To mark OktoberfestZinzinnati's 50th anniversary, Samuel Adams has introduced a limited edition 50th Anniversary Lager, which is currently available at their Over-the-Rhine taproom near Findlay Market.
I like it.
Toasty with a subtle malty sweetness, the Oktoberfest Zinzinnati 50th Anniversary Lager is a riff on a traditional Vienna lager. Sam Adams general manager Keith McEly told me it's also meant to pay homage to the brewery's original Boston Lager, which is also brewed with Vienna hops, though the differences between the two are clear.
While Boston Lager has a bready, toasted sweetness, kept in check by the addition of bitter hops, the anniversary brew is brighter and cleaner, its sweetness more understated.
McEly said the new, highly drinkable
beer was designed to enjoy in warmer weather. That's good news, since early fall isn't quite as cool and crisp as it was in the old days. Last year, the temperatures at Oktoberfest were so high that I found myself opting for lighter beers or water, instead of the traditional Oktoberfest selections from local breweries.
For those who don't know, Sam Adams, while founded in Boston, is about as Cincinnati as you can get. Its founder, Jim Koch, was born and raised here. He attended Kilgour School in Mount Lookout and graduated from Indian Hill High School in 1967. Koch went on to earn an MBA from Harvard before working briefly at a Boston consulting firm. But beer was in his blood. His father had worked at the Hudepohl-Schoenling brewery in the 1940s, and his great-great grandfather came up with the recipe for Boston Lager.
After introducing Sam Adams Boston Lager to Beantown in 1985, Koch came back home to Cincinnati in 1997, purchasing the Hudepohl-Schoenling brewery where his father once worked to brew his own beer.
Over the years, the Boston Beer Company, which makes Sam Adams, has become just as much of a local craft brewery as it is up east. Its ties to Cincinnati are further expressed with beers such as its FC Cincinnati-themed cream ale, Orange and Brew, and a its Cincinnati Lager, made with German and American hops.
If you haven't made it to the OTR taproom yet, I recommend doing so. Unlike modern taprooms, it maintains a cozy intimacy − more tavern than taproom − with a fireplace and comfy leather sofas and a menu of classic bar snacks, pizzas, wings and sandwiches.
Stop by to try the Anniversary Lager, or their traditional Octoberfest brew. This year, in an attempt to appeal to Gen Z trends, they're offering a new NA version of Oktoberfest, too. All three will also be on tap at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, which takes place at Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove Sept. 17-20.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: It's time to drink beer again. Here's a great one to try in Cincinnati
