Oktoberfest
Christian Moerlein Brewing Company

OktoberfestOktoberfest
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From:
Christian Moerlein Brewing Company
 
Ohio, United States
Style:
Märzen
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
77
Avg:
3.15 | pDev: 13.65%
Reviews:
19
Ratings:
22
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 25, 2013
Added:
Sep 24, 2004
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
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Ratings by AllThingsNinja:
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Reviewed by AllThingsNinja from Massachusetts

3.15/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 1 | overall: 4
I picked up a sixer of this on the cheap, and figure that it would be worthwhile. As a bargain basement, Oktoberfest Chriatian Moreline is great. However, it's not super when compared to those selling for $2-3 more per sixer.

The brew pours a copper color with a whispy head. It looks elegant as it generates a malty aroma. The flavor propfile is dominated by the malt bill - there is plenty of munch malt, but also a biscuity profile. The hops are much more subdued than most american takes on the style, but comparable to German versions.

My real disapointment was in the mouth feel. This octoberfest felt lumpy - like a sugar free drink made with splenda, or another high molecular weight sugar substitute. I really appreciate the smoothness generally associated with the style, and its extended conditioning period. Not only was it clear that this brew was not conditioned for the traditional 6 months, but it seems that the sugars in this batch were overly conjugated and difficult to ferment. Mash error? Who knows.
Nov 10, 2006
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by AJ_Nyit from Ohio

Sep 25, 2013
 
Rated: 2.75 by dalepryor from Kentucky

May 07, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by Sachsenfreude from Germany

Jan 14, 2012
Photo of LeftyBWS
Reviewed by LeftyBWS from Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Poured from a 12 oz. brown bottle into a Sam Adams pint glass.
A: A tornado of bubbles rise through a dark amber/orange-colored beer that pours with a just-darker-than-off-white, thin head that bubbles away in a short time.
S: Weak caramel and sickly sweet sugars dominate. Some buttery/toasty scents are there, as well, but not much else.
T: Mostly marzeny sugars and malts at first, followed by some cloying yet stale caramel flavors. Finish isn't bad: a little sweet, a little soft, a little Oktobery.
M: Not too sweet, considering the smell/taste. Quaffable and satisfying.
D: Overall, fine. Nothing bad, but nothing stellar either.
Nov 18, 2009
Photo of hopdog
Reviewed by hopdog from Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
12oz bottle acquired in trade with shigadeyo (thanks!).

Poured a medium orangish color with a light haze and a smaller sized head. Aromas of caramel, toasted nuts, and a little bready. Weaker tastes of toasted malts and caramel. Thinner body.

Notes from: 8/20/07
Jan 27, 2009
Photo of Pauly2X
Reviewed by Pauly2X from Wisconsin

3.11/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to dashirey for this one.

A- Hazy amber, one finger head.

S- Sweet malts, some vinous notes as well.

T- Caramel malts , moderatly bready with some toasted notes as well. Finish is slightly drying with a very light noble hop note.

M- Medium bodied, pretty normal for the style.

D- Aprroachable to say the least.

This would be much better if it weren't for the diacetyl.
Dec 13, 2008
Photo of xhermit
Reviewed by xhermit from Florida

2.56/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Grabbed a 6-pack of this after not really seeing anything else, plus I enjoyed their Over The Rhine APA.

A: Pours a nice golden brown with a thin head. The suds do a pretty good job of sticking to the glass.

S: Light smell, nothing too impressive here.

T: I was a bit disappointed at first sip, very light and watery taste that I'd expect out of a cheap lager. Definitely tastes a bit fruity.. mostly cherries.

M: Not very carbonated, the taste comes and goes really fast.

D: This Marzen is pretty light and goes down easy. Not a bad aftertaste, nothing lingers in your mouth.
Oct 26, 2008
Photo of DefenCorps
Reviewed by DefenCorps from Oregon

2.34/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
12oz bottle received as extra in trade with dashirey. Thanks!

A: Clear amber with a 1/4" off white head. Appealing

S: Oh boy, this one smells off. There's something to it that i can't quite put my finger on - smells like unflavored cough syrup in a rather medicinal way. There's something nutty and toffee in there but this does not bode well...

T: Malty up front but soon degenerates into uncharted territory with a flavor reminiscent of wet paper pulp. Oh dear - this might be a drain pour.

M: Not bad but a tad undercarbonated.

D: No way i can drink this. I shall pour this out
May 23, 2008
Photo of Reidrover
Reviewed by Reidrover from Oregon

3.47/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz. Nice looking copper coloured beer, with a small tan head, leaves nice lacing. Quite good malt driven aromas, caramel, slightly hopped. Nice semi-bitter malts mostly, get almost creamy near the end, then a quick finish with an after taste of hops. Ok on the palate, could be a wee bit thicker. Overall not a bad little beer.
Dec 25, 2007
Photo of BEERchitect
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

3.85/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I'm probably a bit surprised in the quality of this brew. Usually American brewers really bastardize this style. I don't normally expect greatness from Christian Morlein, but this one turned out better than expected. Pretty average in the caramel, bready / yeasty catagories. The difference is in the feel. Medium bodied, but really smooth. Perhaps a mild buttery tone helps and encouraged in this brew. Maybe the best of the Morlein brews.
Oct 05, 2006
Photo of FtownThrowDown
Reviewed by FtownThrowDown from Ohio

2.56/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Pours a light amber color with a slight head that recedes quickly.
Smell is a little disappointing. Reminds me too much of a subdued light BMC beer.
The taste is directly inline with what my nose was warning me. While the bitterness is more lighter, there are subtle hints of Octoberfest spiciness.
A little light on the carbonation, which is good. This is a highly sessionable beer. It's very light drinking and goes down easy. At $5.49 for a sixer, I could handle a six of it once every year.
If your in the mood, and enjoy Oktoberfest beers, this is cheap enough that it removes the risk of being disappointed too much.
There are better Oktoberfests out there, but if you can locate a bottle, it's worth a taste.
Oct 05, 2006
Photo of tgbljb
Reviewed by tgbljb from Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured a hazy, medium copper colored beer with initial moderate head that almost immediately vanished, but did leave attractive lacing as it fell. Smell is light and mildly fruity. Taste is rich and fruity and very refreshing. Finishes with some strong nutty caramel notes, with a bit of hops starting to show through. A nice beer, but nothing extraordinary.
Oct 01, 2006
Photo of brewdlyhooked13
Reviewed by brewdlyhooked13 from Ohio

4.01/5  rDev +27.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Grabbed a sixer of these the first day they hit the shelf.

Appearance - iced-tea colored pour with a soapy, 2-fingered off-white cap. It holds at a solid cover, leaving a thin blanket of lace behind.

Aroma - crackery malt aroma, simple but pleasant.

Taste - bready, toasted malt, slightly sweet. A mild hop bite, for balance only, makes for a tasty beer from front to back. A basic Ofest but hitting properly on all cylinders.

Mouthfeel - smooth and mellow, nicely carbonated.

Drinkability - good with food or as a session beer by itself.
Jan 22, 2006
Photo of jlh8643
Reviewed by jlh8643 from Indiana

2.63/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Poured from a bottle with no date into a pint glass. Even with a somewhat aggressive pour not much in the way of a head. With what little there is it is an off egg shell white that falls and dissapates fairly rapidly but leaves some lace behind. The aroma has a faint wafting of hops and breadiness to it. The beer itself is a pale copper which is clear with a very steady stream of CO2 rising to the top. Sweet caramel malts dominate the taste with very little bittering and almost no hops in the finish. The beer ends a bit too sweet for my tastes in a fest beer. Over all I would drink this before any BMC variety but not one I would go out and get if I had other options.
Dec 06, 2005
Photo of becktone
Reviewed by becktone from Ohio

2.81/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
This beer pours to be a nice looking beer. There is a small head on this beer that quickly dissiapates, the head retention isn't all that great. When agitated this brew sets up a film over the top of the beer and around the sides of the glass. The color of this beer is a reddish brown copper color. It is easy to see the carbonation in this beer, its crystal clear color allows the carbonation to make the beer look alive. Perhaps if this beer could have a bigger head it would make it look more appetizing.

The aroma of this beer is pretty weak. All I can detect right now is a faint malt aroma. Perhaps as the beer warms I'll be able to smell something else. Nope same as before.

To me there is nothing special about the taste of this beer, nothing to really set it apart from the other beers of this style that I've had. The hops and malt flavors are fairly well balanced. Again I think I'll have to wait a bit until it warms to taste this brew. I really don't taste that much of a hop influence in this beer. I detect more of a malt influence, then again it is pretty well balanced but if I have to say that one of the flavors is dominant over the other I guess it would be the malt flavor. Just not very good for a craft brew.

The oktoberfest beer is full bodied. It feels about average on the palate. The carbonation is evident on the palate, to my taste I think that there is a litte too much carbonation. I don't think that I'll buy this beer again, I don't really see why I should spend $7.00 on this sixer when I can spend the same and get something that is much better. I think that I'm just not a huge fan of the style. I mean its alright, but nothing to brag about.
Nov 06, 2005
Photo of pentathlete
Reviewed by pentathlete from Virginia

3.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Dark gold with small white head that falls to nothing in short order. Looks still. Smell is very mild malt and no hops at all. Taste is faintly bitter malts, wet at first, then the malt attempts to assert itself with not much luck. A disappointing hop finish failed to pick up the interest here. Mouthfeel is thin then medium. Drinkable but not really seekable. If the host has them, have one or two.

Thanks to bigern for this sample as part of GPBS '05.
Oct 25, 2005
Photo of mobyfann
Reviewed by mobyfann from Ohio

3.19/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
Paid $5.99 for a 6'er...

The appearance pours a ruby/amber base, medium sized white head, head retention was short, lacing is almost non-existent. The smell is a nice one of mellow malt and a candy-like sweetness to the nose.

The taste is pretty much of a basic beer. No definition, the malts are present, the beer is a little too sweet for an Oktoberfest, average to me. The beer is pretty smooth and pretty gentle on the palette although a little heavy. The drinkability falls short on this one, I think one is enough and then I will move on to something else, no yearn...

Final Thought: This one started out pretty nice on the nose but didn't go anywhere afterwards, this one is middle of the pack...
Oct 14, 2005
Photo of whartontallboy
Reviewed by whartontallboy from New York

3.22/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Admitted impulse purchase when I saw the little 7 oz. bottle by the register at the Foodery.

Pours out a deep caramel color, relatively clear, with a very thin white head that doesn't hold very well.

Smell is thick and malty with heavy overnotes of caramel and a bit of a baked-bread aroma.

Flavor is nicely caramel-laden malt with some light doughy undertones. There's really not a whole lot going on here, just a lot of malt.

Overall: Eh, kind of average. I didn't have huge hopes for it, so I wasn't that disappointed. Decent, but nothing to write home about.
Sep 11, 2005
Photo of Dogbrick
Reviewed by Dogbrick from Ohio

3.28/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Who is this guy that makes a living posing for every Oktoberfest beer label? He has to be rich by now. This beer started out pretty well, but unfortunately went downhill in the course of a mere 7 ounces. Pours a nice ruddy dark amber color with a medium beige head and thin lacing. Malty aroma with a bit of nuts. Medium bodied, with a nice sweet malt flavor to start, but the hoppy side becomes more and more assertive so that by the end of the small glass the flavor profile has completely flipped. The finish is lightly bitter and roasty. Not really bad but inconsistent.
Jan 06, 2005
Oktoberfest from Christian Moerlein Brewing Company
Beer rating: 77 out of 100 with 22 ratings