Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest collaboration built on 629 years

One could say that this fall-seasonal beer was actually 629 years in the making, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company (SNBC) collaborated with historical Bavarian brewer, Brauhaus Riegele of Augsburg, Germany, to produce a most intriguing Oktoberfest beer.

Founded in 1386, Brauhaus Riegele is a relatively small, family-owned craft brewery that in 2009 had its flagship beer recognized as Germany’s “Beer of the Decade.” That is quite an honor for a small brewery in one of the world’s most beer-accomplished countries.

With the introduction of its new Oktoberfest beer, SNBC adds another gem to its already strong fall-seasonal line up. The Sierra Nevada–Brauhaus Riegele collaboration hit retailer shelves across Appalachia this month.

First beer in a new series of fest beers

Each year, beginning this year, Sierra Nevada is partnering with a high-quality German brewer to create a traditional take on its fest beer. The first one selected was Brauhaus Riegele.

Last month at an event at the Mills River brewery to introduce the new Oktoberfest beer, folks from both breweries discussed the collaboration effort.

Ken Grossman, SNBC founder and CEO, said they decided to partner with a “great historic brewery” to do this year’s Oktoberfest beer. He said he was drawn not only to the tradition of Riegele, but also to the similarities with SNBC.

“We’re both family owned, our children are hands on, and we share a passion for great beer.” he said. “We’re aligned in so many ways.”

Grossman’s son Brian is general manager of their Mills River, NC, brewery, and his brother Steve in employed as SNBC’s national brewery ambassador.

At Brauhaus Riegele, Master Brewer Dr. Sebastian Priller-Riegele is the 27th generation of his family to lead the business. His son, Sebastian Priller-Riegele, is marketing manager for his family’s brewery. The younger Priller-Riegele spoke about the Sierra Nevada collaboration from his perspective.

“It’s great because we share the same philosophy,” he said.

“When Ken and Brian first called me up and we talked about the collaborative brewing with us, I said you were in good hands. It’s our 629 year anniversary this year. We have a long history and tradition of brewing traditional styles of lagers and festival beers.”

Riegele’s head brewer offers voice of Lager experience

While SNBC had made several different Oktoberfest beers in past years, it wanted this one to be different. Using the expertise of Riegele helped SNBC nail down this year’s recipe and brewing process.

Ken Grossman credits Riegele head brewer Frank Muller with leading them in the right direction.

“When we got together, we discussed what we should brew as an Oktoberfest style,” Grossman explained, “and we went through the malt, yeast, hops. Frank has been an amazing resource to help us with those things.”

Brian Grossman agreed with his father: “Frank’s knowledge on all things yeast and all things malt was really a big inspiration for us.”

Ken Grossman disclosed that under Muller’s talented hand Brauhaus Riegele has won the German government’s Bundesehrenpreis award for quality seven times—every year it’s been given. No more than 20 breweries are annually singled out to receive this award.

Brian Grossman chimed in on praise for Riegele.

“So I’ve heard a lot of people talking about the German beer growing a lot more uniform and less flavorful in comparison with American ales,” he said. “That’s not the case with these guys. Actually, they’re doing a whole craft program, which is really awesome.”

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A good beer is a parcel of 1,000 different parts, and only if you take care of each single one do you make a great beer. I have experienced that here, the same that I experienced at home, and it’s fantastic to see and even more fantastic to taste. — Sebastian Priller-Riegele on Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest Beer

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Steffi malt makes a difference

The Riegele folks introduced the Grossmans to malted Steffi barley—and how to use it to produce a more complex malt flavor. Steffi is an old variety of German barley that, in Germany today, accounts for only a very small part of the total brewing-barley acreage.

“We were able to get some Steffi malt,” Ken Grossman said, “which is one of those old varieties that has a lot of character.

“In Germany we bought all they had available. We shipped over many containers of this very distinctive malt that contributes to the flavor and character of this beer. We’re quite pleased with the results.”

If you like your fest beer flavorful, you’ll want to try this beer characterized by a medium body, malty flavor, ample noble hopping, and a clean dry finish.

Ale expert also does lagers well

Being only 36 years old and known primarily as an ale brewery,  Sierra Nevada is a relative johnny-come-lately in producing lagers when compared to Riegele. Though through the years SNBC has dabbled in Märzen lagers, including previous Oktoberfest beers, seeking out an experienced German lager brewer for a collaboration makes good sense.

It’s not that SNBC has’t made some good lagers. It’s primary summer seasonal, Summerfest Lager, has been very well-received by the craft beer community since its introduction several years ago.

Producing a richly-colored, traditional Märzen-style fest beer as a single-release seasonal is a smart move for the brewery and makes a nice line extension for its autumn beers.

American-style Oktoberfest

Sierra Nevada could have chosen to brew the current style of Oktoberfest beer (known as the Wies’n style or pale Märzen) that is most popular in Munich today. That beer is light in both color and malt flavor. Jokingly, some have taken to calling it Imperial helles lager. Instead, Sierra Nevada brewed a more colorful, maltier lager, much in the older style of the festbiers you may have seen in Munich years ago. But Sierra Nevada just possibly slipped in a little extra dose of hops, to this otherwise traditional style.

This richer, hoppier style of Oktoberfest beer seems much more popular with U.S. brewers and beer drinkers than it is with the Germans, so much so that many have begun calling it American-style Oktoberfest. Not surprisingly, Brauhaus Riegele’s own Commerzienrat Riegele Privat, brewed for the German market, is a few degrees lighter in color, malt, and hops than is their collaboration with Sierra Nevada.

As in several other German beer styles that have fallen out of favor over there, American craft brewers have come to the rescue. Think Berliner Weisse and Gose. We resurrect them, but it’s not like we don’t occasionally put a New World twist on them.

Possibly the nation’s best fall-pack

SNBC already produces what is possibly the country’s best fall-seasonal mixed 12-pack, which includes its highly regarded Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale and Flipside Red IPA. (The two other beers in this year’s 12-pack are their Pale Ale and a Vienna Lager.) When you add the traditional Märzen-style Oktoberfest to Tumbler and Flipside, Sierra Nevada has truly hit the fall-beer trifecta.

Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest is available now in draught and 12 oz. bottles. The SNBC fall seasonal 12-pack also hits retailer shelves this month.

Beer bloggers attend Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest release party

At the July introductory event, about 150 beer bloggers were hosted by the brewery owners. The Bavarian-themed party was complete with plenty of German-style food, music, and, of course, beer. The event was held in conjunction with the 2015 American Beer Bloggers and Writers Conference, which was based nearby in Asheville.

“It’s the first time anybody (meaning members of the public) has tasted this beer,” Ken Grossman announced to the crowd.

The bloggers and writers were enthusiastic in their response to the new Oktoberfest and seemed especially pleased to the first to try the beer.

Bloggers are a very independent lot, but I think those in attendance would likely with agree with Riegele head brewer Frank Muller when he said:

“The collaboration with Sierra Nevada was very great, and I like it a lot. You can be proud of this brewery.”

Collaboration Part Zwei

Ken Grossman also talked about the two breweries’ plans for a second collaboration beer, this one made in Germany. The breweries are collaborating on a separate barrel-aged beer to be brewed and aged on site at Brauhaus Riegele’s traditional Bavarian sudhaus.

“We sent some barrels over to Germany to do some barrel-aged beers,” Grossman explained, “and we hope to come up with a small amount of product that they brewed with our barrels.”

Now that would be one fun beer to try. I hope I’m on the invitation list.

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SPEC SHEET – Sierra Nevada 2015 Oktoberfest

Overview

• ALCOHOL CONTENT: 6.0% by volume
• BEGINNING GRAVITY: 14.6° plato
• ENDING GRAVITY: 3.5° plato
• BITTERNESS UNITS: 30

Ingredients

• YEAST: Lager yeast
• BITTERING HOPS: German Magnum
• FINISHING HOPS: German Select, Tettnanger, Spalter
• MALTS: Two-row Pale, Steffi, Pilsner, Munich

Food Pairing Recommendations

• CUISINE: German Weisswurst sausage, roast pork and chicken
• CHEESE: Mild Cheddar, Emmantaler, Butterkase
• DESSERT: Appel Strudel with fresh whipped cream

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About Brauhaus Riegele