Oktoberfest (2016)
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

RB transfer

(review from February 2017) See previous reviews of various versions of SN Oktoberfest. Nice malty Ofest with good mouthfeel and a sweetish, lingering backend.

Golden color, brighter than usual Oktoberfest. Big, white head. Aroma of malt, bread, and herbs. Bread and hint of caramel in taste; moderate sweetness. Pleasant, hoppy bitterness at the end.

Writing up yesterday's 2021 review led me back to reviewing this one from a six pack five years ago.

Pours the usual caramel, autumn light brown color with ample clarity, 1/2" off white head, good retention. Top tier appearance stuff. Mixture of fall like leaves, caramel, toffee kind of chill of an early fall.

Taste imparts a light remnant of a breakfast plate left out overnight, some leaf, syrup remainder, toffee and caramel experience with minimal breadiness to give it virtually no heft but plenty of smooth riding equinox time. This collaboration is milder in its hopping rate and bitterness effect in the mouth feel than the solo Oktoberfests Sierra Nevada has done. Very light brown sugar fall like sweetness abutted by some light raisin skin to it. Amber waves of grain are abundant.

I did my '21 consumption last night in the old Tumbler pint glass. I'll pretty much always be down for a 6 pack of this every year because 1) I like it 2) others like it who don't like hoppy, sour or stouty beers.

 

 

Bottled 7/26/16; drank 9/10/16 @ the Yarchives.

See-through pale yellow appearance; champagne bubbles throughout.

A rough pour yielded a huge, noisy white head; frothy lace. A

utumn leaves & roasted corn notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Autumn leaves & faint brown sugar flavors up front; roasted corn notes on the finish.

A touch light in the loafers for a marzen, but easy to drink. Mildly enjoyable.

 

 

Similar to the previous year's collaboration Oktoberfest and almost as good, just a touch sweeter and less complex. I eagerly await these every autumn and buy it up, hoping that ach year will be about as good as before and so far there has been no disappointment, although each year it varies noticeably in minor details (varying sweetness/bitterness, some thicker, some lighter, some leaner. etc) but all have been similarly outstanding, complex, balanced and drinkable.

Dark gold, big white head.

Lots of toasty bread, grain, some raisin, plenty of lemony herb hop.

Tastse is more malty and sweeter than the previosu year, touch more full and oily in the feel. Still, though, plenty of hop bitterness to carry the heavier malty sweetness.

 

 

 

 

 

perfect Marzen beer.

 

Apparently forgot to review this one last year, but I had a 6 pack of it. It was a lighter, more blonde version with a lot more floral hops from beginning to end and not nearly as malty as the first version. The head retention wasn't as impressive either. Good beer, but not great.