Pecatonica Oktoberfest
Pecatonica Beer Company

Appearance: Pours a clear, brown/bronzed color with a moderate off-white head. SRM of 16. (3.75)

Aroma: Moderate aromas of brown bread, sweet bread, and biscuit. (3.75)

Flavor: Mild to moderate flavors of brown bread, toast, bread malts, and biscuit. Some sweet caramel roll malts underneath. Balances sweetness and dryness. (3.75)

Feel: Medium-bodied. Moderate to strong carbonation. Finishes malty. (3.75)

Compared to Leinenkugal's Oktoberfest 10/11/21: Pours slightly darker. More bread, biscuit, and toasty malts. Less caramel and cola. Winner: Pecatonica

Overall: Really a pretty decent Oktoberfest. It has nice bready and biscuit aromas. Pretty standard falvors of brown bread, toast, caramel. A slight knock because I expected more for the higher than average ABV, but nonetheless it is a well-made Oktoberfest Marzen. (Final Rating: 3.70)

 

 

 

A bit redder than most marzens, more in keeping with export varieties. The aroma is very malty and true to style. Its the taste that off to me, a bit too sweet and cloying without a proper balance. It also has a heavy mouth feel unlike the easy drinking fest beers. Overall its an average domestic interpretation of the style.

Poured 12oz bottle that is bronze and caramel in color with a nice 2.5 finger head. Leaves a collar and some lacing on glass. Aromas are grainy malty, and sweet bread. Not too complex, but pleasant. There is a hefty amount of malts, grain, sweet bread and hints of caramel. Bit of earthiness to it. Lighter body and carbonated to style. Seems like they have improved the beer from 2013, but it is a tad sweet.

Not bad. I was surprised by this beer. I didn't expect much from it, as it was part of a build your own 6-pack for $7.99 and seemed to be beer on clearance. Pours a copper amber color, with slight, slight haziness. The head is white and dissipates quickly. No evident lacing on glass. The smell is malty with almost no hop aroma. Pleasant. The taste is malty with slight hoppiness in the finish. Perfect amount of carbonation. Just the right body and flavor for an Oktoberfest. I expected this to be lacking in flavor and very carbonated, but this was not the case. Solid brew-especially for the price. It's a pity this is no longer being brewed. There are definitely worse beers being continued.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The formula seems right -- nice coppery color, billowy (if brief) head, biscuity aroma -- but the beer comes up short in taste. Seems like a decent Oktoberfest that's been watered down about 20%. Wisconsin craft brewers Capital, New Glarus and Tyranena all deliver a better seasonal brew.

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Alright, so my first impression of Pecatonica (their Nightfall Lager) wasn't a positive one, but everyone deserves at least a second chance, right? This one pours a clear burnt sienna topped by a finger of cream foam. The nose comprises light buttery biscuit, very light orange peel, mild caramel, and a touch of what may or may not be clove. There's a vague sense of earthy greenery pervading, kinda like the usual atmosphere of a Lovecraft tale, but it's too ethereal to physically perceive with any degree of certainty. The taste holds notes of candied orange peel, caramel, and a much more definite earthy character. As the finish approaches, though, things take a strange sideways tilt as an odd flavor rears its ugly ass, too horrid to even show its face. It's hard to properly describe, but its a gaping void of blandess tinged with metal, and the effect on my tongue is similar to what I remember resulting from licking a nine volt back in the day. Without this bit, the beer would be just fine, but this finish (and it's one that malingers for quite some time, unfortunately) is a damn deal-breaker. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid feel. Overall, this was just not an enjoyable beer, let alone a good O-Fest. It could have been, but something went seriously awry. You're not endearing yourselves here, Pecatonica...

 

Bottled under the label “Pecatonica Oktoberfest” This pours a clear, amber color with a foamy, off-white head. There are some malts and slight spices in the aroma. The taste is very bland and slightly sour. Not the type of malty flavor you would expect and there is not much spice to the flavor either. It finishes fairly unpleasant and rather chalky. But that’s kind of what I expected from a beer that contracted with Minhas to brew their beer for them.