Samuel Adams Octoberfest
Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

Samuel Adams OctoberfestSamuel Adams Octoberfest
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From:
Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
Märzen
Ranked #280
ABV:
5.3%
Score:
83
Ranked #24,024
Avg:
3.67 | pDev: 14.17%
Reviews:
2,356
Ratings:
8,232
Status:
Active
Rated:
Mar 01, 2024
Added:
Sep 10, 2001
Wants:
  163
Gots:
  2,287
In 1810, the Oktoberfest tradition was born when Munich celebrated the Crown Prince's wedding with a special beer and 16-day party. Our version of this classic style blends hearty malts for a deep, smooth flavor of caramel, creating a brew that's perfect for the season, or whatever you're celebrating. Smooth with a roasty sweetness, and light hop character.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jpeterman:
Photo of jpeterman
Reviewed by jpeterman from Kentucky

3.83/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
--Poured from a 12 ounce brown bottle into a shaker pint. Drink-By date clearly notched on the neck label.--

Appearance- A strong, but smooth pour yields a fairly sizable, off-white head at first, but this only lingers for maybe a minute and a half. However, it manages a nice, sticky lacing all the way down to the last sip. Nice medium to med./dark copper color, no haze what-so-ever. Off to a great start.

Scent- Wonderful malt in the nose, sweet, but not overly. Also, the hops come in, flowery and robust, yet refined, as they should be. Bready as it warms a bit. A very enticing beer, simply with the nose!

Taste/Mouth Feel/Body- As soon as the beer hits my tongue, I catch the sweet malts in the middle. With careful attention, you can catch each of the five malts with a separate sip. The floral hops and light spice balance with a slight bitter bite, rounding this beer out well with every taste. Also, you catch some bread, and some of the more roasted characteristics of the malts. You catch them at the tip, for sure. Nice medium body, yet crisp and quite refreshing. The weight on the tongue is perfect for the style. It goes down pleasantly; very smooth. Aftertaste is all malt, nice and toasty for those cold autumn afternoons and evenings.

Drinkable?- Absolutely. A six pack on a chilly autumn evening would be bliss. Goes down very easy, and doesn't weigh you down despite it's medium body.

Overall- An excellent representation of the style. Boston Beer Company has a certain winner on their hands with this one. Not only is this beer good for an autumn fall-back, but I would call it an Autumn go-to. Not too heavy, not too light, just right for the season. Certainly makes me look foreword to this time of year.
Oct 01, 2009
More User Ratings:
Photo of KChief38
Rated by KChief38 from Texas

3.97/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Really nice brew for the Fall. Hints of cloves, nice spices, crisp taste and warm color.
Mar 01, 2024
Photo of Franziskaner
Reviewed by Franziskaner from Missouri

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Dark amber in color with a fingernail of khaki brown on top. There’s an aroma of caramelized bready malt. I’m tasting toffee and marzipan. The mouth is crisp and approachable.
Feb 09, 2024
Photo of MetalHead7734
Reviewed by MetalHead7734 from South Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Look: Moderate light tan head. Caramel or dark honey colored.

Smell: Caramel. Rich malt aroma.

Taste: Caramel sweetness that fades into rich maltyness. A small amount of citrus if you can find it. Finishes with more caramel.

Feel: Perfect.

Overall: One of my favorite beers. Perfectly balanced.
Jan 31, 2024
 
Rated: 3.74 by gongfu from Connecticut

Jan 31, 2024
Photo of 47fvckegotism
Rated by 47fvckegotism

3.34/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Bready smell with light taste of floral and the smallest hint of bittersweet flavor
Jan 28, 2024
 
Rated: 4.3 by Quikshark from South Carolina

Dec 28, 2023
Photo of DarkPassport
Reviewed by DarkPassport

4.31/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: On tap into pint glass. Beautiful clear mahogany amber with almost no head and no lacing. The color was brilliant but the lack of foam was unfortunate.

Aroma: Light malt notes. Toffee and caramel. Musk and oak.

Taste: Malt forward. Caramel that isn't too sweet. Toffee isn't as present on the tongue as it is on the nose. Lightly toasted bread.

Feel: Smooth. Carbonation is on the low side which seems to suit this beer just fine, surprisingly.

Overall: Fairly complex for the style without trying to be over-the-top. It's easy to see why this beer sets the American Oktoberfest bar.
Dec 26, 2023
Photo of Brendan-T-Walsh
Reviewed by Brendan-T-Walsh from New York

2.26/5  rDev -38.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.25
Very poor experience. A 12-pack case over a month of reluctant drinking in late September.

The look and smell were promising, but the (very American) Marzen feels loaded with syrup. Sad!
Dec 10, 2023
Photo of Mainehawk
Reviewed by Mainehawk from Maine

3.17/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Served from the can into a pint glass. Bright red amber color with a slight head which lingered. Light legs which cleared rapidly, Light carbonation. Full malty favor and lightly hopped. No after taste to my palate. Easy drinking. The bottle format seems to have a better head. Good Marzen but not spectacular.
Dec 08, 2023
 
 
Rated: 4.11 by Luca2020 from Massachusetts

Nov 28, 2023
 
Rated: 3.93 by LagerMan_US from Maine

Nov 26, 2023
 
Rated: 3.64 by KeithGreatNorth from Canada (BC)

Nov 26, 2023
Photo of Rodya-CA
Rated by Rodya-CA from California

3.84/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
On Draft
Nov 26, 2023
 
Rated: 5 by Zachboyd3334 from Indiana

Nov 18, 2023
Photo of FreePal88
Reviewed by FreePal88

3/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Not hard to drink, but vaguely chemical-ish and artificial. Feels like a focus group of people who don't drink beer came up with an "autumnal" flavor for a beer. I dunno, every other marzen I've had so far has been better.
Nov 13, 2023
Photo of LeinenkugelDrinker
Reviewed by LeinenkugelDrinker from Nevada

4.35/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Perhaps the greatest beer ever made. Definitely the best East Coast brew. Flavor is malty and smooth. Excellent feel. The smell is a bit underpowered though. Love these beers.
Nov 05, 2023
Photo of Dylan184183
Reviewed by Dylan184183 from Idaho

4.68/5  rDev +27.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Tasted great, a little pricey, but man it made me gassy later. Great color, and a great seasonal beer. Had a nice head when poured into a glass. Good beer for October.
Nov 02, 2023
Samuel Adams Octoberfest from Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 8232 ratings