“The Court’s Brewery”, sounds somewhat regal and important, doesn’t it? Indeed, that is roughly the translation of the German word “hofbräu”. That being said, throughout the brewing history of Germany, numerous breweries have been the royal brewer, or the “Court’s Brewery”. But for most people, in Germany and abroad, Hofbräu means one thing: Hofbräuhaus, the Munich-based brewery that hosted the largest tent at Oktoberfest for many years (Hofbräuhaus Festzelt; now second only to Winzerer Fähndl by Paulaner, but you knew that, right?). Still technically a brewpub (or brauhaus/beer hall) it is one of Munich’s oldest beer halls (1589 was when Wilhelm V of Bavaria decided to start his own brewery, and it’s been a state asset since), and fittingly has a long (sometimes sketchy) story. It was the inspiration of a drinking song that roughly translates to “One, Two, Drink!” (“oans, zwoa, g’suffa”), and was also a haunt to such luminaries as Mozart, Vladimir Lenin, John F. Kennedy, Thomas Wolfe, Louis Armstrong, Mikhail Gorbachev, and many others. Hofbräuhaus also was (unfortunately) a Nazi hangout before WW2, and in 1923 was the location of the “Beer Hall Putsch”, when Hitler tried (unsuccessfully) to lead an uprising and take authority of Munich/Bavaria (Funny enough, Hitler, who didn’t drink, smoke or eat red meat, knew that to reach people, he had to take control via a pub. Not exactly a pleasant story, but interesting to note that even a teetotaler could identify the community value of a bar). Through all this, Hofbräuhauser beers have been in demand beyond just Munich, particularly after the end of WW2, when allied forces fell in love with the brews. While their recent growth has been large, the format of beer hall hasn’t changed too much, and now you can find Hofbräuhaus halls throughout the USA, in other parts of Europe, Australia and even Asia. The LCBO brought in Hofbräuhaus Oktoberfestbier for the fall release, and to say I was happy would be an understatement.
Oktoberfestbier — Hofbräuhaus
From a 500ml bottle, Hofbräuhaus Oktoberfestbier pours a clear gold, with nice active carbonation. About 2″ of head drops to a decent film and thick ring that leaves good lace on the glass. Aroma is a good mix of sweet malts and leafy, slightly herbal hops. There is just a hint of yeast and citrus (which might be related). Taste is pretty much standard for the style, and following the aroma. Sweet malts, akin to fresh malted grains, nicely dry bitter hops that show green herbal notes, and a little pop of yeast that gives some spice and citrus peel. Finish is quite dry and snappy. Again, a beer that is hugely sessionable, and hides it’s 6.3% (!) well. I totally think Oktoberfest style beers could be an excellent gateway, if you’re drinking something like a Stella or Heineken, and you want to try something with a bit more going on. When I make my (as yet non-existant) trip to Oktoberfest, I’ll definitely want to spend some time in the Hofbräuhaus Festzelt!
Buy This Beer
Still plenty of bottles of this one at the LCBO around town. Check out LCBO #84889. Inexplicably, it’s misspelled on the LCBO website. The additional “E” was totally unnecessary…..
Drink It With
There is the obvious Oktoberfest choices: sausage, sauerkraut etc, But let’s move on from there. Try this with some Chinese-Canadian food. Think, chicken balls, greasy egg rolls, chow-mien. The body and carbonation will hold up against the fairly rich fatty foods, while the crisp hops will help clean up your palate somewhat. Could be a match made in heaven/Bavaria. For cheeses, some medium weight cheese would be ideal. A nice Gouda, or a regular Beemster could work really well.
About The Brewery
Aside from the history I’ve given in the intro, I can’t find a standard “boilerplate” for the company (at least, not in English). So instead, I’ll just say, I wish I had my name on this list: http://www.hofbraeuhaus.de/en/03/stammtische_en.html
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