Oktoberfest
Craftsman Brewing Co.

 

 

 

Nose of old wine, bitterish aftertaste, kind of a murky mush. Rich flavored and on the sweet side. More like a big, slow Hefeweizen with out the esters. Thick body lots of malt. Touch of honey rather than roasted flavors. Modest head and not much lacing in the pint glass. Dark amber color, low on the carbonation. Warm flavors enlivened by a touch of hops. Not much to brag about.

At Pizza Port in Ocean Beach. Board notes 6.5% ABV.

10/27/2013 update: Here it is two years later, on tap at Local Habit. I liked it better this version. Warm and malty with a lovely nutty aroma in the nose. The body is on the thin side but it is smooth and malty with a mellow roasted flavor.

Had this on draft, in San diego at a nice place, the linkery (sp?) In October. Presented as a perfect color, clear light brown, decent head and lacing,

Has a solid off sweet malty nose, just right, roasty bready taste on the pallet, finishes balaced, mouthfeel is medium bodied, and easy and solid drinker, better than most in this style.

Now listening to: Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue

Thanks to Beechwood for bringing this in!

A- Light orange, maybe even lighter than usual
S- Light grain, sweeter malt than usual for the style
T- Definitely taste the sweeter malt. I could try to stretch the imagination, but this is grainy/sweet malt, plain and simple.
M- light body, good carbonation, but dry where not expected.
D- Alchohol seems low enough that this would rank as a traditionally drinkable Oktoberfest.

On-tap at the Beachwood BBQ,

A: Pours a typical light amber-orange colour. Gives a one finger head with excellent lacing, nice look.

S: Caramel malt, sugar, pretty standard for this style.

T: Caramel and sweet Munich malt give a classic traditonal Oktoberfest taste. Hops are light with a spicy note at first, which becomes earthy as the beer finishes. One of the best tasting American fests I've had.

M: Off-dry, sweet in the main flavour, but has plenty of hop contrast. Soft carbonation character, light/medium body.

D: This is an excellent Fest bier, one of the best Craftsman beers I've had. I still haven't given a 5 for flavour to any brew in this style, I guess I'm still waiting for the perfect, striking one, but this is great, go try it if you see it on-tap in Southern California.

on-tap at Pure Luck, Los Angeles 9.16.08

I have always found the Craftsman Oktoberfest to be a solid version of the German classic every year but something about this year's blew me away. Firstly, this is a fine looking Märzen - you get the finger head and the deep ruby color body. The roasted oat malt shine in the nose and the taste. It's caramel with a touch of cashew. Slight hop profile fills in with a nice
finish.

One of the best Oktoberfests I've had in years.

Consumed on draft at The Village Idiot, 10/15/07.

Medium amber/copper color, proper head & lacing. Aroma primarily malt, as was flavor. Grainy, bready, slightly sweet as appropriate for style. Simple flavor profile, left almost no aftertaste. A real "lawnmower beer". Overall, a reasonable represntation of the style but nothing exceptional.

On tap at lucky baldwins in Pasadena. I thought this was a very solid Oktoberfest. Was a crystal clear amber orange. A nice foam cap easily regenerated upon swirling. Malt character is very clean and beer is nice and crisp with medium carbonation, and some bitterness in the finish.

See BeerSpy for location info. Appearance was a clear dark amber hue, fine carbonation, and a lumpy half inch thick white head that left streaky lace.
Nose: toasted white bread, fruity, with light herbal hops note flitting around the periphery of the nose. Ghostly butter vapors. Smells decent enough.
Taste: quite fruity at the outset. Touch of orchard fruits drizzled with caramel. Mid-palate has a hefty toasted malty bill. Finishes clean with a mild hops bitterness. Feel was medium-bodied and smooth.
Overall, another solid beer from Craftsman. Nothing that's extraordinary or breaks new ground for the style; rather, it holds true to the style and is easily quaffed. Worth a try.

A: Deep robust amber, clean with microscopic streams of bubbles. Head is full and creamy, a nice roasted marshmallow color.

S: Cherry, strawberry, caramel with a touch of peat.

T: A lot of red fruit up front. Toasted sourdough and fresh cinnamon rolls without the cinnamon...dough is the theme. Minor toffee notes, much more so than the traditional molasses maltiness. Finishes with cooked apricot and toasted eggo.

M: Medium body, slightly spritzy

D: Not an over the top malt bomb like most oktoberfests. Much fruitier.