Here's to September: The best month for beer!

Now that we are a week into September, I thought I would comment on this month and how it relates to other months in terms of beer. In my humble opinion, September is the best month for beer. The first reason for September being the best beer month is the German tradition of Oktoberfest. Yes, Oktoberfest takes place in September primarily, not October (the reason for this being that it was traditionally held in October, but then moved up to take advantage of the better weather in September). It typically begins near the end of September and ends the first week of October (for actual dates, and more info. on Oktoberfest, read the Wikipedia article on it here). I love Oktoberfest for a number of reasons. The first being that Oktoberfest is one of my favorite styles of beer available for consumption. It is typically available to the public in the months of September - October (maybe November), but sometimes actually available at the end of August. More and more breweries are coming out with an Oktoberfest style of beer, and many of them are delicious. One of my favorites is Spaten Oktoberfest. This beer style is one of the styles served at the actual Oktoberfest in Munich. Sam Adams makes a decent Oktoberfest beer as well (although they call it Octoberfest, probably not to confuse Americans who do not know it should actually be spelled with a 'k').

What is even better than the beer is the idea of the whole event: Basically a bunch of people sitting around, drinking delicious beer, listening to traditional music, singing, being happy, and enjoying life. The fact that the festival has continued to modern day with many of the same traditions having been in place since the beginning of the festival (Oktoberfest started in 1810) shows how much emphasis Bavarians place on good food and drink, traditions, and their Bavarian roots. I love it.

Another reason for voting all of the other months off the Beer Survivor Island is pumpkin flavored beer. Those who are unfamiliar with this delicious concotion may think it sounds a bit strange, unappetizing, even disgusting. I used to as well. In fact, a badly made pumpkin beer can be rather unpleasant. However a well made pumpkin beer is something to be revered, as it is such a bizarre idea (who first thought to throw some pumpkin in beer?) that actually works so well, and is available for only a few months per year. A good pumpkin beer should not taste like liquid pumpkin; the well made pumpkin beers have a pumpkin flavoring, along with other flavors such as brown sugar or cinnamon. It has been my experience that a good pumpkin beer will warm the body and soul as the outside temperature starts to dip down. One of my favorite pumpkin beers is Cambridge Brewing Company's Pumpkin Ale. The guys at Beer Advocate claim this pumpkin beer to be their favorite as well (read here). As of last Sunday it was not available yet, however it should be coming out soon. Unfortunately there is such a high demand for this incredible beverage that they do not sell it in growlers, as they do their other beers, as they would run out of it too quickly! Another tasty pumpkin beer which I tasted recently (see this posting) is the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale.

Delicious, interesting beer is available for purchase and consumption any month of the year. However in the contest for Best Beer Month, September easily takes the cake.