Ninkasi Celebrates Fall's Harvest with Oktoberfest and Venn

EUGENE, Ore.—Aug. 13 2014—With the approach of the harvest and cooler fall weather, Ninkasi Brewing Company announces two lagers that are rooted in European tradition and celebrate the incredible ingredients of the Pacific Northwest. Oktoberfest, the newest addition to Ninkasi’s Seasonal Release Series, and Venn, the third Prismatic Lager Series release of the year, capture all that the region has to offer: some of the purest water in the Continental United States and Northwest-grown hops.

Available September through October, Oktoberfest is a Festbier lager crafted to honor the region’s great bounty. “Festbier is a unique Bavarian lager that’s made around the harvest time, similar to an Oktoberfest, but it has what German brewers consider to have a more hoppy presence,” explains Jamie Floyd, founding brewer and co-founder of Ninkasi. “Oktoberfest has a darker hue than most lagers and a toasty malt flavor with a sweet impression up front paired with an earthy and grassy hop flavor.” Brewed with hops grown in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, these hops were selected to impart the earthy, grassy flavor of traditional German hops.

Venn, available September through December, is a balanced Dortmund-style lager providing a deliciously easy drinking option for the crisper months ahead. “The most important characteristic of this style is its balance,” says Floyd. “All ingredients must be in perfect harmony, giving the beer a Noble hop bitterness with a rounded, sweet malt flavor.”

Both beers will be available throughout Ninkasi’s distribution footprint: Oregon; Washington; Idaho; Montana; California; Alaska; Nevada; and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Oktoberfest Stats
Style: Festbier Lager
Series: Seasonal Release Series
Available: Sept.-Oct. 2014
ABV: 5.9
IBU: 25
Starting Gravity: 1058
Malt: Pilsner, Carahell, Cara Munich
Hops: Sterling, Willamette, Tettnang
Packaging: 22-ounce bottles, 12-ounce bottles, draft
Distribution: Oregon; Washington; Idaho; Montana; California; Alaska; Nevada; and Vancouver, British Columbia
URL: http://www.ninkasibrewing.com/oktoberfest

Description: To celebrate the harvest, we decided to brew a beer dedicated to the tradition of Oktoberfest. Using Pilsner malt and hops grown in the Northwest, this beer is our way of toasting to the great bounty that our area brings us. Cheers!

Tasting Notes: Our Oktoberfest has a slightly higher ABV than most Bavarian-style lagers, followed by a more prolific aromatic hop profile. With a deep copper color, this lager has a toasty malt flavor and a dry finish with earthy, grassy hop notes.

Food Pairings: Chicken, Duck, Rabbit, Pork, Potatoes, Spaetzle, Salads, Caramel Sweets and Cookies

Venn Stats
Style: Dortmund-Style Lager
Series: Prismatic Lager Series
Available: Sept.-Dec. 2014
ABV: 5.1
IBU: 25
Starting Gravity: 1050
Malt: Pilsner, Vienna, Carahell, Acidulated
Hops: German Magnum, German Hersbrucker
Packaging: 12-ounce bottles, draft
Distribution: Oregon; Washington; Idaho; Montana; California; Alaska; Nevada; and Vancouver, British Columbia

URL: http://www.ninkasibrewing.com/venn

Description: Venn is the definition of balance, where American craft meets European tradition. First brewed in 19th century Dortmund, Germany, the hallmark of the style is its sophisticated symmetry. Brilliantly marrying a perceptible Noble Hop bitterness with a rounded, sweet malt flavor, Venn is golden in color, clean and harmonious.
Tasting Notes: The hallmark of this Dortmund-style lager is the balance between perceptible Noble Hop bitterness and rounded malt flavor; making it deliciously easy to drink.

Food Pairings: Sausages, Spaetzles, Trout, Fondue, Potato Salad