Millstream Oktoberfest
Millstream Brewing Co., Amana, Iowa
www.millstreambrewing.com
5.4 percent ABV
Ferg’s Bavarian Village is a neat little stop in Manawa, and Ralph Melchert of Seymour, a patron I met there earlier this month, brought me a bottle of Millstream Oktoberfest. It’s the first beer I have ever had from Iowa.
Ferg’s, at N8599 Ferg Road, Manawa (920-596-2946, Web site http://web.mac.com/fergbvil/Site/Welcome.html), is operated by Lloyd and Shirley Ferg, and its complex consists of a bed and breakfast, gift shop, restaurant and more. Dinner and lunch are by reservations only; the couple also hold a great Oktoberfest celebration every August.
Our delicious dinner consisted of Nurenberg sausage and weisswurst, smoked pork chops, sauerbraten, sweet and sour red cabbage (rotkraut), spatzle, sauerkraut and applesauce, accompanied by Spaten Oktoberfest on tap. Attempts to squeeze recipe secrets from Shirley were unsuccessful.
The Spaten had me thinking back on the other Oktoberfests I’ve had this year, all made in the United States. I have to give the nod to the German-made Spaten. The malt and hop characteristics of the lager seem the best balanced and it tastes much fresher on tap than in a bottle.
But the Millstream Oktoberfest is no slouch. It has a nice malt background and solid body, but it had a touch less sweetness and an overly sharp tang that didn’t quite seem to gel together the way Spaten did. That’s what a 133-year head start can do.
Millstream is one of the older microbreweries in the country, established in 1985. Its lineup is heavy in German-style Vienna lagers, bocks, pilsners and hefeweissen, although it does make the requisite American pale ale and other beers. It is readily available in Iowa, and has limited distribution in Illinois, Wisconsin and South Dakota. Retail outlets are listed at www.millstreambrewing.com/iowaretail.html.
Note: I have a terrible confession to make. I know that the Great American Beer Festival is held in Denver, Colo., yet I had it located in Boulder in a recent column. I think what happened is that the GABF is organized by the Boulder-based Brewers Association, and that city name stuck in my mind as I wrote the column. Apologies to all.
Beer Man sez: Millstream makes a better-than-average Oktoberfest.
