Norden Hoch Oktoberfest
North High Brewing Company

6-pack from North High Hyde Park
Deep golden color with a nice thick head, good retention.
Toasted malts and an assertive bitter note.

 

 

draught
Medium light orange and chestnut look. Faint, medium heavy roasted malt and slightest caramel note, for the aroma. Restrained, a bit bitey, medium toasted malt flavors, with the slightest roasted wood flavor, at the finish.

IBU: 50

 

Poured from a 12 oz can into a pint glass. My wife bought this as a "mixed 6" blind taste as a gift for our anniversary. I thought this was a run-of-the-mill lager, as it lacked any of the toastiness or flavor of a typical Oktoberfest. Very earthy compared to other lagers. The smell was tart, the tast was a little better. The best part of this is the feel - nice and crisp.

The nose is the best part of this brew. The look is a little cloudy. The feel is too flat upfront and dry at the end for the style. I’d be more okay with that sort of deviation if the taste were excellent. But unique is probably the kindest word I’d use to describe the taste. At times quite tart and sweet, at times reminiscent of the typical Märzen toasted malt flavor. Overall, for people who like sour ales, this may be the Oktoberfest beer for you. But if you are looking for a easy drinking, refreshing, crisp lager with good malt taste, you’ll probably want to avoid this one. It’s not the kind of beer I’d ever want to drink more than one of. I poured it from an undated can, a couple weeks after September purchase. Maybe it all comes together better on draft?

 

 

 

 

 

Rich amber gold color with lasting cap and lacing.

Aroma of sweet caramel toasted malt.

Taste is malt forward with a depth of malt richness. It maintains a sense of dryness while remaining rich with a toasty malt character at it's base.

Medium full texture with balancing carbonation.

This is what I think of as classic Oktoberfest with it's malt forward approach which it maintains from start to finish with just enough hop presence to keep things in balance. Enough balance to match food and something I'm comfortable offering any guest.

 

On tap. Good flavor, smooth.

 

12 ounce can into dimpled mug, canned on 8/18/2017. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy deep orange/light copper color with a 1 finger dense and fluffy off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big brown sugar, brown bread crust, toasted biscuit, light caramel/nuttiness, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Nice aromas with good complexity of bready malts and light earthy hop notes; with good strength. A bit fruity/yeasty, but not overwhelming. Taste of big brown sugar, brown bread crust, toasted biscuit, light caramel/nuttiness, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Very mild herbal, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of brown sugar, brown bread crust, toasted biscuit, light caramel/nuttiness, herbal, grass, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of bready malts and light earthy hop flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance, and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Nicely clean on lager flavors, minimal fruity/yeasty notes. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth and creamy/bready/grainy mouthfeel that is great. Minimal hop stickiness or dryness. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.4%. Overall this is a delicious Oktoberfest. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of bready malts and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the minimally bitter/drying finish. Very clean and rich Munich, Vienna, and Melanoidin malt complexity; with just enough earthy hop balance against sweetness. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.

I got this off the Single Shelf from the nearby Giant Eagle. It poured a clear amber with white frothy head that is leaving a spotty lace. The scent had hints of sour dough. The taste was nicely balanced and easy but leaned sour. The mouthfeel is lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall I'm not overly thrilled with the slight sour leaned but it's an ok beer.