I Pronounce the Sun King Oktoberfest My Favorite Oktoberfest Beer of All Time

I spend most of my time on this site talking about wine like it owes me money. So understand what it costs me to say this: the best Oktoberfest beer I have ever had comes in a blue can from Sun King.

The ruling

Sun King calls its Oktoberfest a German-style lager made with choice malts and Noble hops, with "a toasty malt complexity and a crisp, dry finish." That's accurate, and modest. It tastes like fall in a town that doesn't have one. It's still shorts weather in Sarasota, and this beer makes me want a sweater I don't own.

I've had a lot of Oktoberfests. Most of them are fine. This one I buy in amounts that make the cashier ask if I'm hosting something. I am not hosting anything.

It's a seasonal, and it's out now. Sun King lists it as a fall beer, which in Florida is less a season than a rumor. Plan accordingly.

The taproom

Sun King started in Indianapolis, where its first kegs rolled out in July 2009, but co-founder Clay Robinson lives in Sarasota, and the taproom here has been one of my favorite places to sit. Good beer, people who are happy to be there, and nobody asking me about tannins.

It's changing this month. Per Sun King's announcement, the Sarasota brewery and taproom becomes The Brewer's Collaborative Tap House, run by Sun King's longtime food partner Dan A'pizz Man (yes, that pizza truck). It keeps pouring Sun King, and brewers from Brew Life, 3 Car Garage and 3 Bridges Brewing get in on it too. Sun King's Florida beer will be brewed at Sun Lab Brewing in Bradenton.

Meanwhile, Sun King is opening a new taproom at Captain Curt's Village on Siesta Key later this fall. So my favorite taproom isn't leaving. It's moving closer to the beach, which is the most Sarasota thing a business can do.

Wine is back next week. Probably.

21+. Please drink responsibly.