Tried & True
Gun Hill Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks, Patrick, for another great marzen. You're a he'll of a guy.

Gorgeous honey colored body with aminimal head that vanishes quickly, leaving a pencil thin ring.
Bready and toasty aroma with a honey sweetness. Floral and medicinal hops.
The taste follows the nose, only more complex. Toasted malts, honey, a bite of red apple, a floral, spicey and medicinal hops profile that comes off very tea like.
The mouth feel is where this beer shines. Super smooth, soft body that finishes dry with a nip of spice. Medium body, medium carbonation.

Big thanks once again to Patrick, the Irish Queen of Oktoberfest. Cheers!

Tried & True pours the closest thing to a border of colors between yellow and orange. A light glow like an old town street lamp on a dark night. A froth rests above, coarse bubbled and lazily descending. Spots form here and there as it settles, and it leaves a ring around the glass with a light surface coverage despite the rising bubbles attempts to keep it afloat.

The smell is simple, appropriate, and pleasant. Light breadiness with a classic and clean traditional German lager yeast. Only minor suggestions of toastiness and caramel, with a soft, herbal, floral hop finish.

But the flavor is bursting. Much spicier than I thought it would be, but we'll get to that in a bit. A dinner cracker sweet and toasty start leads into a quick green apple snap with the last drop off the spoon of caramel. Then the spice comes in, robust but not overpowering. No resemblance really of the typical cinnamon, nutmeg influence. Just a nice floral spice.

This is a beer for drinking. It's body is relatively light in comparison. Crisp and clean feeling with just the right amount of carbonation paired perfectly with its exceptional balance.

This may not be the most flavorful, or biggest nostril slayer of an Oktoberfest you'll cross paths with, but it's definitely one of the most well rounded. A delicious beer worthy of being consumed in massive quantities, which I would gladly do given the opportunity.

Thanks again Patrick! I don't care what Joe says about you, you're a good guy. Prost!

16oz Can

Big ups to Patrick for all the Oktoberfests this year! Tried & True is a handsome beer. It looks like fall in the mug, autumnal. A slight haze runs throughout the positively glowing orange body. Tiny carbonation rushes the surface in innumerable streams. The foam is clean white and easily climbs to two fingers on the pour. While there is some settling it never falls below a thick, chunky crown and that crown leaves thick, chunky lace down the mug with each drink. This is how Oktoberfests should look.

There's a decent toastiness off the bat, as in toasted white bread. A sturdy herbal spiciness picks up in the middle and pushes through the finish where it's met by substantial clean, crisp, freshly cracked grains. As this one breathes a little, with a few swirls of the mug, a drizzle of caramel shows itself. This beer smells leaner than many versions, which I enjoy. It's more clean graininess and spicy hoppiness than most versions out there.

This guy opens up with that white bread toastiness while a soft, light caramel sweetness joins the fray and runs front to back. The spicy hop profile comes forth in the middle and brings a counterpoint to that caramel note. The malty finish leans more toward freshly cracked and damp grains than the aforementioned toastiness. This is a damn good beer.

The body is moderate in weight but with the tiny bubbled carbonation it nearly becomes airy with a big plush, velvety mouthfeel. There's a touch of sweetness on the swallow but the bitterness cuts through after a few second and totally dries up after a few seconds longer leaving a lingering bitterness in its wake. This stuff is about as drinkable as they come.

This is a damn fine beer. One of the best new Oktoberfests I've had in a few years. It's clean and crisp with a nice array of maltiness and a sturdy hop profile. It's dry and incredibly easy drinking. Give me more of these guys. Thanks, Patrick!

This was part of a Oktoberfest blind taste test we did with a solid line up including Hofbrau; Paulaner; Ayinger; Great Lakes; Weinstephaner. Tried and True was midpack which is a compliment considering this stood its ground with the legends of the Oktoberfest game.