Who likes dressing up in lederhosen, enjoying a nice zesty lager, and celebrating the coming of the seasons? The answer: anyone with an act for enjoying Oktoberfest; and yes, that includes me. There’s something special to be said about the autumn season. The fall colors strike the tree leaves that surround us (at least in some parts of the country they do), football is among us, and the vast variety of flavorful beers hit store shelves. And, that is not all; we celebrate the German Oktoberfest festivities by dressing up and enjoying a tasty brew.
This year, I ventured off to attend Oktoberfest at the Anheuser-Busch plant. For most beer snobs, such as myself, the very thought of drinking any Anheuser-Busch beer seems fatuous. What craft beer lover would knowingly sip on piss water? That is the question that lingered in the back of my mind. However, with the promise of over thirty styles of German craft beer, I had to check it out—and this is what I found…
Upon arriving, the first thing I took note of, was the small area parking that was afforded to us, beer enthusiasts. There were cops at every entry point—and all with a seemingly mutual mission: to annoy the beer goers. Upon final parking, I walked the thousand-yard road that separated me from the deliciousness that awaits. Inside, there were ten or twelve booths, each serving two to three different styles of beer. There were far more food vendors then beer vendors, and there were several attractions aimed at appeasing children thus making the experience a family oriented one. All beers required tickets that were to be purchased at the ticket counter. Tickets were fairly affordable. Twenty-five bucks would pay for a book of ten tickets, and each beer cost two tickets.
I had two beers (that I choose to disclose—after all, I WAS DRIVING!). 
The first was a Spaten Oktoberfest( http://www.spatenbeer.com). Spaten is a brewery based out of Munich Germany. As most craft beer lovers might know, an Oktoberfest is a lager style beer; lager meaning that the beer is fermented at around sixty-four degree and may be fermented up to seventy-two degrees Fahrenheit. I have had many Oktoberfests in the past. Sadly, I must say, this beer did not hit the mark for me. The aroma was of nice subtle hops, and the flavors hit my pallet with a somewhat weak force of a very slight bitter aftertaste. The color was light goldish, and the head was a thin white layer of bubbles. I would rate this beer a one and a half out of five stars.
The second beer that I had, was a Spartan Lager—which is the original beer for Spaten. I chose to taste this beer because I was informed that this was the first, original, Oktoberfest style beer of Germany. Since my favorite seasonal beer is Oktoberfest, I had to try the countries originally. This, however, proved to be disappointing. The beer offered a rich gold color, and a nice lager smell one might expect from a Budweiser. Unfortunately, the taste was also like a Budweiser. Yes, that is right; it tasted like piss water! The taste was weak, as was the bitterness. There was no warming feeling I get from tasting a nice cold October nights Oktoberfest beer. I think ill be sticking with the Samuel Adams Oktoberfest for now. I rated this beer at a half star out of five.
This past weekend was simply the start of Oktoberfest, with a festival happening in almost every state around the country for the remainder of this season. The next festival to hit the Jacksonville area will be at the beaches on Oktober 13-14. I will be there, and I hope you will too!
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