Oktoberfest
Scorched Earth Brewing Company

Clear amber body with a full khaki head and splotches of lacing. Tastes of caramel malt with mild bready yeast and accent of dry earth and hop bitters, smells is that minus the hops. The taste does have a slight astringency to it. Feel is a little watery but malty.

Scorched Earth's Oktoberfest separates itself from the crowd. The Marzen is very mild and has a great drinkability to it. This is key when soft pretzels show up looking for a beer partner. The two go great together.

 

 

16oz can, stamped "DRINK LOCAL 08/09/19". Thanks to Anthony for giving me a can to try! Caramel colored bier with a foamy beige head. Rich aroma of caramel, toasted grain, bread crust, and earthy/spicy hops. Bold flavors similar to aroma: caramel, toffee, toasted & nutty grain, spicy & earthy German hops. Medium-to-full body, ample carbonation, balanced finish. One of the better American brewed Märzen's I've had. My only complaint is that it's a bit heavy keeping it from being widely sessionable. Still very good though - reminds me of the classic Paulaner.

 

So I had a couple of these at the brewery last week and brought home a 4-pack of pint cans for evaluation. On my third and still trying to draw a conclusion on this beer. It's an interesting take on the style, using (according to the list on the can) German Pilsner, Munich, and Vienna malts along with German Hallertau Mittelfuh (sic) hops. Great combination -- not a caramel malt in sight... or were they saving space in the listing?

Drink Local 9/20/19 ink-jetted on the can's base... bought this on the 18th, so I'm guess that's a best by date -- hmm.

Poured into my tall Becher.

L -- Lightly hazy, deep gold to amber with a pillowy, off-white head that settles slowly and revives easily.

S -- Light yeast nose with a balance of spicy to mildly citrus hops.

T -- Nutty to bready malts up front with a solid balance of spicy hops in the finish and lingering through the aftertaste. There's also a peppery alcohol bite in the aftertaste that isn't crazy distracting, but it takes away from a smooth finish and makes the beer drier than expected. The nutty flavor makes a resurgence in the finish as well and I get the mildest touch of caramel, but nothing to make me think Brown Ale or ESB.

F -- Mouthfeel is soft up front to very dry in the finish with a solid medium body.

O -- With the selection of ingredients used in this beer I really want to like it, but it's still not as bready and smooth as the imports -- and the alcohol bite in the finish gets a little distracting. Helps point me to the mash processes used in good lagers to get that Bavarian authenticity.

That being said, this is a very well-made beer and satisfying to drink. Nice to see small breweries taking on the lager challenge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Served on draft in a becher at Beelow's.

Whelp, "The best of Me" was pretty crappy, so let's cross the parking lot to try to drown the memory, eh? Step One here pours a clear bronzed topaz topped by a half-finger or so of dirty white foam. The nose comprises dry toffee, light grass, light green apple, honey, and a touch of graham cracker. The taste brings in more of the same, the green apple a bit stronger here, but still decidedly in the minority. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a slightly slick feel. Overall, a nice little O-Fest. "Nuff said, really.