Oktoberfest
Alewerks Brewing Company

 

From the pint can, it pours a clear amber color with a modest white head that soon diminishes to a ring with a little lacing. The nose gets primarily bread with a little grass. The mouth follows with sweet malt and leaves a bit of bitter, briefly, in the mouth after you swallow.

16 oz can poured into a dimpled mug.

L: Orange hued gold-amber, mostly clear, 2 finger off-white head has moderate retention.
S: Malty nose, bread grain, honey and spicy hop aromas.
T: Malty sweet to open, bread grain and corn, herbal and spicy hops, somewhat tea-like, moderate bitterness cleans up the sweetness for a more dry finish.
F: Soft medium body with crisp edges, chewy.
O: Decent if mediocre, kind of a cross between Marzen and Festbier styles.

Poured from a pint can. Looks a light golden Marzen color with 1/2” head. Smells a bit sweeter than traditional Marzen but has notes of yeast and hint of caramel. Taste is good and crisp. A bit more carbonation and feel is medium bodied. Overall a good tasting Oktoberfest.

 

From a pint can into a draught glass. Pour has a 1/2" light beige head atop a crystal clear golden amber body with mild effervescence. Scent is a touch on the sweet side with notes of rich bready grain and mild caramel. Taste follows well with the breadiness shining through, albeit a touch of alcoholic esters are also peeking out. Feel is medium bodied and smooth with a fairly neutral aftertaste that verges between a touch sweet and a touch bitter. A great tasting Oktoberfest!

 

 

Look: It pours amber and very clear with a white head. Head retention is good.

Smell: It has a strong bready aroma with a very low level of bread crusts.

Taste: The flavors are bready. There are some spicy notes in the background.

Feel: It has a medium body with moderate carbonation.

Overall, a nice Marzen.

 

 

Pretty decent Marzen. Nice bright copper color, clear but with a very small, fast-fading white head and no lacing. Aroma and taste are predominantly malty, both bready and with some caramel and a hint of bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel is crisp and a little light. A nice Fall beer, would be good for mass quantities.

L - Light orange with a decent amount of clarity and a thin white head that dissipates quickly leaving behind no lacing.
S - Crisp malt and spices along with notes of caramel and bread. The smell is pretty faint though.
T - Crisp bready malt up front followed behind by spices and notes of caramel.
F - Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Clean and crisp.
O - A nice Oktoberfest, one of the better ones I've had this season. It keeps in line with the more traditional notes of the style and hits all the marks nicely.

 

Revisited a version of this in 2022, which came as a Festbier more than a Märzen, although the tating notes are fairly close to what I recorded below. It's a little on the fruity side with a malt presence and some spice. Enjoying it more this year with a better understanding of Festbier, but didn't change anything but my overall rating up a notch.

Bottle dated 8/3:
Pours a burnt orange with a body that causes a bit of a glow when back lit due to the haze. The head was a bit weak, with a medium thin collar quickly forming (or de-forming). The ring is visibly replenished, but the bubbles that reach the surface don't last and there is no lacing.

Nose consists mostly of a lightly spiced malt scent. There's a light fruit tang - almost like a non-pie spiced pumpkin note. A caramel malt opening to the taste, one that is just a tad to the sweet side. A bit of metallic bitterness and that squash-like tang combine on the palate before the light bite of spice leads to the slightly earthy finish to the brew.

A lighter beer, but within the bounds for the style, I say. Actually nicely carbonated despite its look.

A middle-of-the-road Oktoberfest that is in the neighborhood of good, but sitting on the outskirts of that neighborhood.

From the label: "BOTTLED ON 08 03 2018"

Appearance: The body of the beer is fairly cloudy with an amber appearance. It has a short white head that doesn't last long.

Aroma: There is a faint aroma of herbal hops.

Taste: It is slightly nutty with a touch of mint and a very faint toasted caramel. There is a slight taste of alcohol.

Mouthfeel: The body feels light but textured and under-carbonated.

Overall: The beer just didn't have much to offer. The mild flavors and aromas just got lost in the beer and it didn't have a good presence on the palate. There are other, more commercial offerings, that are more readily available and taste better. I wouldn't drink it again or recommend it based on the sub-par experience.