Oktoberfest Grand Champion Beer Crowned Last Night at the Fly Bar
A sampling of the Fly Bar Oktoberfest sampling that occurred last night here in Denton, Texas. Seasons change, beers change. Go with the flow.
The Results Are In
Last night at the Fly Bar, we were able to sample a few of the dozens of Oktoberfest beers readily available in North Texas, and the new Fly Bar Grand Champion Oktoberfest went to, no big surprise, a German beer.
I have been sampling the 2016 Oktoberfest beers for a few weeks now, and I have to say of all the seasonal “varietals,” the attempts and successful Oktoberfests are my favorite varietal flavor. It’s probably the fact that October is my birthday month, a month of undeniable change in North Texas and now a month to remember what was happening just a year ago – and not forget.
Although birthday number 55, double nickels, was yesterday, I feel like a one-year-old in so many ways. It’s impossible to tell whether this website adventure will exist, whether I, whether we will exist in four more years, BUT it is a great feeling to celebrate the distance of a year away from cancer (all clear now) and the scorched earth treatments that seemed to go on forever (along with the side effects). Time seemed to move so incredibly slow through those days, and now, merely a year later, it seems like a single moment in time long ago. Strange how time changes fractionally as we age, isn’t it?
Want to check out a destination microbrewery that is an easy drive from Dallas or Fort Worth? How about hitting the Whistle Post or the distillery (side-by-side) in Pilot Point, Texas? And it is so close to the world famous carp flats of Lake Ray Roberts.
Back to beer. Locally, I managed to get to the new microbrewery in Pilot Point, TX, last Sunday to sample their Oktoberfest. It was good to get out, tour the new brewery and visit with friends and brewers. Their Oktoberfest will probably be better next year, but they’re off to a good start. These really are heady times for Texas microbrews … I never thought I would see the day (Texas had so many micros popping up everywhere)!
I would say the competition was serious for the Grand Champion this year, but it was really an excuse to try about ten different varieties this month, and those that didn’t make it to last night were already eliminated.
Our winner of the first ever FBGC Oktoberfest is one that future competitors will always be measured against, as has been the case long before this contest was ever a gleam in my eye. The Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen ran away with the informal voting and never looked back. Since when have we known Germans to look back anyway? This has the solid, clean crisp taste of a finely crafted beer, but with a taste honoring the name. Nothing left behind, to stick to your gums, and when it’s gone, you just know it’s right.
The US versions of Oktoberfest beers seem to go out of their way to try hard and leave an impression. That can be good, and it can be bad. But we do need to give a shout out to two “US Fests” that fall into that category; the Left Hand and Saint Arnold Oktoberfests are two that sum up the difference between the German’s take and our take on Oktoberfest. These two are beers that would probably make Germans turn their noses up, but they’re what most North Americans think of when they think of the taste of Oktoberfest – and these two are better than average.
Thanks for reading. If you have an Oktoberfest recommendation, feel free to chime in! It is still October after all.
Category: Culture on the Skids, Eating and Drinking
