What makes it special: We teased you with an American Vienna Marzen (aka Oktoberfest) style beer a few months back. Now it’s time for the real thing: the Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest, the original beer of its kind. The world’s most famous beer party started out as a relatively modest royal wedding celebration in 1810 and, according to legend, because of the quality of the newly created beer expanded to a multi-day Teutonic rave. Hacker- Pschorr was the brewery tapped long ago to brew this distinctive beer for the party and that tradition continues today. It still serves beer in the fest’s massive beer tents. The key to the Oktoberfest style of beer is its drinkability: a precise balancing act between malty sweetness, bitterness, and alcohol designed to keep the engine humming smoothly.
In the bottle: Brilliant amber color. Caramel, brown sugar, lemon, spice and cereal aromas. A round smooth entry leads to a dryish, tangy medium body, with butterscotch, cocoa-dusted citrus, nuts and delicate spices. Finishes on an earthy hop note with chocolate-covered lemon peel flavors.
Where to buy it: Oktoberfest beers taste best fresh and on tap so look for the Hacker-Pschorr on draft at Resis Bierstube, 2034 W. Irving Park Rd., $6 for a half liter and $12 for a liter; or Louie’s Pub, 1659 W. North Ave., $6 for 22-ounce glass. By the bottle, it’s $14 per 12-pack at Cardinal Liquors, 3501 N. Central Ave., or $9 a six-pack at West Lakeview Liquors, 2156 W. Addison Ave.
———–
ctc-goodeating@tribune.com
