Oktoberfest (2016)
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

The beer pours out into a Duvel glass a clear, bright golden yellow color with a 1 1/2" fluffy white head that slowly recedes. leaving some long thick legs of lacing on the sides. Sipping cleans the glass but also creates some small patches of lacing that slide back down to the liquid. By mid-way through the beer there's mostly just a thin film on the surface.

The aromas include some floral, grassy hops that seem lightly spicy as well. This is supported by the bready malt backbone.

The flavors are much as expected from the nose, with the floral, grassy, spicy hops supported by a strong bready malt character. What bitterness there is remains well in the background as it provides a counterbalance for the sweetness of the malt.

The mouthfeel is on the light side of medium bodied and smooth with some gentle persistent carbonation. The finish begins about midway through as the hop flavors fade a bit with some sweetness emerging before that goes in the background to leave a light, almost herbal bitterness in charge for a awhile. Then some light sweetness re-emerges as everything fades into a long but eventually dry finish.

Overall this seems a very well made beer, as we've come to expect from Sierra Nevada and their collaborators. What I particularly like about it is that neither the hops nor the malt play the leading role, rather they both share the stage and play nicely together sharing center stage. I'll definitely be having more of these in the next few months. I am also hoping that someone else will contribute to the revival of the hop variety featured here as it seems a bit sharper and almost cleaner thatn some of the current noble hops. I'm also hoping that Sierra Nevada will continue this line of collaborative beers with Germany based brewers so that we have more of such enjoyable results in the future.

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.