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<\/a>Damas & Herr Sparrow<\/p><\/div>\n
Officially, yes! But you may not have missed it. To be clear, Oktoberfest<\/strong> is over in Germany, not due to the time difference, but rather the tradition of the world\u2019s largest Volkfest<\/strong>, which is held in Munich, Bavaria, Germany<\/strong>, from mid-September to the first weekend in October; so it\u2019s mostly a \u2018Septemberfest\u2019.<\/strong> We Americans, believing that Oktoberfests should be in October, have prolong the beer drinking and chicken dancing until our brains are numb enough to face Halloween<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In a blog last Christmas season I mentioned the world\u2019s oldest brewery, Wiehenstephan<\/strong>, also in Bavaria, Germany, which started brewing in 1040 (I think of it every tax season), but today I\u2019m not interested in the oldest<\/em><\/strong> beer, I\u2019m interested in the BEST<\/strong> German beer. So I Googled \u2018Best German Beer\u2019 and what do you know, Weihenstephan Hefe<\/strong> came up. Note to seniors \u2013 you CAN be the oldest and still be the best!<\/p>\n Surprisingly Germany ranks 4th<\/sup> in the list of countries with the best beer. Here is the ranking of the Top 5 (according to my Google search), with which I take exception:<\/p>\n The blind beer tasting lineup<\/p><\/div>\n Belgium<\/strong> did not surprise me as the country with the best beer, however the U.S<\/strong>. as #2 was a shocker, as well as the absence of Japan<\/strong> and Mexico<\/strong> among the leaders. The ranking made me wonder if the judges may have had too much to drink by the time they were selecting the Top 5. On a side note, Ireland<\/strong> disappointedly was ranked #13 \u2013 they may not be the best, but I\u2019m guessing they rank near the top of the most<\/u><\/strong> beer consumed.<\/p>\n Unsatisfied with the results I found, I decided to run my own, unscientific, tests using some of the local neighborhood reprobates as judges. I just had them blindly taste beers from the Top 5 countries, plus I snuck in one from Japan and one from Mexico.\u00a0 Country and beers were as follows:\u00a0Belgium-Stella\u00a0<\/strong>Artois,\u00a0<\/strong>Denmark-Carlsberg,<\/strong>,<\/strong>Japan-Sapporo,\u00a0<\/strong>United Kingdom-Boddingtons,<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Germany-Wiehenstephan,\u00a0<\/strong>Mexico-Modelo,\u00a0<\/strong>United States-Landshark<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n Fins to the left<\/p><\/div>\n I wanted to first see if our judges, such as they are, could put the beer with the right country, plus I wanted to know their favorite.\u00a0 Of the 10 judges, five got 5 of the 7 beers matched to the correct countries, and the overall favorite: (drumroll) Landshark!<\/strong><\/p>\n My beer research continued to find that there is no nationally produced beer that ranks amongst the leader in America. Bud Lite<\/strong> is America\u2019s best selling beer, not best tasting<\/strong>, that title is harder to find as the best tasting American beers come from small craft brewers<\/strong> all over the county. So what states have the best craft beer you ask? Here\u2019s the Top 5 states:<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a05. Massachusetts\u00a0\u00a0 4. Michigan \u00a0\u00a0\u00a03. California\u00a0\u00a0 2. Colorado\u00a0\u00a0 1. Oregon <\/strong><\/p>\n Oregon actually has a craft beer trail called \u2018Beer 101 Trail\u2019<\/strong>, not because it\u2019s for beginners, but rather it follows Highway 101 up the Oregon coast; sounds like a road trip to me!<\/p>\n Pliny the Elder and the Younger<\/p><\/div>\n My search for the best tasting (someone had to do it!), actually helped me understand why America is considered by the world as a country with great beer \u2013 it just comes in small quantities from those small craft breweries. Judged by beer enthusiasts, as the best in all of the U.S. this year was a beer from Comstock, Michigan<\/strong> called Bell\u2019s Two Hearted Ale<\/strong>, an IPA with a 7% alcohol by volume.\u00a0 Running a close 2nd<\/sup>\u00a0was a beer from the Russian River Brewing Company<\/strong> in northern California, called Pliny the Elder<\/strong>, a double IPA beer with an 8% alcohol content.\u00a0 Pliny the Younger<\/strong>, with a 10.8% alcohol content,\u00a0is rumored to be a contender in years to come.<\/p>\n So you may have missed Oktoberfest<\/strong>, but now that you know beer from borscht, you are ready for Novemberfest<\/strong>, which should help numb you for the coming Holidaze.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Bob Sparrow Officially, yes! But you may not have missed it. To be clear, Oktoberfest is over in Germany, not due to the time difference, but rather the tradition of the world\u2019s largest Volkfest, which is held in Munich, … read more\n
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