Sounds kind of Zen-like, doesn’t it? As a matter of fact, it’s the basic formula for Baird Brewing Company in Numazu, Japan, at the foot of Mt. Fuji.

Husband and wife team Bryan and Sayuri Baird opened Numazu Fishmarket Taproom in March 2000. Since then they have expanded, adding several taprooms and building a larger brewery.

Now called Baird Brewing Company, they have made their mark in the expanding Japanese micro brew market. Fortunately for us, they have the capacity to send some of their outstanding beers to the States. Right now, I have two of their offerings, and I am always yearning for more.

Rising Sun Pale Ale: The nose has a floral hop aroma, which comes through in the flavor. Unfiltered, it shows a cloudy gold in the glass, with just a touch of sweetness from the malt. Reminiscent of an English Pale with a Japanese twist. $4.99/12 oz. btl

Red Rose Amber Ale: This amber is brewed with ale yeast at an unusually low, lager-like temperature, much like the German Alt beers of Dusseldorf, giving it a lager briskness with the complexity of an ale. Also unfiltered, it shows dark copper in the glass and has more going on than most ambers. $4.99/12 oz. btl

What stuck me about these beers is that with a high level of complexity, they are both well balanced, giving them a strong character.

Zen like, indeed.

The seasons keep a rollin’ in the beer world and some of them come and go pretty quickly. We’re hitting the home stretch on Oktoberfest beers and already breweries are starting to come out with their Winter Brews.

But there’s a short, sharp, shock that lands in between Oktoberfest and winter and that’s pumpkin season. Like them or not, a number of breweries put out pumpkin ales, some better than others, and they only last at the most, two months. You’ve gotta try at least one.

Here at Delta we have a few that might pique your interest:

• Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale. Elysian has put out Night Owl for a number of years and it’s always a favorite. $4.79/22 oz.
• Rogue Pumpkin Patch Ale. This is Rogue’s first try at a pumpkin ale. They use their own pumpkins grown on their farm near Independence, Oregon. And a fine try, it is. It’s one of my favorites. $5.99/22 oz.
• Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. Dogfish Head makes one of the most sought after pumpkin beers. We have a limited quantity, so come early. $2.69/12 oz.
• Uinta Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin. This ale is the monster of all pumpkin beers. Aged in oak barrels, this brew has a serious body to back up the pumpkin flavor. They purposely brewed it to reach 10.31 % ABV in honor of Halloween (10/31). $13.99/750 ml.
• Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale. Buffalo Bill’s is one of the oldest breweries in California and each year it comes out with pumpkin beer in 6 packs. On sale at $7.99/6 pk.
• Coming soon will be a Pumpkin Stout from the new brewery in Corvallis, Flat Tail Brewing. I can’t wait to try it.

Whether you try just one, or taste two or three to compare, don’t wait too long. The Great Pumpkin comes and goes quickly.

This year's Oktoberfest in Munich began on September 17th and runs through the 3rd of October. Here at Delta Market of Choice it will run a little longer so you'll have some extra time to get your favorite Oktoberfest beers.

Oktoberfest beers are, of course, synonymous with cooler fall weather. In the old days, before refrigeration when warm summer months were too hot for brewing, lagers were brewed in March (Marzen) and stored in cool caves during the summer for drinking in the fall. Some German Oktoberfest brews are called Oktoberfest-Marzen Biers. They generally have a cooper hue to them and are a little meatier than traditional lagers. They are a great transition beer from summer to winter.

Many breweries these days will brew an Oktoberfest as their fall seasonal. Here at Delta we have 6 packs of Widmer Okto Festival Ale, Bayern Oktoberfest Lager, and Sam Adams Octoberfest, all great examples of the style. We also carry the German Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen in a 16.9 oz. bottle, which highlights the German-style of barley flavors that linger on the palate.

Eugene’s own Oakshire Brewery has come out with a salute to EWEB’s 100 years of service to the city by brewing a limited quantity of their Landtrust Lager, an Oktoberfest Bier. Hurry before it’s gone!

On Friday, Sept. 23, we will have the long-awaited Heater Allen’s Bobtoberfest Lager appearing in our Savories ad for $3.49/ 22 oz., a great deal.

Whether it’s sitting at home watching football, or taking a break from raking the leaves, you can’t go wrong quenching your thirst with an Oktoberfest lager.

I wanted to point out a trio of new beers in the Delta Oaks beer department. This summer has been all over the map, temperature wise. What to drink? No matter what the weather, here’s three beers that will cover the map.

Avery Brewing out of Boulder, Colorado (my old stomping grounds where I got my feet wet with microbrews) has again released “Maharaja,” their Imperial IPA. ($8.99/22 oz.). At 102 IBU’s, it is a hop monster, but there is a delicious malt backbone that brings it all in balance. Adam Avery has been making extraordinarily balanced beers for close to 20 years. This is one for a hot Oregon day. Remember those?

On the other end of the spectrum, for those cloudy, cool evenings we’ve had too many of, Full Sail has released their “2011 Black Gold Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout.” ($12.49/22 oz.). I’m one who believes you can still drink a heavy beer in the summer. They’re great for after dinner on the deck as the sun has dropped below the Coastal Range and the day has wrapped up. Dessert, if you will. Black Gold has all the vanilla and chocolate you can reasonably expect from a Bourbon barrel-aged beer. The finish is bitter-dry and goes well with a bowl of ice cream and strawberries. (Or make a stout shake with it if the temperature is still up there). This is also a great beer to cellar.

Next is something in between. Great Divide Brewing, another Colorado brewery, has come out with a “Smoked Baltic Porter.” Porters are akin to stouts, dark and heavy, but a Baltic Porter is a different animal. Bottom fermenting lager yeast is used, matched with roasted malts, producing a lighter beer but still sporting a toasty flavor profile. It’s a blend of both worlds. Great Divide has taken this hybrid and given it a twist by smoking it up, using malt from Bamberg, the German town that is home to the famous Rauchbier, or “smoke beer.” A great brew to have around when the weather has trouble making up its mind. ($7.99/22 oz.).

A tasty bevy of beers for an unpredictable summer. Enjoy.