I know summer is not over, but the fall is one of my favorite seasons.  It is one of my favorite seasons because that is when the best seasonal beers come out.  Beer makers are beginning to understand the demand for these seasonal brews and the little brewery in Shiner, Texas is no exception. True to their German heritage Shiner has just released Shiner Marzen-Style Oktoberfest. Marzen got its name because in the old days the beer was brewed in March before the hot summer months and stored through the summer usually running out by fall.  The Shiner Oktoberfest is a great easy drinking beer with a crisp malt flavor that is true to that of Marzen style beers.  It is made with traditional German malt and hops that will dance on your palate and have you doing the chicken dance in no time. The beer is glowing amber in color and has enough carbonation for celebration.  What better way to serve German style beer than with German food? Try using Shiner Oktoberfest for cooking the number one food of Oktoberfest; Bratwurst.

Shiner Oktoberfest Bratwurst

• 2 uncooked Bratwurst
• 2 bottles of Shiner Oktoberfest
• 1 white onion chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Sauerkraut or Smoked Jalapenos for Texas Style

Add the chopped onion and beer into a medium size pan. Season the brats with salt and pepper and add to the pan ensuring that the beer covers them completely.  Simmer for about 15 minutes to infuse the flavor of the beer. Do not boil, for best flavor cook low and slow.  After 15 minutes of simmering, turn off the heat and let rest for another 10 minutes.  Remove the brats from the pan and then cook on the grill for best flavor until firm.  Garnish the bratwurst with sauerkraut. For a Texas kick try garnishing with smoked Jalapenos such as Smokin Dave’s Texas Twisters.  Of course, do not forget to ice down the Shiner Oktoberfest.  Prosit!

                              

So there I was. It was Valentines Day. My beautiful wife and I had a great dinner and were enjoying each others company.  Normally, we stay in and cook on Valentines Day.  For us, Valentines Day is amateur night.  Packed restaurants, fixed menus, and less then romantic service are the norm.  This year we have done a lot of cooking at home, and we figured what the heck. Why not go out on Valentines Day?   What does this have to do with beer you ask? After dinner we decided to grab one more drink at a little wine bar.  Sitting down and perusing the menu of wines, there in the corner of the menu, was a whisper.  I have to admit, I didn’t even see it at first.  The patron saint of brewing himself shined down upon me. It was time. Yes, I had been a good boy this year.  The words were incomprehensible, and my muse (my wife of course) was needed to deliver me the salvation.  “Look hunny! They have St. Arnold’s Divine Reserve. Have you had that one?”  I looked at her in disbelief as I read the menu.  ST ARNOLD’S DIVINE RESERVE #9.  This was only the beer that I had called the largest beer store around, back at the beginning of December to discover that all of it had been sold in 1 hour.  Surely there must be some mistake.  As the waiter came to the table, I asked do you really have this beer? “Why yes sir we do.”  It was a Happy Valentines Day indeed!  St. Arnold’s Divine Reserve is always a small batch beer. Only a small amount of each one is made. In the case of Divine Reserve #9, only 1500 cases were made. On the day the beer is released, there is a mad scramble among Houston beer stores, and then it’s gone!  St. Arnold’s Divine Reserve #9 is an Imperial Pumpkin Stout.  I have had many Pumpkin Ales, but never a Pumpkin Stout!  This is definitely an amazing beer for after dinner on a cold night.  As the nectar of the gods was served, it had a dark color with good notes of pumpkin and spice, but also a fair amount of malt and maybe coffee.  The body was not too thick, and a good amount of carbonation made it very drinkable for such a full flavored dark beer. There is no doubt, that this is an extreme beer.  At 11% ABV it has some kick behind it as well.  What a great find! Thank you beer gods! I will most definitely take my wife out again next year for Valentines Day.

While extreme hop infused beers are most popular in the cold winter months, I have decided to pick a beer for the month of January that is more synonymous with the spring or summer.   Most of the winter ales are filled with hops and perfect for a cold day.  However, often when it is cold outside, I like to dream of the warmth and delight of a warm spring day.  For this month then, I have chosen a beer that is made from a brewer known for its hoppy beers.  However, this is not a hoppy beer.  Hefeweizen is a Bavarian Wheat Beer.  Hefe means yeast and weizen means wheat.  These beers are usually unfiltered and served cloudy.  It is the yeast in the beer that makes it cloudy.    Sierra Nevada Kellerweis has a beautiful golden color that emanates like sunshine in a bottle.  It is slightly cloudy with bubbles that rise up as if drinking a great glass of champagne.  It has a sweet aroma and flavor of orange when you taste it.  The Kellerweis has a good amount of spice to it. You can feel the cinnamon build on your palate.  Hefeweizens are often not given the attention they deserve these days by beer geeks. The fad today is, “How can we get even more hop flavor in the beer?”  To have a wonderful beer with little hop flavor goes against the grain. (Or in this case, with the grain LOL)  History shows that the original German beer laws also had to be questioned, as beers were meant to be brewed with barley and not wheat. Many Hefeweizens today are brewed with half barley and half wheat. Hefeweizen has always sort of been that odd friend that seemed nice enough, but no one really hung out that much with. Heck, the beer store didn’t even have the courtesy to put this one in the fridge with all of the other Sierra Nevada beers.  This beer uses an open fermentation method which allows the beer to develop more complex flavors.  Sierra Nevada named this beer Kellerweis. Keller is the German word for cellar which is a tribute to the fact that Sierra Nevada conducts the open fermentation in their cellar.  Go with the grain this January and try a Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen.  It has enough complexity to keep you interested but is light enough for a spring day!