Tastemakers: AFFY TAPPLE SCARECROW CARAMEL APPLE - Ayinger Oktober Fest Marzen

Oct. 12, 2005

Okay, after another disappointing loss at the hands of U-M it was time to assess my loyalties to the MSU football program. Is it time to finally pledge my allegiance to the maize & blue? Then I realized that my love for MSU football really has never been about winning games: it has always been about caramel apples. It was why I went to those games as a kid in the first place. It was at Spartan Stadium where I had my first Affy Tapple caramel apple.
Now, Affy Tapple is legendary in the world of caramel apples and they claim to be the first manufacturer of this fall-time favorite. Founded in Chicago in 1948, Affy Tapple had a production facility in Lansing (it was my father’s first place of employment as a teenager) from the 1950s to the early 1980s. It was there that they produced thousands of caramel apples from such varieties as Pink Lady, Jonathan and Granny Smith all from Michigan apple farms. Even today Affy Tapple still uses thousands of apples from our great state.
When a product is dependent on just two ingredients, they both have to be excellent, and while quality Michigan apples are essential, so is the closely guarded secret caramel sauce they have used for nearly 60 years. Even my father won’t divulge the recipe and he hasn’t worked there in 46 years. The company recently acquired Mrs. Prindable’s Gourmet Caramel Apples and to celebrate the season of the harvest try the Triple Chocolate Scarecrow Caramel Apple. But it doesn’t get any better than the basic caramel apple from Affy Tapple. It is simply
a winner (even when the Spartans are losing) and it only gets better when they
dip them into crushed nuts. Look for them at any local grocer or visit
www.affytapple.com.


Ayinger Oktober Fest Märzen

Oktoberfest is officially over in Germany. The annual festival starts the third weekend in September and ends the first weekend in October. In those two weeks a million visitors to Munich raise their steins to consume 10 million pints of beer and eat 800,000 bratwursts all while singing and dancing. The good news is that there is still some Oktoberfest beer leftover to be enjoyed here in the states. This includes the full-bodied Ayinger Oktober Fest Märzen (this brew has won more Gold Medals than any other Oktoberfest beer) a flavorful and rich lager that is certainly among the tops in this style. Octoberfest beers are traditionally brewed in March (Märzen) and lagered (cold-stored usually in caves) for 15 weeks then bottled or barreled and ready to be served by September.
Oktoberfest began in 1810 when Bavarian Princess Theresa married Prince Ludwig. The celebration lasted 16 days and attendees had so much fun that they did it again the next year and now 195 years later there are Oktoberfest celebrations all over the world. To determine the start date of Oktoberfest, count backward 16 days from the first Sunday in October.
Now that the history lesson is over with let’s get down to what makes this brew a fall time delight. Märzen brews are traditionally light in the hops but Ayinger kicks it up a notch to give some gusto to this brew while still maintaining the integrity and heritage of this ancient Bavarian style. The nose is slightly sweet and malty making it a great pairing with pretzels, bratwursts with stone-ground mustard and sauerkraut. Serve chilled and in a traditional German stoneware stein, lederhosen and oom-pah bands are optional.
-- Rick Coates