Oktoberfest – Payette Brewing Co. – 92 Rating

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
Our beer recipes typically tend to be a group effort, with collaborative ideas between all our brewers. Oktoberfest was first brewed in 2012, so our head brewer, Ian Fuller and Payette owner, Mike Francis, teamed up to create the Payette twist to the classic Marzen Style Lager.

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
My favorite aspect of this beer would be it's easy drinkability like most lagers, but having a complex profile. It's a modern, Payette twist to an international style of beer, brewed with ingredients we don't typically use, giving it rich body, smooth flavor and notes of sweet caramel malt that are like polka music to your mouth.

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
Being such a classic style, first brewed centuries ago, we decided to acknowledge the history, and keep the simplicity of the name established by Germans in the 1800s, Oktoberfest.

BC: Is this your “desert island beer?”
Although there are MANY beers I could take on deserted island, and it would be hard to choose, this would actually be an excellent choice. That said, I don't think I could hang with a raspberry sour beer or barrel aged imperial stout... A refreshing, classic yet unique, solid beer such as Oktoberfest would be exactly what I want on a deserted island.

BC: Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?
For the first time ever, this year we celebrated this beer, and the history that it holds, by holding our own Oktoberfest at the brewery the same weekend Oktoberfest kicks off in Germany. We packed our Tap Room and beer garden with German flair, locally made brats and pretzels, a live polka band and even had the Mayor of Boise, David Bieter, tap the first keg of Oktoberfest to follow similar traditions in Munich. It turned out to be a HUGE party, where people happily drank their Payette Oktoberfest and German Hefeweizen filled one-liter steins and enjoyed our take on the awesome German traditions. We already look forward to next year!

BC: What's a good food pairing for this beer?
Our Oktoberfest goes well with saurkraut, brats and lederhosen.