Oaktoberfest
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

OaktoberfestOaktoberfest
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From:
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
Märzen
Ranked #164
ABV:
5.2%
Score:
85
Ranked #21,131
Avg:
3.77 | pDev: 10.08%
Reviews:
230
Ratings:
915
Status:
Active
Rated:
Nov 22, 2023
Added:
Oct 02, 2008
Wants:
  53
Gots:
  107
Oaktoberfest is a true German Marzen bier brewed with premium imported Pilsner and Vienna malts and is spiced with Bavarian hop from the mother land. Light Amber in color, soft malty profile, full bodied lager beer. Fermented with the famous Bavarian Augustiner Lager yeast from Munich. We utilized German Hallertauer Traditions for both bittering and aroma additions adding a rich, noble hop presence to this beer. Lagered in oak barrels.
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Ratings by pearljam118:
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Rated by pearljam118 from Pennsylvania

4.16/5  rDev +10.3%

Sep 12, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.84 by Try-em-all from Missouri

Nov 22, 2023
Photo of MaltsOfGlory
Reviewed by MaltsOfGlory from Oregon

3.87/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
12oz can

Pours a little over a finger of white head into my can-style glass. Retention is solid, and after a few minutes most of the head is still intact. Lacing is ok. Body is a light copper, crystal clear, with a fair amount of nucleation. It’s on the lighter side of the Oktoberfest color scale, but it looks pretty nice.

Nose is very rich and biscuity. Don’t really get any oak. Smells appropriate.

Flavor is quite light, some notes of lightly baked bread.

Carbonation is medium, seems to be dropping somewhat quickly from the nucleation. Body has a little weight, maybe some proteins in here. Clean and well-attenuated, with a small perceived sweetness. Bitterness is low but present. Good mouthfeel, the weight is the main thing keeping this from straying into festbier territory.

Drinkability is high.

This starts to lean in the festbier direction with the color and malt profile, but it does just enough for me to say it’s still an Oktoberfest. Overall it’s decent.
Oct 21, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by jtransel from Illinois

Oct 16, 2023
 
Rated: 3.73 by TwilightBeerCareer from Illinois

Sep 18, 2023
 
Rated: 3.94 by heymikew from California

Sep 16, 2023
Photo of AZgman
Reviewed by AZgman from Arizona

3.85/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
Oak aging creates a silky mouth feel and a nice complexity of flavor. 5.2% ABV so you are safe having more than one. I think this is one fine fest beer for 2023!
Sep 10, 2023
 
Rated: 3.89 by LA2ED7

Sep 09, 2023
Photo of Jmsandberg17
Reviewed by Jmsandberg17 from Missouri

4.07/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12oz can pours a very light and clear golden-orange-amber color with a small fizz of off-white head that disappears pretty quickly. Smells of caramel and bready malts, as well as a slight noble hop and wood note. Normal Märzen flavors of caramel, toasted malt, slight sweetness, and nice noble hops. Almost tastes a little boozy, which is surprising for 5.2% ABV. A subtle but grounding wood note is strong in the background of the flavor and adds a really nice complexity. Medium body with a mild carbonation mouthfeel and a small, perfectly balanced bitterness. Some herbal flavors of the hops and the caramel sweetness form most of the aftertaste for a pleasant, but long finish.

The oak barrels really set this apart but it's also just an excellent and extremely well-balanced Märzen to begin with. Delicious and would buy again in a heartbeat.
Aug 29, 2023
 
Rated: 4.21 by BLVBBERGIXLL from Arizona

Aug 23, 2023
 
Rated: 3.5 by bpfrush from Wisconsin

Aug 22, 2023
Photo of Ozzylizard
Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Oaktoberfest from Firestone Walker. 12 fl oz bottles from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA, 09/05/23. $ 10.00 (Including tax)/six-pack - $0.139/fl oz. Reviewed 15/06/23 (Review 3124). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Bottom of label stamped “C7/22/22” On room temperature shelf at store. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 46.2 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 55.2 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Pale Gold (SRM 4), clear.
Body – Gold (SRM 5), slight chill haze. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, same.
Head: Average (Maximum 3.9 cm, aggressive center pour), baby powder, high density, quickly diminishing to a 0.8 – 1.0 cm undulating crown with a rocky cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4 – Virtually none – just a weak oak aroma. No yeast, no hops, no malt. No ethanol (5.2 % ABV according to the label).
Flavor – 4.25 – Slight oakiness and light caramel malt. No yeast. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Weak gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Medium; approaching syrupy; soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4.25 The crispness is a bit lacking but the oakiness helps. Better than the average Märzen because it is slightly less sweet and better than the average lager because the oak ameliorates the hop flavor a bit. Some lacing would have raised the score slightly.
Jun 15, 2023
 
Rated: 3.5 by McBraniel from Virginia

Jan 23, 2023
 
Rated: 3.84 by loch8534 from Illinois

Dec 10, 2022
Photo of mikeinportc
Reviewed by mikeinportc from New York

4.12/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Clear light-amber, with one finger of off-white head.

Smell is the usual combination of toffee and caramel, but lighter than is typical. Slight spicy aroma, plus some hints of oak, that seemed slightly vinous when first opened. Not apparent after the head fades.

Taste is similar to aroma, with light spiciness, and a hint of fruitiness. Lightly-bitter finish.

Feel is light-medium, with moderate, very,very fine carbonation tingle, that bites, in the back of the throat at finish.

Overall, lighter and more subtle than a typical marzen. This is the last bottle of four, and the best, and have rated it as-is, without regard to the fresher specimens. The first couple seemed a bit too subtle, and bland. Either this is a better tasting night, or it has become a little more complex over the last 2 (3?) month. If you see any stragglers still out there, I'd recommend giving them a try.
Nov 30, 2022
 
Rated: 3.6 by Khaack from New York

Nov 07, 2022
Photo of odannyob
Rated by odannyob from Colorado

4.15/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Super mellow. Neat, generous head. A fine, subtle brew, this is.
Nov 05, 2022
Photo of Parmesan
Reviewed by Parmesan from Colorado

3.78/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
L: Pours a orange amberish color with a medium white head and no lacing on the glass.

S: Fresh toasted bread, notes of caramel, a toasted oak,finished by malty sweetness.

T: Toasted bread, notes of caramel, some toasted oak, and finishes with a malty sweetness, a very pleasant Oktoberfest.

F: Carb is a little lower than expected,medium body.

O: A solid Oktoberfest
Oct 30, 2022
 
Rated: 4.1 by DavyJonesXXX from Texas

Oct 30, 2022
 
Rated: 3.92 by ItsBeer4Me from Pennsylvania

Oct 28, 2022
Oaktoberfest from Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 915 ratings