Beer Spotlight!

Drowned Lands Winnow

$17.99 for the 16oz four-pack cans
Foeder-aged Festbier Style Lager

Oktoberfest continues in Munich, so it continues here at Market St. Wine. Welcome to another of our Oktoberfest beers! Each year, we look for a new and interesting Oktoberfest beer, one we’ve never carried before. This year, it comes from Warwick, NY — the Drowned Lands Winnow.

Most Americans associate Oktoberfest with bready, dark amber lagers, but there are actually two styles of Oktoberfest beers. There’s the Märzen Lager, which we’ve described above, and then there’s the Festbier — a lighter golden lager that Paulaner introduced in the 70s, which, we are told, has become what is mostly served at Oktoberfest today. The Winnow is Drowned Lands’ take on the Festbier style.

Drowned Lands starts the Winnow with Munich and Maris Otter Malts, then they spice things up with some biscuity Victory Malt and “several helpings” of light, crystal malt. Next comes Hallertauer Mittelfrüh hops from Germany and Mount Hood and Crystal hops grown in New York State — Drowned Lands’ home, sweet home. Then (‘cause Drowned Lands), they age the beer in oak foeders.

The result is a Festbier that’s been a little turned up — a little darker, a little hoppier. It’s still light-bodied, and you get the biscuity flavors you expect, but there’s a bite from the American hops and a tang from the oak aging. The Winnow is certainly a festbier tooled for the American palate, which is fine since none of us are going to be joining an oom-pah band any time soon.

Join us this Thursday 09/28 to try the Winnow and all our other Oktoberfest beers!

Remember!

You can see our entire beer inventory on Untappd.com!