Elusive Oktoberfest

Homebrewing is an awesome hobby. Like cooking your own meals or making wine, you get to experience the results of your burgeoning talents. It takes time - an all-grain beer might take 6 hours to brew. It takes work - cleaning equipment, kegs, or bottles can seem never-ending. It takes strength - lifting a five gallon fermenter or keg is heavier than you think. It takes patience - really good beer simply takes time.

In a world wracked with COVID, what more could a person wish for these days!

To celebrate the Oktoberfest season - and especially because the 2020 Munich Oktoberfest was cancelled - I tried my hand at the style. Here's a look just prior to packaging, the pour after the final hydrometer reading for the finishing gravity check. Initial impressions are favorable, with the malt-forward characteristics and moderate hop bitterness inherent to the style.

It's even better when my most important judge - my wife - takes a sip, pauses for only a moment, and says, "that's really good."

Now, we just need September 19th to roll around.

Prost!