Oktoberfest
Great River Brewery

OktoberfestOktoberfest
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From:
Great River Brewery
 
Iowa, United States
Style:
Märzen
ABV:
5.9%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.41 | pDev: 23.46%
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
25
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 15, 2019
Added:
Sep 20, 2011
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jsh420:
Photo of jsh420
Rated by jsh420 from Illinois

2.5/5  rDev -26.7%

Oct 11, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From old, undated notes. Poured from the can.

Dark piss color; see-through.

Huge off-white head which dissipates; minimal lacing.

Smells of pale malts; fresh bread comes to mind.

Rich oats and honey in the flavor; corn on the back end. Honey Nut Cheerios?! Not bad.

Oktoberfest beers make me think I need to sample more German brews. (Rauchbier's are next.) An argument for lagers; nice to see an American brewery pull this off.
Jun 15, 2019
Photo of BigDaddyWarbuxx
Reviewed by BigDaddyWarbuxx from Iowa

3.67/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A little bit of a wheat flavor to it, and it's the most potent flavor in it. The Oktoberfest flavor really just hangs out in the back and never makes much of an impression. A nice buttery texture, though.
Aug 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by jzlyo from Iowa

Dec 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by dradair from Missouri

Sep 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.2 by skubas86 from Illinois

Sep 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Callan911 from Nebraska

Sep 08, 2014
Photo of alphagnome
Reviewed by alphagnome from Iowa

1.18/5  rDev -65.4%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1
Appearance:
Hazy, deep orange body. Nothing for a head - not even a slight ring around the glass. Light, fine carbonation and very little trails of carbonation.

Aroma:
Very sweet and unusual aroma. Coppertone sunblock comes to mind. Notes of light caramel malts and nutmeg are here. Not very pleasing the the nose.

Taste:
Unfortunately, this isn't pleasing to the taste buds either. And by not very pleasing, I mean it's horrible. After reading reviews here, I can't help but wonder if I got a can from a bad shipment because this isn't drinkable. I get brown sugar, hints of banana, and... river water. A bit of orange zest hits at the end.

Mouthfeel:
Thin and watery. No noticable carbonation.

Overall:
After reading a few reviews here, I decided to give this one a chance. I'm picky when it comes to this style, but will give everything a fair chance. That said, what we have here is in my opinion the worst Oktoberfest I've ever had and quite possibly the worst beer in general. I have only dumped out 2 beers in my life, this is number 2. I can only hope that I got a bad can but even so, I can't recommend this to anyone.
Feb 09, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Cramerican from North Dakota

Dec 23, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by Allurex from Kansas

Nov 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by schoon from Iowa

Oct 13, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Josievan from Iowa

Sep 24, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by MADJACK05 from Illinois

May 03, 2013
Photo of morimech
Reviewed by morimech from Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours a clear, dark amber color with a thin head that settled to a thin film. Just a few specks of lacing is left down the glass.

Malty aroma that is bready with a caramel twist. Possbile toast as well. Just the lightest whiff of spicy hops.

Clean malt flavor that is not too sweet. A little toast adds some interest. The marzens I really find enjoyable have a moderate hop presence, unfortunately this beer lacks that aspect. Very little hop flavor and low bitterness.

A somewhat hefty body for a sub 6% ABV beer. Nicely carbonated that lends a nice texture. A little more carbonated than its German counterparts.

I would buy this beer again although it would not be my first choice. Its clean malt flavor being its most interesting aspect.
Oct 31, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by Packman4IL from Illinois

Oct 31, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by NateMac13 from Illinois

Oct 24, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by Bpierso1 from Illinois

Sep 21, 2012
Photo of mynie
Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

3.47/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a bit redder than what I look for in a marzen. Still, pretty.

Smells of the same kind of rounded toffee nodes that you find in a good oktoberfest, but these are buffeted by a weedy tang. It's not bad, really, nor even offputting, but it just don't complement the rounded malt too well.

And it tastes almost exactly like it smells: nice malty started, weird (but not really *bad*) weedy finish. It don't quite jibe up. And that's a shame, because the up front malt has some very promising nodes of cocoa and brown sugar, but then the back end just gets all creepy and weird.
Nov 27, 2011
 
Rated: 1 by spoonhawk from Iowa

Nov 23, 2011
Photo of TheQuietMan22
Reviewed by TheQuietMan22 from Iowa

3.95/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Appearance: Poured into a pint glass. The color is caramel with rusty undertones. Two fingers of slightly tanned head dissipated to leave a thin lacing and ring around the edge.

Smell: I could smell the candy and toasted caramel when I popped the top. Lots of sweet candy and toasted caramel malt, plus cocoa and brown sugar. It is a little grassy, too.

Taste: Lots of malty goodness with an adequate hop bite. Toasted caramel, brown sugar, and a little cocoa create the backbone. Branching from that is a dry, herbal/grassy hop presence that gives the beer a nice bite.

Drinkability: Very solid märzen, which, I am proud to say, comes from just down the road.
Oct 22, 2011
Oktoberfest from Great River Brewery
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 25 ratings