Special Edition - Oktoberfest Lager
Mendocino Brewing Company

Special Edition - Oktoberfest LagerSpecial Edition - Oktoberfest Lager
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From:
Mendocino Brewing Company
 
United States
Style:
Märzen
ABV:
6.1%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.58 | pDev: 10.89%
Reviews:
73
Ratings:
80
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 27, 2024
Added:
Aug 30, 2007
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by stockingcpl:
Photo of stockingcpl
Reviewed by stockingcpl from Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: This brew pours quite well. The head is plentiful and has a nice creamy color. Lacings are about average for this type of beer. The color is a deep amber...quite inline with traditional Maerzens.

Smell: Another victory for this selection. The aroma is also inline with any German production premium Maerzen. Earthy overtones mixed with malt. Impressive.

Taste: Very good flavor curve. Not peaked at any point but more of a peaked taper. Initially the hops bite then tapers into a hearty malt. Sustain has hops overtones (tangy bitterness) but it is not overpowering. Sustain is excellent with finishing hops evident. My guess would be that Bavarian Hops were used during the final malting stages. Overall, the taste was superior.

Mouthfeel: Well, this brew performed very well in this category also. The overall presence is crisps and not suppressing to the palete. Sometimes Oktoberfest beers can leave the palate as feeling stifled and suppressed. Not here. Excellent sustain still leaves the palate ready for either a sausage or a pretzel! :-) Good job.

Drinkability: I was left wanting another (or two). This says it all about the drinkability of this brew. Excellent selection. This ber is highly recommended.

Conclussions: This is an EXCELLENT selection for fall. Munich would be proud....but in this case Mendocino should be proud!

Prosit!
Nikki
Dec 04, 2008
More User Ratings:
Photo of Lexluthor33
Reviewed by Lexluthor33 from New York

3.52/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
When I first had this beer in 2008 ( the review is from 2008) it was just called the "Fall Edition"
Medium dark brown with small head and thin patchy lace.
Aroma of malts, light caramel notes with some light fruit notes.
Taste is hops, malts, caramel, biscuity and some grains.
Medium carbonation.
Feb 27, 2024
 
Rated: 3.99 by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

Nov 23, 2021
 
Rated: 3.5 by wrightst from Maryland

Sep 11, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by zestar from California

Aug 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by BillRoth from Maryland

Dec 29, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by ejimhof from Pennsylvania

Oct 04, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by cliff1066 from Virginia

Dec 26, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by RBorsato from Virginia

Nov 13, 2012
Photo of donniecuffs
Reviewed by donniecuffs from New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured orange/copper into a pint glass, with less than a finger of white, average retention, and good lacing. Smelled of caramel, roasted malt, and toffee. Tasted very malty, with caramel, toffee, roasted malt, and even a subtle hint of chocolate, with a semi-dry finish. Thicker than expected, but also more carbonation than expected to balance it out. Great tasting beer, but still might be a little too thick to session.
Jul 28, 2010
Photo of tjd112
Reviewed by tjd112 from New Jersey

3.47/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance - Poured a copper color with off-white half finger head with bad retention and little lacing

Smell - Rich and malty with a little bit of fruitiness

Taste - Spicy and fruity

Mouthfeel - Light to medium with a somewhat tart finish

Drinkability/Overall - Decent
Dec 13, 2009
Photo of zeff80
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri

3.47/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A - Poured out a clear, copper/burgundy color with a small, tan head of foam. Almost no lacing left behind.

S - It smelled of malt and caramel. Some mild floral notes, too.

T - It tasted of sweet, biscuity malt and touches of caramel. It had a subtle bitter bite of hops.

M - It was crisp and sharp. A light bodied lager.

D - This is an okay oktoberfest. It doesn't blow you away with complexity but it is drinkable.
Nov 03, 2009
Photo of BeerFMAndy
Reviewed by BeerFMAndy from Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
12 oz bottle poured into a Sierra Nevada Imperial Pint. 6.1% ABV, no date.

A - Pours a clear copper amber color with a fatty three-finger head that's creamy but loosely packed and off-white. Good retention but no lacing as the head dropped. Foam til the very end though!

S - Strong aroma of toasted Munich malts and a hint at some nice caramelization sweetness going on. Also has a good crisp, mellow hop aroma at the end that balanced well. Pleasing nose.

T - Very sweet and strong malts come at you right off the bat but quickly balance with an earthy and mildly grassy hop flavor.

M - Incredibly smooth and creamy! It's still well carbonated but gets lost in the nice feel. Dry and very lightly bitter at the end.

D - It's a great example of an Oktoberfest beer! Delicious and great feeling, it's a very drinkable beer I could have plenty of! It's possible the sweetness could get just a bit cloying but I'm not too worried about it.
Nov 03, 2009
Photo of samie85
Reviewed by samie85 from Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Taken from notes written earlier tonight:

The label is different from the one pictured on the review page. Mine says Autumn Lager, then in smaller type - Marzen-style.

A- Pours a dark, reddish brown with a white head.

S- Clean, bready and caramel malt notes.

T- Bready and caramel malt and finishes with a slight bitterness.

M-A little thin feeling, but overall okay.

D- Pretty drinkable, but this looks, smells, and tastes more like a bock than an Oktoberfest in my experience.
Oct 27, 2009
Photo of Tilley4
Reviewed by Tilley4 from Tennessee

3.78/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A new Oktoberfest around these parts...

This looks very autumn-like with a warm inviting rich brown appearance... Very deep and robust looking, very worthy of the style...

Warm nutty roasted malts with the merest hint of sweetness and a touch of fruit, maybe apples...2 for 2 so far...

Toasted maltiness tinged with a touch of the fruitiness up front, finishes with the slightest of hop bitterness.. Occasionally I get some metallics here which detracts slightly but doesn't kill it...

Actually, I could see myself enjoying this quite a bit during the fall while watching the games or grilling... A nice seasonal effort from Mendocino here...
Oct 26, 2009
Photo of curasowa
Reviewed by curasowa from New York

3.3/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Mendocino must have changed the labels on this beer, because the one I'm looking at has the exact same label as pictured but says Autumn Lager instead of Oktoberfest Lager. Anyways, pours a clear, copper color with minimal head. Smells slightly citrusy and a little medicinal with some hints of wet grass. First hit of flavor has some nice, toasted malt and then a hit of tingle from the carbonation followed by some strong bitterness. Body is OK, and the finish is lingering with some mildly astringent bitterness. Balance is only fair, which lowers the drinkability.
Oct 11, 2009
Photo of tehawful
Reviewed by tehawful from Maryland

3.81/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Pours a clear reddish copper. The off-white head quickly fades to a ring around the glass.

Smell: This is where the theme of a balanced lager starts. A subtle aroma of malt then hops presents itself. Unfortunately, the aroma is somewhat faint.

Taste: Like the smell, the taste isn't too strong, but the balance makes it interesting. The sweet malt taste sets you up for a clean, dry hop finish. I think the subtlety in taste might be working for this lager.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. I wouldn't say its heavy on carbonation, but more than I would have thought (perhaps becuase of the subtlety of the flavor).

Drinkability: It seems to me like this would be a great session lager. The aroma and taste are not very powerful, and the balance is interesting enough to hold your attention.
Oct 09, 2009
Photo of Clydesdale
Reviewed by Clydesdale from District of Columbia

4/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Pours a deep chestnut bronze color. The beige head is tall, dense, and foamy/frothy. Retention is nice, with attractive rings of lacing left along the glass.

S: Toasty and sweet caramel malt in the nose. A standard spicy, herbal hop aroma is also present. A touch earthen and nutty. Basic, but solid.

T: A moderately rich caramel malt presence. Toasty and earthy. Spicy, earthy, herbal hop flavors show a firm character. Bitterness is moderate. Some fruity and nutty notes.

M: Moderately full-bodied. Rather dry into the finish. Carbonation is on the crisp side.

D: A surprisingly nice marzen from Mendocino. One of the best beers I've tasted from this brewery. Firm, flavorful, and just solid all-around. I've had many less impressive American Oktoberfests. Worth checking out.
Sep 21, 2009
Photo of Yetiman420
Reviewed by Yetiman420 from Ohio

4.04/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Poured into a standard (Full Sail) pint glass. Clear, dark copper color with hints of brown and brass. Very thin white head that subsides to just a rim. Minus on appearance for lack of head even with a rough pour.

Aroma - lots of sweet malt with some fruitiness to it. Well done on the aroma. Enjoyable and easy to appreciate.

Extremely clean flavor. Nothing heavy on the tounge or lingering sweetness I associate with lagers.

Really surprised at how much I'm enjoying this beer. If you told me it was a sweet smelling lager, I'd probably pass. The dryness on the finish works very well against/complimenting the sweet nose.

As I drink and as it warms, I begin to get more flavor from the finish. The malt sweetness, in moderation, begins to linger on the tongue - in a positive way.

As Oktoberfests go, this one is easy to enjoy and one of the better, albeit few, that I've had.
Apr 01, 2009
Photo of Procrastinator
Reviewed by Procrastinator from Florida

3.82/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 oz. brown bottle is the last of my 6-pack purchase. No freshness dating. Poured into tulip pint glass.

Appearance: rusty copper colored with virtually no head. Carbonation only hangs around the top. Lacing is relatively watery and timid.

Smell: the scents are rather hard to find. sweet Vienna maltiness, caramel and in the background, alcohol.

Taste: the flavors are sweet caramel malts and slight nuttiness followed by a bitter hop, which lends itself for balance, not necessarily for flavor.

Mouthfeel: medium body with decent carbonation. The hop finish lends a slight dryness and good balance.

Drinkability: very drinkable O'fest with flavors that are definitely within guidelines. Alcohol never gets in the way.
Mar 03, 2009
Special Edition - Oktoberfest Lager from Mendocino Brewing Company
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 80 ratings