HOFBRAU MUNCHEN!

They're selling pumpkin pies everywhere! Autumn must be around the corner! I see Halloween costumes in my periphery. Yep, commercially, it's fall. And as I return to Bergen Community College this fall, I am faced with the ever so pressing but all the while very unimportant problem of how and what to feel at this point of my quarter-life. I've boiled it down to two pop-culture references. Should I expect to feel like an idiot (though lovable, ask Veronica Vaughn) and play out Billy Madison's return to school? Or should I just replay scenes from Community over and over in my head, half-expecting one of the characters to show up as I walk through BCC's dreary halls?

Solid choices, right?

Anyhow, I mentioned earlier that fall is around the corner. Now, if you don't believe in pumpkin pies and Halloween costumes in stores as indication of fall's impending arrival, then perhaps you should believe in Oktoberfest beers arriving in your local liquor stores as a sign. Earlier this week, I picked this beauty up from Costco...

Isn't it beautiful?

Hofbrau Okotberfest. If you've been reading this blog (God bless you, kind soul), you will remember me mentioning Oktoberfest, a little bit of its history and importance, and the wonderful beers brewed for this occasion. This is one of them. (duh!) These beers can only be brewed in Munich to be considered as Oktoberfest beer. It also has to abide by the Bavarian Beer Purity Law. Brewed by Hofbrauhaus Munchen (also Hofbrau Munchen), this particular Oktoberfest beer is a mainstay in said occasion. Founded by the Duke of Bavaria, Wilhelm V, in 1589 to serve as the brewery to the Royal Residences. The beer they brewed became so popular that an invading monarch once asked for some hostages and 600,000 barrels of Hofbrauhaus beer in exchange for not ransacking the city of Munich and ensuring its safety. Now, who said beer can't solve anything? Enough history.

The Hofbrau Oktoberfest has to be one of my favorite mass-produced beer of all time. Ok, so slight exaggeration. But it is up there. I get all excited when I see the yellow box in Costco and not see Corona printed on it. When the 5 liter mini-keg variety pops up, I snatch 2 or 3 of them for good measure. It pours a clear, crisp, golden hue that is instantaneously inviting as you look at your glass. Unlike some of the beers I've already talked about, there is no cloudiness in this one. It's pretty transparent as beers go. As you take a sip, it'll give you a slight creamy taste, while the hops and barley come up afterwards. It's not very bitter, nor is it heavy like some American variations of "Oktoberfest" beers.  This beer is meant for mass consumption. It's not meant to make you full or have you overdose on bitterness. In fact, as I'm writing this, I've enjoyed four bottles of this golden nectar and I feel fantastic. It will make you want more. It'll make you want to be in Munich, in the Hofbrauhaus tent, and sing songs German songs that sound angry and happy at the same time. It'll make you want to kiss the beautiful and busty German beer-server-girl as she brings you more steins (mugs) of Hofbrau Oktobeferst (wait, I want to do that regardless of how many beers I've had). As far as I'm concerned (my opinion, as you know, does not matter much) enjoying this wonderful brew is as close to being in Munich during Oktoberfest. But then again, I've never been. Who wants to come with?

Mhmmm...beer