Must-try beers: Oktoberfest edition

CC BY-SA 3.0 Markburger83

-Don your lederhosen and dirndls and raise your steins because it’s everyone’s favourite Bavarian-beer-drinking time of year: Oktoberfest. Here are five to try.
Rise and Stein (hefeweizen)
Garrison Brewing Co.
Halifax
5.5%
This 2015 Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards gold winner pours straw yellow with a fluffy white head that looks like fresh meringue. The banana flavours practically drag you in, where you’re treated to abundant clove spiciness. Drink this out of a glass for the full effect. Visit the brewery on Oct. 5 for Das Big Party with food, live music, and games. Admission is free.
Equinox Oktoberfest Lager (märzen)
Boxing Rock Brewing Co.
Shelburne, Nova Scotia
5%
This reddish-brown lager starts light with a buzzy mouthfeel, then moves on to smooth dark malts with a hint of spiciness before making a dry finish. It’s brewed with 100% German malts and hops for the Oktoberfest purists among us.
Schnitz & Gigglez
Big Spruce Brewing
Nyanza, Nova Scotia
6.3%
Brewed with German malts, this amber lager with a pillowy head looks lovely in a glass. Things only get better when you taste it. Watch for toffee, brown bread, and touches of dried apricot and candied orange.
Lagerhosen
Tatamagouche Brewing Co.
Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia
4.5%
This annual release won silver at the 2014 Atlantic Canadian Brewing Awards. Refreshing and light, it features spicy and floral notes from the Hallertau Mittelfruh hops. This year Tata offers a second take on this beer: a dry-hopped option including floral Strisselspalt and Czech Saaz hops.
Erdinger Dunkle
Erdinger Weißbräu 
Erding, Germany
5.3%
If you’re yearning to celebrate the season with a beverage straight from the source, this German option will hit the spot. The full-bodied and dark wheat beer features a touch of caramel and bread with a hint of nuts. The brewery first made it in 1989 as a birthday present for the company’s owner. He liked it so much that he added it to the roster in 1990.

This story was originally published in Halifax Magazine.

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