Oktoberfest
DESTIHL Brewery

Copper colored with a quarter inch of brown on top. Light lacing is present on the glass. The aroma is of light, bready malt. I am tasting light, crackery to bready malt. The mouth is approachable and refreshing.

 

12 ounce can poured into a .5L dimpled mug.
canned on 06/26/25

L: Clear amber-copper pour, 2 finger off-white head, fluffy foam has good retention and leaves a bit of sticky lace.
S: Bread, bread crust herbal hops.
T: Toasted malt, earthy herbal hops, just a touch of caramel sweetness to start, mild bitterness, overall semi-dry but not sharp, woody/floral notes at finish.
F: Medium body, moderate carbonation, just a touch creamy.
O: OK, hop flavor is a little stronger than I like for style.

Good Marzen, true to style. Poured from a 12 oz can into a short beer mug, this beer features a clearcopper color, a medium sized off-white head with good retention and some slim bands of lacing on the glass. No one thing stands out in the aroma or taste. There is bready and toasted malt and a touch of mild hops bitterness. Nicely balanced with rich enough flavor and aroma. Mouthfeel is crisp and light. Perhaps a bit strong at 5.8% for Oktoberfest swilling but certainly tempting enough based on flavor and "feel". Quite enjoyable!!!

12oz can poured into a SA perfect pint

A- pours a clear copper color with a one finger foamy white head that reduces to a film on top

S- toasted bread, caramel, floral hops, some fruity yeast esters, forrest floor

T- malty sweet caramel and toffee notes up front, followed by bready malt that gives bread crust. The finish brings out some floral hop notes with more malty caramel and bread crust on the finish

O- medium body with moderate carbonation, foamy mouthfeel continues into a creamy finish

From the small can, it pours a clear amber color with a very large white head that slowly reduces and leaves lacing. The nose gets some nice malt, followed by the mouth getting some roasted malt with some hop notes.

12oz draft pour into a snifter, which I thought was rather odd but oh well. It’s a very light amber. Damn near seethrough with a finger of offwhite foam head. Toasted malts, dark bread and even a hint of light caramel on the nose and taste. I like the nose a little better as the flavor finishes a little watered down. Medium-full mouthfeel leaning towards the thinner side with perhaps just a touch too much carbonation to it. Not bad but far from my favorite Marzen, even for an American made one.

They kind of downplayed the beer's taste on the description - they try to make it sound like because there's not too much of any one flavor it's mellow and nicely balanced, but really there's plenty of flavor to be had here. You get some malt, some hops, some breadiness, so it's good. They're right that no one thing dominates, but that is just fine if you make a well-crafted beer that is representative of the style, and they've done that.

 

Reddish amber color with a light haze and an enormous off-white, rocky head. The aroma is of fresh baked bread with a toasty richness. Moderate sweetness in the foretaste with plenty of malt characteristics. Clean finish with a little hop bitterness. Medium in body and really enjoyable.

Copper pour, thin khaki head. Nose is slightly burnt toast.

Taste is toasted bread, floral, medium kilned malt, earthy bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium. Finish is malty with hoppy bitterness.

The pour is copper colored with a fair amount of carbonation. The taste is brown bread crust, sweet roasted malt, along with some burnt molasses on the backend. Cheers! B-

 

12oz can from Hops & Bottles. Clear amber pour, one finger off-white foamy head settles out. Caramel aroma, brown bread. Taste is toasty malts, caramel, bread, minor sweetness and a light crisp finish.

Only my 4th from DESTIHL (and three were before I started giving micro-reviews 4 years back.) I confess I should have paid more attention to DESTIHL. Now in their second decade, they have been a success and one of the early central Illinois micros to make serious progress in their food menu and brew as if it were integrated with the kitchen. They push all the right community and sustainability buttons and, thus, get good Overall Hugs from me. However looking at how their beerhall is only 1,000 feet from I-55 and old Route 66, I question how sustainable it is to having no realistic option to get to your food is to drive... an unsustainable activity. But, let me think about that some more.

As for DESTIHL's Oktoberfest that now is in its 15th year, it respects the tradition; but has a strong after-taste not found in the Bavarian masters. DESTIHL's interpretation is good, just not one I will return to.

12oz can. Poured out a clear, amber color with a small, khaki-colored head of foam. It left sudsy trails of lace on the glass. It smelled of roasted malt, toffee, caramel and bready notes. Toasty taste with toffee, caramel and a mild bitterness.

 

Deep amber body under a small beige head that left light lacing. Aroma of crusty bread and floral hops. Taste starts off sweeter than the aroma suggested. Hops more evident in the aftertaste. This one is a late bloomer as the balance takes root. Nicely carbonated, medium bodied mouthfeel.

Pours clear copper with a thick long-lasting cream-colored head that leaves nice lacing. Aroma is roasted caramel malt, and dark bread. Flavor follows the nose, slightly sweet in front with some European hops in the finish. Feel is medium bodied, lightly carbonated. Overall, a fair beer. Not one of the better Oktoberfest beers I've tried.

Pours an effervescent amber with 2 fingers of cream colored head. Prety good head retention & lacing

S: Toasty, grassy hops, great nose

T: Follows the nose, pretty dry, up front. Some brown bread notes, along with dryness & grassyness as this beer warms up, plus some woody hops. Finishes with caramel, toastyness & a little bit of woody hops

Medium body, restrained carbonation, pretty good balance

This an okay take on the style, not one I would by again