Oktoberfest
Millstream Brewing Company

Nice, lasting head. Smells of malt and Oktoberfest goodness. Smooth, rich, malty flavor. Millstream really nailed this one. One of the top Märzens I’ve had. Prost!

One of the finer American representations of an Oktoberfest beer. Copper colored. Earthy aroma. Caramel and biscuit, with a nice firm bitterness to cut the sweetness. Well done.

Appearance: Pours a clear, medium to deep orange/amber color with a mild off-white head. SRM of 12. (3.75)

Aroma: Huge and intensely strong aromas of baked bread, toasted Munich bread malt, and a rich caramel aroma. Earthy, toasty, and malty. (4.50)

Flavor: Flavors follow with very strong baked bread flavors of earthy Munich malt, rich bread malt, toast and amber malt with a smooth, rich bread, honey and caramel finish. Hints of pecan and grape. Leans sweet. (4.25)

Feel: Medium-bodied. Moderate carbonation. Finish is smooth and sweet. (4.00)

Compared to Revolution Oktoberfest 9/30/22: Pours a darker color. Stronger aromas. More caramel malt and honey. Less pale Munich malt and floral notes. Darker, richer, and sweeter.

Compared to 3 Sheeps Oktoberfest 9/30/22: Pours a lighter color. Stronger aromas. More glaze honey and baked bread malt. Less dark bread spice and pepperoni and pepper.
10/2023: Pours lighter, larger head. Milder aromas. More sweet bread flavors. Less caramel and amber notes. Similar floral and sweetness.

Compared to Third Space Oktoberfest 10/2023: Pours darker, milder head. Milder aromas. More sweet caramel and bread. Less earthy and toasted. Slightly sweeter. Winner: Third Space

Overall: Tons of smooth baked bread flavor here. Like a honey and caramel glazed baked-bread roll. Not overly spiced, but aromatic, flavorful and smooth. One of the most flavors in an Oktoberfest that I've had. As others have said this is one of the best Oktoberfest Marzens out there. I've give it #2 overall in 2023. (Rating: 4.26)

I drink at least 40 Oktoberfest beers every year. This one consistently ranks as one of my favorite Oktoberfest from the United States and Germany. It is malty yet has a honey sweet flavor. This is an excellent beer!

 

 

Don't really drink lager anymore, preferring ales which have more "stuff" going on. But I recently had a pilsner and it got my attention for its crisp and simple taste. So just saying, this is not what I would usually buy. For a lager, this is surprisingly sweet, very malty ! I guess that is what a marzen is, just don't recall having one of those before, or if I did, I did not take notes. It does have a clean finish, maybe just a bit watery sometimes. Not really other flavors, simpler type of beer. I like it though, I may get it again when it is this time of the year :-)

As far as domestic Oktoberfest beers go Millstream is one of the few that has Bavarian fingerprints all over it!
PROSIT!

Appearance: Amber, slight haze. Good head initially, but retention is poor.

Smell: Earthy, a little dark fruit note.

Taste: Earthy tones throughout. A very mild sweetness and a bit of dark fruit. The alcohol does show up despite being only 5.7%. Medium body.

Overall: Millstream's been making German-style beers for about 35 years now, I've had them here and there for 20+ years. Picked up the Oktoberfest since it was $8 for a 6 pack. I wasn't too impressed, almost seemed like a watered down Belgian dubbel with the earthiness and dark fruits. Oh well.

Deep, dark, clear amber topped with a tall, thick off-white head that leaves nice-looking strings and loops of lacing. The head has good retention, with a thick domed top.

Bready malt aroma with sweet caramel.

Very malty taste, freshly baked bread and sweet caramel. Excellent lingering taste throughout, great flavor depth, finishing just a bit on the sweet side. Malty with no bitterness. The aftertaste remains on the tongue for quite some time, as with the initial taste, bready, thick, and slightly sweet caramel.

Mouth feel is moderate to thick, like bread dough.

Overall, an excellent, well-done Märzen for those that like the darker, maltier, earlier Oktoberfest style (and I do).

 

 

 

I'm impressed. This is not one of my favorite styles but I am enjoying this beer. I think I like the balance between the richness of the malt and maintaining a light enough lager quality to keep a nice clean crispness to the drink. Smooth, rich and clean. Head is a little small and the carbonation is on the low side (which I would prefer over being too high).
Great looking orange color but a smaller and short lived head. Even has a nicer price point at $7.99.
Nicely done.

Pours a crystal clear orangish amber with a thick white cap that lingers and leaves great lacing. Aroma is caramel and lightly roasted malt. Flavor is sweet, caramel and dark bread with only a slight hop bitterness in the end. Feel is crisp and refreshing. Well carbonated. Overall a great beer from a brewery I wasn't expecting much from.