Ryan Cashman

Chances are you’ve shared in this feeling – the feeling of warmth and comfort, like being hugged by a large, benevolent teddy bear as you drift off into a peaceful, undisturbed sleep in front of a roaring fire. If you’ve had that feeling, then you know it happens every time you crack open a Sam Adams Octoberfest (OFest) and take that first swig. It does for me, anyway.

This is a fierce exaggeration, but I can’t help feeling that this beer is a liquified hug. And that’s what you want in autumn, isn’t it?

Unlike the hop-heavy, tart IPAs mentioned in past issues, OFest is all about malts. Many grains have been used in the long history of beer, but barley is the overall grain of choice. The process of malting barley involves soaking the grains, allowing them to germinate and then roasting them. The depth of the roasting dictates the type of beer being made. A lightly roasted malt will yield pale beers like pilsners. A darker roast, a darker beer, i.e., stouts and porters.

OFest is in the style of the German Marzen, an amber lager with a smooth, sweet finish. The malts used here are on the darker side of a golden roast, which is the heat realm between light and dark. Traditionally – as far back as 1810, when Oktoberfest was started to celebrate the wedding of Munich’s crown prince – Marzen was served in elaborately decorated steins designed to celebrate the history of the Bavarian region of Germany. Today, you are more likely to find it bottled or canned. If it’s on tap, it’s going into a glass tankard.

Here in the States, we celebrate seasons and festivals in our own, uniquely American way. We blend elements of our immigrant ancestors with American ingenuity. We create seasons within seasons, honoring cultures and traditions from across the globe. OFest is only available from late August to November. That limited window of availability makes it special. It’s celebrating the arrival of a new season.

Sam Adams has ritualized beer in a sense. With 20-plus beers brewed under its banner, the craft mammoth has drinks honoring seasons, history and lifestyles. The company’s size and influence has alienated some truly committed craft beer drinkers. For me, though, Sam Adams created my bar of standards. Now, I’ve had plenty beers that have raised that bar or vaulted over it completely. Yet, there is something comforting about going back to where you started. It’s like coming home to that fire and that hug. It may not be groundbreaking, but it’ll always be good.