nose, toatsy and thin

5. Lancaster Oktoberfest
Diacetyl - Diacetyl is a product of yeast more so in lagers and the way you get rid of it is bring the temperature up to 60°F for two days and the yeast will consume a lot of the diacetyl.

6. Mendocino Oktoberfest
Very dry, like the way it pours, nice crowned head

7. Dominion Oktoberfest
Little old, roasted barley is obviously used to bring up the colour

8. Legend Oktoberfest - Donated by Kybecca
Dave - “I note something about diacytel, its got ass right in the middle of it."
Kevin - “When diacytel is really strong like this it kind of reminds me of strawberries and cream, like the fake flavour used in processed food."

9. Blue and Grey Oktoberfest
It's an old bottle when fresh this years was amazing, but this was a disappointment.

10. Stoudt’s Oktoberfest
It's decocted (take the thickest part of the mash and boil it and throw it back into the kettle, this converts a portion of the sugars to malliard browning reactions.
Dave - "Man that’s good shit."

11. Dogfish Head Dogtoberfest
Very nice, honey

12. Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest
All Hallertauer, identifiable as the Märzen

13. Paulaner
The malty cousin of Hacker-Pschorr with very similar flavours.
Joe - “Very nice.”

14. Spaten Oktoberfest

15. Clipper City Balto MärzHon
Acetalaldehyde (green apple) and a lot of acetone.
Dave - “Asselaldahyde, Assetlyahyde!"

16. Bell ’s Oktoberfest
Lyle “2nd best made in America. I say 2nd because Victory Festbier is first.”

17. Victory Festbier
Toast not roast. It got a gold in Vienna category.
The depth there... that’s the decocotion. It gives such a depth that it shows dramatically the significance of decoction.

** Other discussions **
Schneider und Sohn is the first non-Royal brewery allowed to brew wheat beers as before only royalty could brew with wheat, (Hopfen Weiss by Brooklynn and Schneider, but its for a very specific tongue you either love or hate it, very hoppy and very phenolic.)

Biergarten in Portsmouth has Eisbock on tap (the Aventinus Eisbock is where they take their weizenbock and freeze it removing the ice from the beer thus concentrating the flavor and alc % )

There are three main stays for supplies: B3 or Beer Beer and More Beer (www.morebeer.com), www.Williamsbrewing.com, and Homebrew USA (this one is for those events “oops I brew tomorrow and I need this”). A few others such as Northern Brewer and My Local Homebrew Shop (in DC 7 corners).

5th Annual Blue & Gray Octoberfest

On Saturday September 29th, Blue and Gray Brewing Company of Fredericksburg, VA held their 5th annual Octoberfest. And while the Bowman Center in Fredericksburg can't match the atmosphere of "die Wiesn" in Munich, it was a great gathering.

The historical background: the first Oktoberfest was held in the year 1810 in honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities began on October 12, 1810 and ended on October 17th with a horse race.

In the following years, the celebrations were repeated and, later, the festival was prolonged and moved forward into September. By moving the festivities up, it allowed for better weather conditions. Because the September nights were warmer, the visitors were able to enjoy the gardens outside the tents and the stroll over “die Wiesen” or the fields much longer without feeling chilly. Historically, the last Oktoberfest weekend was in October and this tradition continues into present times.

The Blue and Gray Octoberfest started the first year I moved to the region, 2002. Some of the mainstays have been at the festival since the beginning. Beer, Brats and Bavarian music. The beers this year were all of the normal Fredericksburg Brewing Company line of beers, Fred Red, Falmouth American Pale Ale, the Classic Lager and Stonewall Stout. I sampled the American Pale Ale. The hop character hits you right away with this beer. I think it's a little overpowering. The Fred Red has a malty sweetness and little hop flavor. I talked with some of the brewers there and they say that they make a 50/50, Half Falmouth, half Fred Red to balance out the flavor.

They had a little bit of the Hefeweizen left but that was tapped out in the first half hour. The other two specialty beers were a Baron von Steuben Oktoberfest lager and a Temporary Insanity Imperial Stout. The Oktoberfest was brewed back in February and has been lagering since then. It has a dark amber color and caramel malty flavor. As it warmed up I noticed hints of chestnuts. The beer drinks as smooth as milk with the bitterness hitting your tongue at the end. A very good Fest.

The Temporary Insanity Imperial Stout poured an opaque black with a tan head. The beer was medium-bodied and its mouth feel was a little thin for the style. But the beer had a great taste of coffee and bittersweet chocolate. Due to its 11% ABV you felt every swallow of beer on its way to the stomach. Very nice.

The entertainment provided was what you expect at Oktoberfest. German band "The Low N Brows" provided enough polka and waltzes for the crowd to get into the groove and played the "Ein Prosit" German drinking song enough to get the author thoroughly buzzed in the few hours we were there. The Spotsylvania Sheriff's K-9 Department also put on a demonstration of their tracking abilities. I knew I had had enough when I started heckling a cop. Cut me off!

The crowd at the festival was very jovial and was still having a good time when I left. Congratulations to the Blue and Gray Brewing Company for putting on a great Oktoberfest.