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Mills River brewery creates this year's Oktoberfest seasonal

By Bill Moss, Published: July 28, 2017

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will introduce this year's special Oktoberfest beer — created at Sierra Nevada's Mills River plant — during its two big Oktoberfest in September.

For the past three years, Sierra Nevada has partnered with a different German craft brewery to create an authentic fest beer fit for celebrating the world’s largest beer festival right here at home. This year, Brauhaus Miltenberger, one of Germany’s most highly regarded craft brewers, was tapped for the collaboration.

“Cornelius and his team from Brauhaus Miltenberger embody the spirit and tradition of Oktoberfest,” says Brian Grossman, second-generation brewer for Sierra Nevada and manager of the Mills River plant. “It was great to host them at our brewery in Mills River for the creation of this year’s fest beer. They brought literally centuries of family brewing experience to the mix and helped us create the ultimate festival beer.”

“We tried to re-create a classic Oktoberfest beer in the true German tradition,” says Cornelius Faust, fourth-generation brewmaster for Brauhaus Miltenberger. “We used traditional techniques to create layers of rich malt notes that remain light and crisp to the taste. That’s the secret of an authentic fest beer—complex malt flavor in a lager that remains easy to drink while you are celebrating the Oktoberfest season.”

Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest is a deep golden lager weighing in at 6.1% ABV with an authentic, rich, and layered malt flavor balanced by traditional German-grown hops. New for 2017 is Oktoberfest in 12-ounce cans, in addition to 12-ounce bottles and draught offerings.

Named one of America’s best Oktoberfest festivals, the event is a big celebration of German culture and tradition, with live music, dancing, costumes, contests and, of course, beer. Mills River welcomes guests Saturday, Sept. 30.