Upstream Oktoberfest (Update)

Here is some more information from an email I received from Upstream. The fest will be today (Fri, Oct 2) and tomorrow (Sat, Oct 3).

The fest will be during regular business hours both Friday and Saturday we'll have all the beers and all the German food. Saturday will be the day that we bring in the bands and additional activities and the big party will be going on. Below are the beers and their descriptions.

Bavarian Style Wheat:

Harvest Hefeweizen - 5% ABV, 5 IBU's
"Hefe" means yeast, "Weizen" means wheat. Hefeweizen is a top fermented, unfiltered, wheat beer with a noticeable cloudy appearance. Upstream's Harvest Hefeweizen is sweet and fruity, and full bodied. The type of traditional proprietary Bavarian Monastery yeast we use here at Upstream produces the typical hefeweizen taste, which distinguishes it from its Belgian wheat beer cousins. The yeast produces flavors like those of bubble gum, vanilla and clove. Hefeweizens are very lightly hopped so they have little bitterness.

Pilsner:

Groll Bohemian Pilsner - 6.5% ABV, 26 IBU's
So, how exactly did the pilsner revolution begin? The story goes something like this: As was often the case in ducal provinces like Bavaria and Bohemia, the right to brew was granted by the duke of the province. In 1839 the citizens in Pilsen, who held the brewing rights, banded together to found what was called the Peoples Brewery of Pilsen. In 1842 a man by the name of Josef Groll was "headhunted" away from Bavaria to become the new organizations first brewmaster. Upstream's Groll Bohemian Pilsner, named after Josef Groll, is made from three different European malts, which provide the slightly sweet and malty backbone of the beer. To get the traditional crisp bitterness and aromatic nose, we brewed it with traditional Czech Saaz hops. We used a Pilsner yeast that added depth and after a prolonged lagering period (cold Fermented @ 55 deg F) helped produce much of the character of this traditional beer. Our Bohemian Pilsner has a smooth, slightly malty flavor that is balanced with a crisp bitterness and
clean hop aroma.

Vienna Lager:

Fire House Red - 5.12% ABV, 10 IBU's
Upstream Brewing Company's Red Lager is based on a style of lager developed by brewer Anton Dreher in Vienna Austria in 1841. Its popularity in Europe eventually faded, but Austrian brewers who immigrated to Mexico revived the style in the late 19th century. This beer derives its color and taste from a combination of four different styles of specialty malts that are roasted at a high temperature longer and more slowly than most malted barley. It is deep garnet in color and produces a thick head on pouring. It has a fruity yet low hop aroma to deliver a smooth, delicate palate rich with subtle hints of toffee and light caramel. This is a beer with a very high drinkability.

Fest Lagers:

Alpen Glow Oktoberfest Marzen - 6.6% ABV, 23 IBU's
Oktoberfest Marzens offer something special, there's just no other lager out there that tastes quite like a good Marzen. Marzen from "March" in German. Originally a beer brewed in March and laid down in caves before the summer weather rendered brewing impossible. Stocks would be drawn upon during the summer, and finally exhausted in October. Upstream's Oktoberfest Marzen boasts complex malt flavours & balanced bitterness combined with extreme
drinkability to offer something special that no other seasonal beer does. This is a beer designed specifically for a celebration. By pure design it's meant to be consumed in copious amounts and sloshed from heavy litre glasses while wearing lederhosen & in tents filled by the thousands. For this and many other reasons we at Upstream Brewing Company look forward to Oktoberfest every year.

BeerBQ Rauchbier - 6.5% ABV, 29 IBU's
The Rauchbier style is an old German beer style; its origins go back to the 1500's and to the district of Franconia and the town of Bamberg. It's typically of dark color and has similarities of the Oktoberfest bier. Green malts are literally dried over an open fire of beech wood, imparting a unique smokiness ("rauch" is German for smoke). Upstream Brewing Company's Rauchbier is a throwback to the days when all malts were kilned with wood; it is medium bodied, dry and smoky on the palate.

Decimator Doppel Bock - 8% ABV, 47 IBU's
Doppelbock is a Bavarian specialty beer first brewed in Munich by the monks of St. Francis of Paula (it was considered "liquid bread" by the monks). The term "doppel (double) bock" was coined by Munich consumers. Decimator Doppelbock is a medium-full body lager that has a very strong malty & toasty aroma. To taste Decimator Doppelbock has a light caramel undertone with a very slight chocolate-like flavor due to a three hour boil (one and a half hours longer than a normal boil). Virtually no hop aroma or bitterness is present in this lager, which leaves this a very smooth dark lager with lots of character. Be careful and don't let the 8% ABV (Alcohol by Volume) decimate you.