Octoberfest at Novare Res was a success in spite of an unexpected turn of events. Eric Michaud’s plan to offer just two draft beers all weekend took a hit when the Brooklyn Octoberfest turned out to be defective… all ten kegs of it.
I happened to be present when the Novare staff tasted through the beers, and can verify that the decision to pull the beer was not a close call. The beer was cloudy, full of off flavors, and tasted not at all like the bottled version of the beer. A Brooklyn representative arrived with a growler of draft Octoberfest from a keg with a different production date, and the issue was sealed. That this could happen to a fine brewery like Brooklyn is a reminder that brewing great beer is harder than it looks…
The failure of the Brooklyn beer left Novare Res with just one beer for Octoberfest: one beer per tent, just like Munich!
Fortunately the Klosterbrauerie Weissenohe Monks Fest was fully up to the task of carrying the weekend. I’m far from being a student of German beer, but this one was wonderful. It’s a lager with dark copper color and a creamy head, medium mouth feel and subtle flavors that pleased rather than dazzled. I drank a lot of this stuff and never got tired of it. At $9.00 a liter I thought it was excellent value as well.
When I left Saturday evening the Monks Fest was about to kick and the staff were busily putting the handles back on the taps. I think Eric said something about going through 15 kegs. I certainly did my part.