Nauti Dog Brewing Co. – “Block Party Fest Bier”
Style: Festbier
ABV: 6.8%
Nick’s Take
First up on our special two-part post this week is the “Block Party Fest Bier” from Nauti Dog Brewing Co. in Winterville, NC. Nauti Dog teamed up with their friends down the road at Local Oak Brewing Co. to hold Oktoberfest in Winterville last Saturday. Joe and I, along with a few of our friends, made our way to Nauti Dog, dressed up in lederhosen/dirndl for the occasion. Naturally, when we arrived we had to first try the new festbier. I am rather fond of festbiers and märzens, and I would drink them year round if I could. However, this was the first year where I attended an Oktoberfest and was wearing the “correct” attire. I’m not going to say that wearing the traditional German garments had an impact on the experience of drinking beer, but I’m also not going to say that it didn’t.
Nauti Dog’s festbier had a very nice look to it. A rich, copper/amber color, with just a touch of foam. It had all the looks to be a fantastic festbier. I wasn’t able to detect a lot of aroma, but what I did notice was a pleasant sweetness to it. The sweetness was contested by the sharpness of some spices – the kinds you’d find in spice cake or spiced bread. These smells were substantiated in the flavor itself, as well as mouthfeel. “Block Party” was full and bright, and gave a nice mouthcoat on the tongue (helping the taste to linger and improve). I found malt notes to be predominant, with a touch of sweetness, and ending with the spice notes that really come through in the retronasal smells. With the malty, sweet, bready, spiced flavor profiles showing up, it makes for a very full, rich beer that did not disappoint. It’s a beer that’s easy and enjoyable to drink, and it was actually pretty useful in warming me up (seriously, lederhosen are not the most insulated garments) on a somewhat chilly afternoon in September. I was fortunate enough to return to Nauti Dog this week and ordered the festbier again. If you’re in the area, stop by the brewery and give it a try. Lederhosen not required.
Appearance: Very thin head, slight lace, really rich copper/amber color (5/5)
Aroma: Little aroma but some sweet tones and hints of malt, bread, and spices (4/5)
Mouthfeel: Kind of full, some brightness from the carbonation and spices, little mouthcoat (4/5)
Taste: Malty, sweetness; retronasal finds some hints of spiced bread (4/5)
Drinkability: Very easy to drink (sessionable) in spite of being a rich beer with higher ABV; pair with schnitzel or soft pretzel, of course (4.5/5)
Total: 21.5/25
Local Oak Brewing Co. – “Pretzel Bender”
Style: Festbier
ABV: 6.5%
IBU: 20
Joe’s Take
For the second installment of our two-part Oktoberfest new release special we have “Pretzel Bender” by Local Oak Brewing Co. in Winterville, NC. After enjoying the festivities at Nauti Dog, we made our way down the short stretch of road to Local Oak in what must have looked like a small parade of beerless Bavarians. Not unexpectedly, we garnered some attention as we entered the small taproom in our traditional costumes. However, that didn’t stop us from going straight to the bar and getting Local Oak’s version of the festbier. There’s just something about wearing knee-length leather lederhosen and suspenders that screams “I need a beer in my hand.”
“Pretzel Bender,” as you can see in the photos above, is a visually appealing beer. It’s crystal clarity and deep amber hues are accentuated by the traditional pilsner glass. It sported a thin tan to off-white head that was somewhat fleeting and didn’t leave a large amount of lace on the glass. Bringing the glass to my nose immediately revealed strong aromas of fresh baked bread, bread crust, and a slight alcoholic sweetness. These smells reminded me to break out breadmaker after our next brew day. Anyway, after fully enjoying the smell of the beer I took the first sip. The mouthfeel was smooth and medium bodied. It had a delicate carbonation that was appreciated as it allowed me to savor each sip. In true festbier fashion the malt was the star of the show, with little detectable hop characteristic. “Pretzel Bender” showcased malty, well rounded bread-like flavors with a hint of spice that sparked memories of pumpkin or sweet potato pie. A light malty sweetness pulled through on retronasal olfaction. The beer paired excellently with the bratwurst served by the guest food truck as well as the stash of pretzels we brought with us. I thoroughly enjoyed the beer and highly recommend you make the trip to both breweries to try their unique versions of the style. Although Nick says lederhosen not required, I highly recommend them as there is something about the garb that enhances the experience. If only they served the beers in steins… Prosit!
Appearance: Crystal clear, deep amber/brown, thin tan/khaki head – great looking beer (5/5)
Aroma: Relatively strong notes of bread or bread crust, sweet malty notes (4.5/5)
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, smooth, light carbonation (4/5)
Taste: Malt forward, low hop characteristic, bread/bread crust, slight autumn spice (4.5/5)
Drinkability: Easy drinking, perfect for a cool September day (4/5)
-> 5/5 if served in stein while wearing lederhosen
Total: 22/25
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