Yuengling Oktoberfest | Yuengling Brewery
Brewed by:
Yuengling Brewery
Pennsylvania, United States | website
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.45%
Availability: Fall
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by yuenglings on 08-21-2011
Reviews: 170 | Ratings: 874
3.14/5 rDev -6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Nice amber color with sizable creamy head. Laces well and smells of malt, barley, and some caramel. Every thing goes south after its fine appearance. The flavor is several ticks off. Overly sweet, overly malty, balance way out of whack and finishes far from stellar. Too sweet. Looking and waiting for grass and hoppyness to right the ship, but alas they are nowhere to be found. No thanks, I'll have a different Oktoberfest.
★ 425 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Nice amber color with sizable creamy head. Laces well and smells of malt, barley, and some caramel. Every thing goes south after its fine appearance. The flavor is several ticks off. Overly sweet, overly malty, balance way out of whack and finishes far from stellar. Too sweet. Looking and waiting for grass and hoppyness to right the ship, but alas they are nowhere to be found. No thanks, I'll have a different Oktoberfest.
★ 425 characters
2.83/5 rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
$11.98/12 pack.
Maltier than Premium, no discernable hops, makes me miss the roasty quality of Porter. I try it every year out of a sense of obligation but it never 'wows' me.
★ 176 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
$11.98/12 pack.
Maltier than Premium, no discernable hops, makes me miss the roasty quality of Porter. I try it every year out of a sense of obligation but it never 'wows' me.
★ 176 characters
3.64/5 rDev +8.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pounded a nice amber color with a nice head. Smell is malty with a bit of caramel to it. Taste is smooth with a sweetness also very easy to drink this one. One of my favorite offering from Then going.
★ 200 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pounded a nice amber color with a nice head. Smell is malty with a bit of caramel to it. Taste is smooth with a sweetness also very easy to drink this one. One of my favorite offering from Then going.
★ 200 characters
3.53/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Starts off a really nice appearance but that's the best thing this beer has going for it. It is along the lines for the style. However, just not the best rendition. Yuengling usually does a good jog with various styles Porter, Hefe, etc . . . just not here
★ 256 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Starts off a really nice appearance but that's the best thing this beer has going for it. It is along the lines for the style. However, just not the best rendition. Yuengling usually does a good jog with various styles Porter, Hefe, etc . . . just not here
★ 256 characters
1.74/5 rDev -48.1%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5
**
10/10/2013
Reddish brown color. Creamy white head. Aroma is stale grains, barley, yeast. Taste is straight beer, barley, hops, a bit stale. Ash aftertaste. Slightly fuller version of yuengling lager.
**
★ 207 characters
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5
**
10/10/2013
Reddish brown color. Creamy white head. Aroma is stale grains, barley, yeast. Taste is straight beer, barley, hops, a bit stale. Ash aftertaste. Slightly fuller version of yuengling lager.
**
★ 207 characters
3.68/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Appearance: Beautiful red-gold-amber color, light color cap with decent lacing.
Aroma: Some fairly rich malty tones with little hop presence.
Taste: Rich, toffeeish, caramely malt without much in the way of balancing hops. Flavor is inviting for just about any who like beer, too bad it doesn't last. The taste sorta thins out midpalate with a more roasted malt character emerging that lingers in the aftertaste. It's like they ran out of ideas and kinda chopped it off in the end.
Texture: Medium
Overall: A rather good tasting beer that doesn't quite hold together to the end. Still in all, it's an uncomplicated beer with fuller than average flavor that I suspect will be served very cold where the malt flavors will stand out and the disappointing finish diminished.
★ 784 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Appearance: Beautiful red-gold-amber color, light color cap with decent lacing.
Aroma: Some fairly rich malty tones with little hop presence.
Taste: Rich, toffeeish, caramely malt without much in the way of balancing hops. Flavor is inviting for just about any who like beer, too bad it doesn't last. The taste sorta thins out midpalate with a more roasted malt character emerging that lingers in the aftertaste. It's like they ran out of ideas and kinda chopped it off in the end.
Texture: Medium
Overall: A rather good tasting beer that doesn't quite hold together to the end. Still in all, it's an uncomplicated beer with fuller than average flavor that I suspect will be served very cold where the malt flavors will stand out and the disappointing finish diminished.
★ 784 characters
3.57/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
This beer pours a dark amber color. The head is moderate, and frothy. There is no nose to this beer. The taste fairly rich. It has some maltiness to it. A nice Marzen beer.
★ 172 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
This beer pours a dark amber color. The head is moderate, and frothy. There is no nose to this beer. The taste fairly rich. It has some maltiness to it. A nice Marzen beer.
★ 172 characters
3.4/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The Oktoberfest from Yuengling was solid....not outstanding. The beer poured a nice amber color with white head that dissipated and did not leave any lace. The scent and taste had a bready like base. Further the taste was a little dry...or at least can off the pallet dry. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Its a nice sessionable beer and fits well in the yuengling line up.
★ 402 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The Oktoberfest from Yuengling was solid....not outstanding. The beer poured a nice amber color with white head that dissipated and did not leave any lace. The scent and taste had a bready like base. Further the taste was a little dry...or at least can off the pallet dry. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Its a nice sessionable beer and fits well in the yuengling line up.
★ 402 characters
3.21/5 rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Enjoyed from the bottle in a pint glass. This decent Oktoberfest pours a nice medium dark amber with a nice head of off white foam that settles to a thick layer and very nice lacing. Nose is VERY light with light grain and sweet malts. Taste lightly exceeds the nose with toasted malts to the fore, grain notes to the middle and back, and a light subtle zesty hop note that is subtle mixing with the lager notes. Decent mouth feel with medium carbonation that finishes sweet, medium to light body, and clean with a highly session-ability. Decent brew from a very old brewery. Nice.
★ 587 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Enjoyed from the bottle in a pint glass. This decent Oktoberfest pours a nice medium dark amber with a nice head of off white foam that settles to a thick layer and very nice lacing. Nose is VERY light with light grain and sweet malts. Taste lightly exceeds the nose with toasted malts to the fore, grain notes to the middle and back, and a light subtle zesty hop note that is subtle mixing with the lager notes. Decent mouth feel with medium carbonation that finishes sweet, medium to light body, and clean with a highly session-ability. Decent brew from a very old brewery. Nice.
★ 587 characters
3.79/5 rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
On-tap 11/7/2015 at Chelo’s, in East Providence, RI, served in a mug glass.
A: The beer is a deep coppery brown color, with a medium off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.
S: The aroma is faint but contains caramelized malts, fruit, lager yeast and a good amount of hops.
T: The taste starts out bready with a hearty malt character and lager yeast. Then some mildly sweet flavors of caramel, fruit and honey come in. The hops presence is good for the style and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.
M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.
O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, this is a solid beer to pound down for a while.
★ 784 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
On-tap 11/7/2015 at Chelo’s, in East Providence, RI, served in a mug glass.
A: The beer is a deep coppery brown color, with a medium off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.
S: The aroma is faint but contains caramelized malts, fruit, lager yeast and a good amount of hops.
T: The taste starts out bready with a hearty malt character and lager yeast. Then some mildly sweet flavors of caramel, fruit and honey come in. The hops presence is good for the style and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.
M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.
O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, this is a solid beer to pound down for a while.
★ 784 characters
2.42/5 rDev -27.8%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Drank straight from a 12 oz bottle. It's drinkable, but did not enjoy this too much. I'd take the Lager over this. It's too much of a malty, caramel "bomb". I did not enjoy the aftertaste with these malty, bready tones.
★ 223 characters
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Drank straight from a 12 oz bottle. It's drinkable, but did not enjoy this too much. I'd take the Lager over this. It's too much of a malty, caramel "bomb". I did not enjoy the aftertaste with these malty, bready tones.
★ 223 characters
3/5 rDev -10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Hands down, far superior to the day-to-day Yuengling Lager, which I've never been a fan of. No wet dog smell here or the unpleasant aftertaste that I get with YL. Noticeable marzen sweetness and a cleaner finish. There are undoubtedly many better examples of the style out there, but it's a beer from Yuengling I can actually drink.
★ 335 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Hands down, far superior to the day-to-day Yuengling Lager, which I've never been a fan of. No wet dog smell here or the unpleasant aftertaste that I get with YL. Noticeable marzen sweetness and a cleaner finish. There are undoubtedly many better examples of the style out there, but it's a beer from Yuengling I can actually drink.
★ 335 characters
4.26/5 rDev +27.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Overall a great fall beer better than the Sam Adams version IMO. The spices are instantly recognizable and the taste while very malty is not overly sweet.
★ 154 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Overall a great fall beer better than the Sam Adams version IMO. The spices are instantly recognizable and the taste while very malty is not overly sweet.
★ 154 characters
3.66/5 rDev +9.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
12 oz. bottle poured into a lager glass.
A - brown color with a clear hue. No foam dome. Some lacing down the glass.
S - Dark, toasted notes at first, watered-down barley at the end.
T - Slightly toasted malt taste, but the rest is kind of like their Lager.
F - Light in body, little carbonation. Kind of tangy feel.
O - Good Oktoberfest for the money, as always with Yuengling. Certainly not a bad beer. Fans of the brewery will most definitely buy this, but you are getting what you pay for. Just adds to the credibility of Yuengling, with good reason.
★ 562 characters
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
12 oz. bottle poured into a lager glass.
A - brown color with a clear hue. No foam dome. Some lacing down the glass.
S - Dark, toasted notes at first, watered-down barley at the end.
T - Slightly toasted malt taste, but the rest is kind of like their Lager.
F - Light in body, little carbonation. Kind of tangy feel.
O - Good Oktoberfest for the money, as always with Yuengling. Certainly not a bad beer. Fans of the brewery will most definitely buy this, but you are getting what you pay for. Just adds to the credibility of Yuengling, with good reason.
★ 562 characters
3.67/5 rDev +9.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Bottle purchased in a Wegmans mix-six pack.
This pours a medium dark amber, clear, with a one inch head, and sticky lacing.
This smells like caramel, spicing, and lager yeast.
This isn't the most expressive or interesting Oktoberfest, even from American brewers, but it's really drinkable and still quite tasty. It's got a nice fruitiness to it, from Yuengling's lager yeast. I recognize a similar flavor in their regular old lager. There's some caramel, and spicy bready flavors, too.
This is light bodied, a tiny bit watery, with a moderate level of carbonation.
This is a really drinkable, nice Oktoberfest, but don't go into expecting your socks to be blown off.
★ 671 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Bottle purchased in a Wegmans mix-six pack.
This pours a medium dark amber, clear, with a one inch head, and sticky lacing.
This smells like caramel, spicing, and lager yeast.
This isn't the most expressive or interesting Oktoberfest, even from American brewers, but it's really drinkable and still quite tasty. It's got a nice fruitiness to it, from Yuengling's lager yeast. I recognize a similar flavor in their regular old lager. There's some caramel, and spicy bready flavors, too.
This is light bodied, a tiny bit watery, with a moderate level of carbonation.
This is a really drinkable, nice Oktoberfest, but don't go into expecting your socks to be blown off.
★ 671 characters
3.53/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The color appears dark amber; thick, sticky, foamy head. Malty aroma; caramel and hints of cinnamon; toasted grains. Carmel flavor; good hop bitterness. Medium body; warm and smooth; dry finish.
Overall, a respectable Oktoberfest beer that drinks easily. It's not trendsetting nor unique, yet a solid offering.
★ 311 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The color appears dark amber; thick, sticky, foamy head. Malty aroma; caramel and hints of cinnamon; toasted grains. Carmel flavor; good hop bitterness. Medium body; warm and smooth; dry finish.
Overall, a respectable Oktoberfest beer that drinks easily. It's not trendsetting nor unique, yet a solid offering.
★ 311 characters
3.54/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
The beer pours out into a Duvel glass a clear dark amber color with a 1" creamy tan head that slowly settles down to a thin layer of foam on the surface and a nice ruing of leggy lacing. Sipping creates small scattered bits of lacing.
The aroma is faint and clean with a touch of caramel breadiness from the malt.
The clean, distinct flavors include the caramel and bready character with some earthy bitterness showing up in the mix.
The mouth feel is on the light side of medium bodied with some light crispness from the persistent gentle carbonation. The finish is on the short side of medium and begins as the earthy, almost burnt bitterness moves in to temporarily displace the flavors from the malt, gradually disappear, and leave a touch of sweetness fading into dryness.
This is a nice beer from Yuengling and I'd have no trouble drinking another or relying on it during an evening out. That said, for me its a beer that would not be my first choice among O-fest beers or if there were beers available from places like Victory, Stoudts or Sly Fox.
★ 1,062 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
The beer pours out into a Duvel glass a clear dark amber color with a 1" creamy tan head that slowly settles down to a thin layer of foam on the surface and a nice ruing of leggy lacing. Sipping creates small scattered bits of lacing.
The aroma is faint and clean with a touch of caramel breadiness from the malt.
The clean, distinct flavors include the caramel and bready character with some earthy bitterness showing up in the mix.
The mouth feel is on the light side of medium bodied with some light crispness from the persistent gentle carbonation. The finish is on the short side of medium and begins as the earthy, almost burnt bitterness moves in to temporarily displace the flavors from the malt, gradually disappear, and leave a touch of sweetness fading into dryness.
This is a nice beer from Yuengling and I'd have no trouble drinking another or relying on it during an evening out. That said, for me its a beer that would not be my first choice among O-fest beers or if there were beers available from places like Victory, Stoudts or Sly Fox.
★ 1,062 characters
4.5/5 rDev +34.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look- Dark"burnt" copper with a 2 finger off white head with light to moderate retention.
smell- Aroma of toasted caramel malts. Faint hops are noticed, and something that reminds me bread crust in the oven just before my wife makes stuffing.
taste- Early malt sweetness and flavor is surprisingly full bodied despite the lightness on the feel. Toast, caramel, Very clean a crisp
Feel- is light to maybe medium and is very drinkable with a crisp bitterness at the end with a fast dispersal.
overall- This is a great beer especially for the price as with all Yuengling beers. A great value without the loss of quality in taste and I would recommend it to any one.
★ 669 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look- Dark"burnt" copper with a 2 finger off white head with light to moderate retention.
smell- Aroma of toasted caramel malts. Faint hops are noticed, and something that reminds me bread crust in the oven just before my wife makes stuffing.
taste- Early malt sweetness and flavor is surprisingly full bodied despite the lightness on the feel. Toast, caramel, Very clean a crisp
Feel- is light to maybe medium and is very drinkable with a crisp bitterness at the end with a fast dispersal.
overall- This is a great beer especially for the price as with all Yuengling beers. A great value without the loss of quality in taste and I would recommend it to any one.
★ 669 characters
4/5 rDev +19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Superbly balanced. Wonderful full taste. I believe they need to put all their beer in brown bottles. I do not believe green bottles do anything good to any beer I have tried. This Octoberfest was tasted alongside several German Octoberfest versions. I will not say which ones. It held its own, to my taste. A very good and very good tasting beer. Wonderful. Thanks Yuengling!
9/3/2016 update - good taste, especially since I just endured the "octoberfest" offering from Sam Adams. This Octoberfest from Yuengling has a very good, but not overpowering taste. I like my beer VERY COLD. But, I realize German beers might be best a little warmer. As THIS beer warms, the hops become more noticeable, but not bad. The malt is there, very little hops, to my taste, and a very good finish. Very good!! Thanks!
★ 822 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Superbly balanced. Wonderful full taste. I believe they need to put all their beer in brown bottles. I do not believe green bottles do anything good to any beer I have tried. This Octoberfest was tasted alongside several German Octoberfest versions. I will not say which ones. It held its own, to my taste. A very good and very good tasting beer. Wonderful. Thanks Yuengling!
9/3/2016 update - good taste, especially since I just endured the "octoberfest" offering from Sam Adams. This Octoberfest from Yuengling has a very good, but not overpowering taste. I like my beer VERY COLD. But, I realize German beers might be best a little warmer. As THIS beer warms, the hops become more noticeable, but not bad. The malt is there, very little hops, to my taste, and a very good finish. Very good!! Thanks!
★ 822 characters
3.21/5 rDev -4.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
-Dark brown. Darkest Oktoberfest I've seen to date
-Big roasted malt, like a burnt pretzel dough, some grain
-Sweet caramelized sugar, heavy roasted grains but not overly sweet but at the same time has a bite to it. Nothing crazy
-A bit dry, medium feel, like i said wasnt overly sweet but left a grainy feeling
-very solid Oktoberfest. Ive youve had other options from yuengling, you could tell they made this one too
★ 420 characters
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
-Dark brown. Darkest Oktoberfest I've seen to date
-Big roasted malt, like a burnt pretzel dough, some grain
-Sweet caramelized sugar, heavy roasted grains but not overly sweet but at the same time has a bite to it. Nothing crazy
-A bit dry, medium feel, like i said wasnt overly sweet but left a grainy feeling
-very solid Oktoberfest. Ive youve had other options from yuengling, you could tell they made this one too
★ 420 characters
2.92/5 rDev -12.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Bottle from that packie across the border.
Deep golden color smallish white head. Smells a bit like the regular stuff, but maybe a bit sweeter. Nothing to go out of your way for here.
★ 184 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Bottle from that packie across the border.
Deep golden color smallish white head. Smells a bit like the regular stuff, but maybe a bit sweeter. Nothing to go out of your way for here.
★ 184 characters
3.23/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Yuengling Oktoberfest - A pretty decent brew. It's got a great caramel color and frothy head, but no staying power and no lacing. I didn't find anything distinctive about the smell and was only marginally impressed with the taste. The mouthfeel was better than most and overall it's better than good, but I've had some better o-fest beers. I'm a fan of Yuengling's offering, just not so much on this one.
★ 408 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Yuengling Oktoberfest - A pretty decent brew. It's got a great caramel color and frothy head, but no staying power and no lacing. I didn't find anything distinctive about the smell and was only marginally impressed with the taste. The mouthfeel was better than most and overall it's better than good, but I've had some better o-fest beers. I'm a fan of Yuengling's offering, just not so much on this one.
★ 408 characters
3.64/5 rDev +8.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Pours a nice head that dissipates quickly. Beer itself is a fairly dark amber. Smell and taste have a very nice caramel malt note but not much in the way of hops. The taste is the best part of the beer even though it needs more hop character. Still tastes better than the regular version. The feel is medium bodied but lacks some character in that it has weight but not thickness. Overall, one of Yuengling's better offerings.
★ 428 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Pours a nice head that dissipates quickly. Beer itself is a fairly dark amber. Smell and taste have a very nice caramel malt note but not much in the way of hops. The taste is the best part of the beer even though it needs more hop character. Still tastes better than the regular version. The feel is medium bodied but lacks some character in that it has weight but not thickness. Overall, one of Yuengling's better offerings.
★ 428 characters
3.68/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Third bottle from the six-pack; can't find a bottling date or best-by, though on closer inspection I did find a long string of incomprehensible numbers hidden away in black print on the bottom of the bottle. Weird.
Speaking of the bottle, it's got a pretty nice label. The beer itself looks pretty nice as well -- pours orangey in color, settling into somewhere in the range between orange and brown once in the glass, with a decent bit of light tan foam on top. Foam hangs around much better than the standard Yuengling lager, which always seems to have a head that vanishes really quick -- not this one, there's still a decently thick layer on top even after I've taken the time to take a picture, upload it, post it on "What Beer Are You Drinking Now?", and start to type this review. It's pretty clear, and there's a good number of rising bubbles coming from the bottom. As I drink more, I notice that it's leaving a pretty nice set of trails on the sides of the glass as it goes.
The smell, like the appearance, is a lot like an upgraded version of the standard Yuengling lager -- a lot less of that weird "hair salon" type smell, and a lot more nice maltiness going on. It's bready, a bit sweet, and almost caramel-y on the end.
Taste matches the smell pretty well -- lots of maltiness going on for sure. The "hair salon" smell's influence on the flavor is so slight as to be almost nonexistent; it's just barely noticeable at first but quickly gives way to malt before it can overstay its welcome. Very bready, a bit sweet, and I think I'm picking up just a bit of a dry spiciness at the end that makes me think of European hops (which would be the appropriate kind for an Oktoberfest beer, I'd imagine.) Flavors are sweeter at first and in the middle, but shifting more toward dry at the end as the bread/grain sorts of flavors and slight spice take over, which is interesting and seems to work pretty well.
Feel is pretty good overall, too. Not amazing like the Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest I had earlier in the season, but still good. Easy to drink pretty big gulps of this one, while at the same time not feeling *too* thin or approaching watery. A pretty nice balance there.
Overall, this is probably my second-favorite Yuengling beer so far, just short of the Summer Wheat. While this one doesn't really stand up to Sierra Nevada's collaboration Oktoberfest, it's still definitely good enough to be worth a try if you see it around; I'm glad I picked some up. For $7.40ish a six-pack, it's certainly worth the price -- a nice step up from the regular Yuengling lager, while not being so drastically different that fans of Yuengling's regular lineup won't be able to appreciate it. Here's hoping the new winter seasonal IPL keeps up the pattern of really tasty but also really affordable seasonal beers from this brewery!
★ 2,850 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Third bottle from the six-pack; can't find a bottling date or best-by, though on closer inspection I did find a long string of incomprehensible numbers hidden away in black print on the bottom of the bottle. Weird.
Speaking of the bottle, it's got a pretty nice label. The beer itself looks pretty nice as well -- pours orangey in color, settling into somewhere in the range between orange and brown once in the glass, with a decent bit of light tan foam on top. Foam hangs around much better than the standard Yuengling lager, which always seems to have a head that vanishes really quick -- not this one, there's still a decently thick layer on top even after I've taken the time to take a picture, upload it, post it on "What Beer Are You Drinking Now?", and start to type this review. It's pretty clear, and there's a good number of rising bubbles coming from the bottom. As I drink more, I notice that it's leaving a pretty nice set of trails on the sides of the glass as it goes.
The smell, like the appearance, is a lot like an upgraded version of the standard Yuengling lager -- a lot less of that weird "hair salon" type smell, and a lot more nice maltiness going on. It's bready, a bit sweet, and almost caramel-y on the end.
Taste matches the smell pretty well -- lots of maltiness going on for sure. The "hair salon" smell's influence on the flavor is so slight as to be almost nonexistent; it's just barely noticeable at first but quickly gives way to malt before it can overstay its welcome. Very bready, a bit sweet, and I think I'm picking up just a bit of a dry spiciness at the end that makes me think of European hops (which would be the appropriate kind for an Oktoberfest beer, I'd imagine.) Flavors are sweeter at first and in the middle, but shifting more toward dry at the end as the bread/grain sorts of flavors and slight spice take over, which is interesting and seems to work pretty well.
Feel is pretty good overall, too. Not amazing like the Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest I had earlier in the season, but still good. Easy to drink pretty big gulps of this one, while at the same time not feeling *too* thin or approaching watery. A pretty nice balance there.
Overall, this is probably my second-favorite Yuengling beer so far, just short of the Summer Wheat. While this one doesn't really stand up to Sierra Nevada's collaboration Oktoberfest, it's still definitely good enough to be worth a try if you see it around; I'm glad I picked some up. For $7.40ish a six-pack, it's certainly worth the price -- a nice step up from the regular Yuengling lager, while not being so drastically different that fans of Yuengling's regular lineup won't be able to appreciate it. Here's hoping the new winter seasonal IPL keeps up the pattern of really tasty but also really affordable seasonal beers from this brewery!
★ 2,850 characters
Yuengling Oktoberfest from Yuengling Brewery
3.35
out of 5
based on 874 ratings.
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Look - dark copper body with white head
Smell - burnt toffee, toasted caramel
Taste - similar to the aroma, slightly burnt toffee and toasted caramel
Mouthfeel - medium bodied, higher level of carbonation, slightest of sweetness upfront, some bitterness on the back end that seems unbalanced
Overall - inoffensive, yet not an overly impressive iteration of the style. Worth a try
Price point - $1.79/12 oz single
★ 417 characters