When I heard Sixpoint was coming out with a wet hopped beer I was instantly excited. Then I found out it was also a pumpkin beer; how could it get any better? I’m going to cut to the chase, this beer is really really good. But here’s the thing, it’s not a wet hopped beer, it’s not a pumpkin beer, it’s a fall beer. So what do I mean by that? While it has the amazing smooth earthy notes from the pumpkin, it isn’t spiced, and it doesn’t taste overwhelmingly of pumpkin. If you put this next to traditional pumpkin beers this one would taste notably different. The same goes for wet hopped beers on the market, while this beer is hoppy in the best way possible, that extra flavor the pumpkin adds sets it apart. Which is why this beer is in some ways in a class by itself.

The freshness of this beer is incredible, it begins with an awesome fresh hop aroma and that follows through in the flavor. Sixpoint sourced fresh Citra hops, a fairly new very citrusy strain that only hit the market a few years ago, for use in this beer. It's that selection of hops that made this beer.  At 68 IBUs there’s no arguing that this is a bitter beer, but to be honest it never feels overly hoppy the word "fresh" kept coming to mind as I drank it. The pumpkin is subtle but it’s always there and provides a perfect roundness to the finish. This is truly a seasonal beer made from ingredients only available right now, making Autumnation the perfect name. We love the idea of taking truly seasonal ingredients to make beer. We can only hope that this is just the first of many seasonals from Sixpoint made in this fashion.

If you haven’t seen the video Sixpoint put out along with the release of this beer you owe it to yourself to check it out below.

I’ve wanted to go to Oktoberfest for years, but something always got in the way, money, friends bailing out, it was always something...until this year. A friend of mine emailed me early this year asking if I was interested, I jumped at the chance and crossed my fingers this trip would actually come to fruition. Since I’ve come back from the trip I always get asked the same few questions so I’m going to tackle those right now.

Q: Do women really wear the dresses that, ummm shall we say show off their assets?
A. Yes, they’re called dirndls and I would say most women wear them

Q. Do men really wear lederhosen?
A. You bet! If I did the trip again I would have tried to buy some ahead of time. In Munich a traditional outfit will cost you around $400 US, I just couldn’t justify that.

Q. Is it as crazy and fun as it looks in the movies/TV?
A. Yes, this is one rare instance in life where the stereotypes are all true and that’s a good thing. Nothing can prepare you for the actual experience of being there.

We arrived at Oktoberfest at 11am on a Friday morning. If you’re reading this and thinking, wow that’s early, you’re right, but there’s a reason. In order to eat or drink at Oktoberfest you must be sitting at a table in a tent. Most of the tables are by reservation only and are completely booked a year in advance. We did not have a reservation so we had to get there early to grab one of the limited open tables. Nothing prepared me for the size of the “tents” at Oktoberfest. I’ve never seen anything like this called a tent, think aircraft hanger. Based on a recommendation by a friend from Munich we went to the Augustiner tent. As we walked in the sounds of hundreds of clinking glasses and thousands of voices greeted us. We found a seat after some time searching and got down to business. Our waitress arrived and I used one few but very important German phrases I know “sechs maß bitte” (six liters please). Moments later she returned with six beers in hand, an impressive feat given how heavy these beers are. The first sip was pure bliss. Was it the best beer I’ve ever had? No, but in that moment it was, there’s no other beer that could have possible been and better at that place at that point in time.

As we enjoyed our first beer the brass band began playing, by noon the entire tent was full and Oktoberfest was in full swing. Words can’t describe how packed the tents get. The tables are small and narrow and there’s less than an inch separating each one. This results in you sitting back to back with the people next to you. In any other situation this would likely feel claustrophobic but somehow here you just felt connected to your fellow man. What makes this so special is that everyone in the tent is there for the exact same reason. The people behind me were from Switzerland and I quickly became friends with them. We chatted about our travels, our excitement at finally making it to Oktoberfest and where we were from. The people on the other side of me were from Cambridge, MA one town over from where I live and it turned out they followed Drink Craft Beer on Twitter, crazy!

Now a couple beers in, we were in desperate need of food. As good as the beer is, the food is arguably better. People always think brats when they think German food but let me tell you, it’s all about the schweinshaxe (pork knuckle). This is a cut of meat from the lower part of the leg which is brined and then cooked over high heat. The result is a ridiculously good. It’s cooked skin on so there’s crispy pig skin covering deliciously fatty pork underneath. If for some reason this doesn’t sound amazing (something is wrong with you) grab a half chicken instead which is almost as good.

After some number of hours of eating, drinking, singing, participating in chugging contests while standing on tables while crowds cheered and general craziness we left the tent and explored the fairgrounds. There’s food and beer vendors outside of the tents as well as ferris wheels, roller coasters and all sorts of other rides. Oktoberfest was everything I wanted it to be and more. Looking back now there’s a few tips I’d give to anyone thinking of going.

1. Make sure you allocate two days for Oktoberfest. Munich is an awesome city and there’s so much else to do that I couldn’t justify going back a second day given my limited time there, but I would have liked to spend more time outside the tent and perhaps checked out a different tent one day.

2. Get a reservation. It’s hard to plan that far in advance but if I was planning the trip now I’d definitely do it.

3. Get the proper clothes, a dirndl if you’re female lederhosen if you’re male.

As I finish this article I can’t help wanting to go back, and for me that’s a rarity. I generally find that once I’ve gone somewhere once it’s rare that I go back, I’d rather go do something new. I find myself wanting to go back though, there’s so many other tents to explore, so many new people I could meet, so many experiences awaiting me if I return. And I think that’s the magic of Oktoberfest, that’s why so many locals come back again and again year after year. There really is something truly special about this event that makes it like nothing anywhere else. And that’s why you should go.

Prost!

We woke up in Boston today to barely 40°F AND it's September. To us, that can only mean one thing: it's a very special time of year known as pumpkin beer season (aka Autumn)!

We've already gone through and told you our favorite pumpkin brews, but now we want to know yours!

As usual, vote below, then let us know why you voted that way (or, if you chose "Other," what your favorite is) on Twitter, on Facebook or in the comments below the poll. Cheers!

We've been talking quite a bit lately about the timing of seasonal craft beers and the #CampaignForSeasonalBeer. Well let's jump off topic of worrying about stuff coming out early or on time or what-have-you and onto a more enjoyable topic: the fact that seasonal craft beers are delicious!

With that in mind, we want to hear what your favorite season for craft beers is! Is it Winter and the hearty stouts that come with it? Summer its refreshing, lighter fare? The pumpkin beers, Oktoberfests and more of Autumn? Or whatever brewers decide to send out in Spring? We know what ours is, but we want to hear from you!

As usual, vote below, then let us know let us know what beers from that season are your favorite on Twitter, on Facebook or in the comments below the poll. Cheers!