Oktoberfests, pumpkins, fresh hops, ambers — these are the flavors of now. The line between the distinct tastes and aspects of lager versus ale can sometimes get muddy, especially this time of year. A rich and malty Marzen may resemble a flavorful ale, while a crisp and earthy clean ale can take on the persona of a lager.
Genre-bending beers are not a new trend, and several styles of ‘hybrid’ beer exist. These ale/lager amalgams tend to hail from Germany, although a few are American born and raised. The lighter examples are a mixed bag, with Cream Ale being pretty average and Blonde Ale varying in degree of quality. I tend to like the light German hybrid Kölsch but other don’t really care for it.
Quite possibly the most widely known hybrid style is steam beer, also known as California Common beer if made by anyone other than Anchor Brewing Company who owns the trademark on the name ‘Anchor Steam Beer.’ In these beers, cold-fermenting lager yeast is allowed to work their magic in warmer temps, giving forth beer that is crisper and cleaner than ale, but still displaying some ale fruitiness and flavor.
Possibly more daring, certainly more German are the amber hybrid styles of Altbier. Be it the Northern German Alt, or the Düsseldorf Alt, these beers are more akin to ales, but are cool fermented, lagered at cold temps (like lager), and tend to make use noble hops, so their flavor will fall somewhere between English ales and German and Czech pilsners.
Make no mistake, but bulk of Oktoberfest beers are lagers, while on the whole, most fresh-hops beers are ales. While pumpkin beers tend to be ales, there are quite a few lager gourd brews around. And, when it comes to amber, it’s pretty much a tossup between ale and lager. However, it is not completely unheard of for American craft brewers to make their Oktoberfest beers more similar to the ale style than the lager. Several examples exist that were likely brewed as ales.
An extremely tasty new release is one such beer, Harvester from the ever-excellent Green Man Brewery out of Asheville, NC. This year’s fall release is an ‘autumn’ (amber) ale, brewed in honor of the classic Oktoberfest beer from Deutschland.
From the simply adorned but classy and clean looking bottle label: “HEARTY – This Seasonal Ale is our interpretation of the classic German Marzen style. It features Carolina harvested and malted artisan barley. Magnum and Palisade highlight a creative hop blend. The result is a deep amber color and a hearty flavor that salutes the old world taste of the season. DISCOVER.SAVOR.REPEAT. CONCEIVED IN ASHEVILLE.”
Harvester autumn ale, limited seasonal release, checks in at 6.0 alcohol by volume (ABV) and 30 international bitterness units (IBU), so it’s no low gravity summer beer, nor is it a sweet, malt-only matter.
Toasted, almost spicy malt jumps out of the freshly poured glass, clear, orange-ruby liquid with a 2-finger head of large sandy-colored bubbles slowly drops. Some caramel and candied orange peeks through the aroma. Flavor-wise, bready malt is quickly pushed aside by dry, grassy and peppery hops with a mildly bitter but biting finish. Ale in the mouth, the finish is all lager.
Initial hop surge dials back and blends into a rye and dark bread flavor. Moderate in carbonation and mouthfeel, mostly dry in the finish; the name is pretty spot on for a beer that’s roasted in malt and grain and tastes of all things harvest. Green Man has gotten it well-timed as the beer becomes more ale like with a bit of fruit and a softer feel as it warms, but still remains intact, this ground between a lager and an ale. This mongrel is actually a majestic mutt. Enjoy the brews … Cheers
 
Gene’s Haufbrau has at more than 200 beers in bottles or on tap. While they don’t have every beer the Beer Snob writes about, they probably have most. Gene’s is located at 817 Savannah Hwy. 225-GENE. E-mail the Beer Snob at publisher@westof.net.
 

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