Dominion Octoberfest! | Old Dominion Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Old Dominion Brewing Company
Delaware, United States | website
Style: Märzen / Oktoberfest
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.90%
Availability: Fall
Notes / Commercial Description:
Our Autumn Seasonal beer is a traditional Maerzen style lager. We use eight types of imported German malts and four hop varieties to create this amber-colored fest beer.
Added by BeerAdvocate on 09-18-2002
Reviews: 132 | Ratings: 241
3.5/5 rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle courtesy of dkachur - thanks! Poured into a traditional American pint glass.
Appearance: A filtered copper body with one-finger of white head that fades quickly into a ring of lace. Lacing proper isn't very impressive, though isn't a complete loss, with a few eruptions here and there. Carbonation is of a medium size and fairly slow.
Aroma: Major buttery malts here, very prominent. There's some faint something else, but it's mostly just toffee/toasty butterscotch/taffy notes.
Taste: Butterscotch ahoy! Diacetyls are through the roof on this one, with some mild balancing bitterness and a grassy, tart twinge the only things present to keep them in check. It's not "bad," it's just pretty average.
Mouthfeel: Very big and fluffy, full-bodied, but light and only slightly uneven.
Drinkability: A pretty average Oktoberfest, with all those buttery malts hiding anything else that might be there. They're not bad - i.e., they don't remind of me of rank yeast diacetyls or anything - but they do get sort of cloying after a while. Not a go-to Oktoberfest, but not a bad beer.
★ 1,087 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle courtesy of dkachur - thanks! Poured into a traditional American pint glass.
Appearance: A filtered copper body with one-finger of white head that fades quickly into a ring of lace. Lacing proper isn't very impressive, though isn't a complete loss, with a few eruptions here and there. Carbonation is of a medium size and fairly slow.
Aroma: Major buttery malts here, very prominent. There's some faint something else, but it's mostly just toffee/toasty butterscotch/taffy notes.
Taste: Butterscotch ahoy! Diacetyls are through the roof on this one, with some mild balancing bitterness and a grassy, tart twinge the only things present to keep them in check. It's not "bad," it's just pretty average.
Mouthfeel: Very big and fluffy, full-bodied, but light and only slightly uneven.
Drinkability: A pretty average Oktoberfest, with all those buttery malts hiding anything else that might be there. They're not bad - i.e., they don't remind of me of rank yeast diacetyls or anything - but they do get sort of cloying after a while. Not a go-to Oktoberfest, but not a bad beer.
★ 1,087 characters
3.52/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Bottle into mug
Crystal clear copper color with a thin off white head that doesn't last long. Very little lacing.
The aroma and taste are pretty light, mostly malt with a bit of sweet sugar left over. The taste has a little bit of hidden complexity though. A bit of dark sugar and creaminess mingles in the middle. The sweetness lingers until the end, leaving no hop bitterness, providing a smooth finish.
This isn't the boldest Oktoberfest but it has a good quality to it. Perfect if you're in need of an Oktoberfest when you're at Old Dominion, but I'm not sure if I would persue it, except to maybe support a local brewery.
★ 629 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Bottle into mug
Crystal clear copper color with a thin off white head that doesn't last long. Very little lacing.
The aroma and taste are pretty light, mostly malt with a bit of sweet sugar left over. The taste has a little bit of hidden complexity though. A bit of dark sugar and creaminess mingles in the middle. The sweetness lingers until the end, leaving no hop bitterness, providing a smooth finish.
This isn't the boldest Oktoberfest but it has a good quality to it. Perfect if you're in need of an Oktoberfest when you're at Old Dominion, but I'm not sure if I would persue it, except to maybe support a local brewery.
★ 629 characters
3.53/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12oz brown bottle with a freshness date.
Look: Thin frothing, rudy amber hue
Smell: Mild sweetness, grassy, malty breadiness, mild herbal hop, toasted bread
Taste: Decent smoothness, clean graininess, fresh bread, toasted grain, full-on maltiness, subtle herbal hops flavor, balancing hop bitterness, bread crust finish, ends dry
A good O-fest, hits all of the right buttons but does not exactly wow. Still a good rendition to check out.
★ 441 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12oz brown bottle with a freshness date.
Look: Thin frothing, rudy amber hue
Smell: Mild sweetness, grassy, malty breadiness, mild herbal hop, toasted bread
Taste: Decent smoothness, clean graininess, fresh bread, toasted grain, full-on maltiness, subtle herbal hops flavor, balancing hop bitterness, bread crust finish, ends dry
A good O-fest, hits all of the right buttons but does not exactly wow. Still a good rendition to check out.
★ 441 characters
3.53/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A - nice crystal clear amber color with a nice offwhite head
S - light caramel malts wiht a hint of fruit sweetness.
T - light bitter hops, caramel malts and a hint of fruit sweetness
M - medium light bodied, nicely carbonated, crisp clean finish with a light bitter hop aftertaste.
D - nice beer overall
It must only be me, it seems most oktoberfest / marzen's these days seem to have more of a hop note than I remember the style to be. This was nice but falls into the same vein of nice but hoppier than I expected.
★ 523 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A - nice crystal clear amber color with a nice offwhite head
S - light caramel malts wiht a hint of fruit sweetness.
T - light bitter hops, caramel malts and a hint of fruit sweetness
M - medium light bodied, nicely carbonated, crisp clean finish with a light bitter hop aftertaste.
D - nice beer overall
It must only be me, it seems most oktoberfest / marzen's these days seem to have more of a hop note than I remember the style to be. This was nice but falls into the same vein of nice but hoppier than I expected.
★ 523 characters
3.53/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
My first Octoberfest of the season. Poured an orange-amber color with profound off-white head. Smell is of roasted malt with notes of bread dough. Taste is strongly of malt and caramel. Finishes nutty with a little bit of hop coming through. Another good beer from Dominion.
★ 274 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
My first Octoberfest of the season. Poured an orange-amber color with profound off-white head. Smell is of roasted malt with notes of bread dough. Taste is strongly of malt and caramel. Finishes nutty with a little bit of hop coming through. Another good beer from Dominion.
★ 274 characters
3.53/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The beer poured a crystal clear deep amber with a slightly off-white head that fell slowly to lace the glass.
The aroma was vienna malts with a deep caramel and a slight DMS.
The flavor was crisp but with a slight corny (DMS) nature. Vienna malts and caramel permeated the flavor, bittering was high enough to balance and keep the sweetness from the malts in check.
The finish was just dry with lingering caramel maltiness. The body was medium.
12 ounce bottle. Bottled on 02 Sept 2004.
★ 498 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The beer poured a crystal clear deep amber with a slightly off-white head that fell slowly to lace the glass.
The aroma was vienna malts with a deep caramel and a slight DMS.
The flavor was crisp but with a slight corny (DMS) nature. Vienna malts and caramel permeated the flavor, bittering was high enough to balance and keep the sweetness from the malts in check.
The finish was just dry with lingering caramel maltiness. The body was medium.
12 ounce bottle. Bottled on 02 Sept 2004.
★ 498 characters
3.55/5 rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Look: Amber red; Dissipating bright white hea. No noticeable lacing.
Smell: Grape, lager yeast
Taste: Malty, grapey: sweet. No real bitterness. Somewhat doppelbock-like. Perhaps a touch more alcohol than some others as well.
Feel: round / full mouthfeel. No real bite.
Overall: As someone who likes beer on the sweeter side, I found this to be a pretty decent pour. I would put it near the top of the list, in terms of the american marzens I've had this fall.
★ 472 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Look: Amber red; Dissipating bright white hea. No noticeable lacing.
Smell: Grape, lager yeast
Taste: Malty, grapey: sweet. No real bitterness. Somewhat doppelbock-like. Perhaps a touch more alcohol than some others as well.
Feel: round / full mouthfeel. No real bite.
Overall: As someone who likes beer on the sweeter side, I found this to be a pretty decent pour. I would put it near the top of the list, in terms of the american marzens I've had this fall.
★ 472 characters
3.56/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a pint glass:
A: Dark amber, copper with minimal carbonation and lacing. No head at all even with a correct pour
S: Malty with a hint of caramel, tiny bit of floral hop aroma
T: Clean malt flavor, grain characteristic is apparent as it starts sweet and ends dry. Bitterness is minimal, but still in play
M: Medium body with little carbonation to add bite. Starts and finishes clean
D: Could have a few more of these in a night, a solid example of an American interpretation
★ 490 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a pint glass:
A: Dark amber, copper with minimal carbonation and lacing. No head at all even with a correct pour
S: Malty with a hint of caramel, tiny bit of floral hop aroma
T: Clean malt flavor, grain characteristic is apparent as it starts sweet and ends dry. Bitterness is minimal, but still in play
M: Medium body with little carbonation to add bite. Starts and finishes clean
D: Could have a few more of these in a night, a solid example of an American interpretation
★ 490 characters
3.57/5 rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
a - poured a razor thin white head into a tumbler that was gone almost immediately. the body was reddish-amber.
s - lightly spiced with a hint grain.
t - caramel, nutty with that tastes of sweet bread.
m - medium thickness.
d - decent beer, had better and had worse.
★ 266 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
a - poured a razor thin white head into a tumbler that was gone almost immediately. the body was reddish-amber.
s - lightly spiced with a hint grain.
t - caramel, nutty with that tastes of sweet bread.
m - medium thickness.
d - decent beer, had better and had worse.
★ 266 characters
3.58/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A : Golden pour with a thin and fading head. No lacing
S : Fruity including some malt and yeast. Very fresh smelling.
T : Good balance of hop, malts and yeast. I can't forget the tart, yeast flavour in the brew.
M : Extremely high carbonation
D : Refreshing to drink
★ 273 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A : Golden pour with a thin and fading head. No lacing
S : Fruity including some malt and yeast. Very fresh smelling.
T : Good balance of hop, malts and yeast. I can't forget the tart, yeast flavour in the brew.
M : Extremely high carbonation
D : Refreshing to drink
★ 273 characters
3.58/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
I had this at the Dulles airport in the Old Dominion bar/restaurant. Pours a dark brown, with a good head and fairly robust lacing.
Smell is good, strong of toffee and malt. Taste was good, reminded of the days I lived a couple of miles from the Old Dominion Brew Pub in Ashburn, VA (since bought by Anheuser-Busch and closed - boo, hiss).
A very good example of the Oktoberfest type of beer, although chilled it warms you with its look and feel. Taste is better than average, drinkability very good, mouthfeel is a little thin.
★ 530 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
I had this at the Dulles airport in the Old Dominion bar/restaurant. Pours a dark brown, with a good head and fairly robust lacing.
Smell is good, strong of toffee and malt. Taste was good, reminded of the days I lived a couple of miles from the Old Dominion Brew Pub in Ashburn, VA (since bought by Anheuser-Busch and closed - boo, hiss).
A very good example of the Oktoberfest type of beer, although chilled it warms you with its look and feel. Taste is better than average, drinkability very good, mouthfeel is a little thin.
★ 530 characters
3.6/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Slightly dark amber, small head that disappears quickly. Bland nose with little malty or hoppy notes...similar to other styles by OD, this one has hints of butter beneath the water odor. Lagerish taste, malt and hops are blended well, but nothing exciting is happening here. Then again, nothing bad is happening either. There is a bit of roughness at the edges and toward the end of the taste. The butteriness makes it presence known without being overly assertive. Mouthfeel is thin. Despite these shortcomings, it isn't unpleasant and is an easy to quaff brew. But why?
★ 571 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Slightly dark amber, small head that disappears quickly. Bland nose with little malty or hoppy notes...similar to other styles by OD, this one has hints of butter beneath the water odor. Lagerish taste, malt and hops are blended well, but nothing exciting is happening here. Then again, nothing bad is happening either. There is a bit of roughness at the edges and toward the end of the taste. The butteriness makes it presence known without being overly assertive. Mouthfeel is thin. Despite these shortcomings, it isn't unpleasant and is an easy to quaff brew. But why?
★ 571 characters
3.6/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Lightly hazed orange-copper with maize highlights. The head is dewy beige in color and is creamy and soft rather than stiff and sturdy. It persists nicely though and lays down an acceptable amount of lace in random splotches. The nose is toasted malty and lightly spicy with noble hops relegated to the background.
On the palate, the beer is toasted caramel malty and spicy, just as in the nose. Hop bitterness is more apparent than hop flavor, with both more assertive than in most versions of the style. Octoberfest is a member of the hoppy-dry marzen school rather than the sweet-malty one. The finish is dry and exceptionally clean. Given the relative lack of sugar, it's no surprise that the body is no more than light-medium.
This is a tough call. I love hops, but I also like those malty, slightly sweet Oktoberfests. Judged on its merits and not on what I wish it was, this is good, but not outstanding, beer. If I had ready access to it every fall, I'd probably alternate it with one of the maltier versions and get the best of both worlds. Thanks to meathookjones for kickin' in the extra.
★ 1,105 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Lightly hazed orange-copper with maize highlights. The head is dewy beige in color and is creamy and soft rather than stiff and sturdy. It persists nicely though and lays down an acceptable amount of lace in random splotches. The nose is toasted malty and lightly spicy with noble hops relegated to the background.
On the palate, the beer is toasted caramel malty and spicy, just as in the nose. Hop bitterness is more apparent than hop flavor, with both more assertive than in most versions of the style. Octoberfest is a member of the hoppy-dry marzen school rather than the sweet-malty one. The finish is dry and exceptionally clean. Given the relative lack of sugar, it's no surprise that the body is no more than light-medium.
This is a tough call. I love hops, but I also like those malty, slightly sweet Oktoberfests. Judged on its merits and not on what I wish it was, this is good, but not outstanding, beer. If I had ready access to it every fall, I'd probably alternate it with one of the maltier versions and get the best of both worlds. Thanks to meathookjones for kickin' in the extra.
★ 1,105 characters
3.6/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Picked this up while in Winchester, VA. I always like to grab some new Octoberfests as they start rolling out.
Although this isn't my favorite style, I usually enjoy them and this was no exception. It poured copper/gold color with light carbonation; I noticed another reviewer commented negatively on its effervescence, but I did not have this problem. The beer foamed up a little and disappated quickly.
It tastes slightly sweet and slightly sour. Not particulary hoppy, but has a grainy hint to it. It's extremely drinkable and I could easily go through a number of these. I like beers like this as the summer gives way to fall. Overall a decent octoberfest selection.
★ 676 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Picked this up while in Winchester, VA. I always like to grab some new Octoberfests as they start rolling out.
Although this isn't my favorite style, I usually enjoy them and this was no exception. It poured copper/gold color with light carbonation; I noticed another reviewer commented negatively on its effervescence, but I did not have this problem. The beer foamed up a little and disappated quickly.
It tastes slightly sweet and slightly sour. Not particulary hoppy, but has a grainy hint to it. It's extremely drinkable and I could easily go through a number of these. I like beers like this as the summer gives way to fall. Overall a decent octoberfest selection.
★ 676 characters
3.61/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Pours a clear, reddish copper with one and a half fingers of craggy, light tan foam. Toasted lager aromas are a bit more subdued than those of many of its kin; a touch of earthiness walks in the background. The taste, on the other hand, is solidly consistent with the style. Tons of toastiness dominate the front palate, with a bit of woody hops entering the middle. Notes of whole wheat bread are quite strong. The finish resembles the taste of artificial coffee sweeteners, but is not so overpowering that it ruins the flavor. The overall impression of that of an interestingly toasty but overly sweet beer that needs more IBUs to find its balance.
★ 650 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Pours a clear, reddish copper with one and a half fingers of craggy, light tan foam. Toasted lager aromas are a bit more subdued than those of many of its kin; a touch of earthiness walks in the background. The taste, on the other hand, is solidly consistent with the style. Tons of toastiness dominate the front palate, with a bit of woody hops entering the middle. Notes of whole wheat bread are quite strong. The finish resembles the taste of artificial coffee sweeteners, but is not so overpowering that it ruins the flavor. The overall impression of that of an interestingly toasty but overly sweet beer that needs more IBUs to find its balance.
★ 650 characters
3.62/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The furshlugginger Bottle Backlog MUST die in 2016! Such is the current battle cry of The CANQuest (tm) as I attempt to eradicate the backlog of bottles hanging around Chez Woody. This one either came from my (usually) local, in-person trader who has since fled south for the winter or from The Friendly Greek Bottle Shop, purveyors of bottles, CANs & draft beer here in LanCA[N]ster, PA.
From the bottle: "Our Autumn Seasonal beer is a traditional Maerzen style lager. We use eight types of imported German malts and four hop varieties to create this amber-colored fest beer."
It's Pop! the top time, kids! A moderately heavy-handed pour raised two-plus fingers of foamy, tawny head with decent retention. Color was Deep Amber/Light Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity. Nose was really malty-sweet, almost like syrup or brown bread before baking. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was not as sweet as the nose had led me to expect. Instead, it was more bready than sugary and I breathed a sigh of relief. I am not a sweet kind of fellow and such beers really put me off. That said, I was still not a huge fan of this one, either. I have had drier Maerzens/Oc/ktoberfest biers and this was sweeter than I really like. Finish was semi-sweet, malty, but offset (not quite balanced) by the hops.
★ 1,316 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
The furshlugginger Bottle Backlog MUST die in 2016! Such is the current battle cry of The CANQuest (tm) as I attempt to eradicate the backlog of bottles hanging around Chez Woody. This one either came from my (usually) local, in-person trader who has since fled south for the winter or from The Friendly Greek Bottle Shop, purveyors of bottles, CANs & draft beer here in LanCA[N]ster, PA.
From the bottle: "Our Autumn Seasonal beer is a traditional Maerzen style lager. We use eight types of imported German malts and four hop varieties to create this amber-colored fest beer."
It's Pop! the top time, kids! A moderately heavy-handed pour raised two-plus fingers of foamy, tawny head with decent retention. Color was Deep Amber/Light Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity. Nose was really malty-sweet, almost like syrup or brown bread before baking. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was not as sweet as the nose had led me to expect. Instead, it was more bready than sugary and I breathed a sigh of relief. I am not a sweet kind of fellow and such beers really put me off. That said, I was still not a huge fan of this one, either. I have had drier Maerzens/Oc/ktoberfest biers and this was sweeter than I really like. Finish was semi-sweet, malty, but offset (not quite balanced) by the hops.
★ 1,316 characters
3.62/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Hard pour reveals an amber coloured brew with a white bubbly head. The head quickly disappates to a lacing.
Smell: Malty, predominately biscuit and breads with some faints touches of fruit - mostly orange peels.
Taste: Very malt ridden, some nice floral hops in the background. Fruits run through the beer's base, orange and mango. Fruits are well restrained with a toasted biscuit ending.
Mouthfeel: Good sparge of carbonation gives way to a nice mellow smoothness.
Drinkability & Notes: I like this one, a good solid octoberfest and one that I could make a staple in these months. Very drinkable at only 5.4% and not overbearing in any catagory. Another good product from Dominion.
★ 710 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Hard pour reveals an amber coloured brew with a white bubbly head. The head quickly disappates to a lacing.
Smell: Malty, predominately biscuit and breads with some faints touches of fruit - mostly orange peels.
Taste: Very malt ridden, some nice floral hops in the background. Fruits run through the beer's base, orange and mango. Fruits are well restrained with a toasted biscuit ending.
Mouthfeel: Good sparge of carbonation gives way to a nice mellow smoothness.
Drinkability & Notes: I like this one, a good solid octoberfest and one that I could make a staple in these months. Very drinkable at only 5.4% and not overbearing in any catagory. Another good product from Dominion.
★ 710 characters
3.62/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from 12oz bottle brownish copper color, minimal head and lacing. Caramel and malt on the nose with a smooth malty taste, with some mild hop bitterness mostly on the finsh, decent carbonation. Slick mouthfeel. This is a good rendition of an Octoberfest style, better than I expected. Worth trying if you like a Marzen style brew.
★ 335 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from 12oz bottle brownish copper color, minimal head and lacing. Caramel and malt on the nose with a smooth malty taste, with some mild hop bitterness mostly on the finsh, decent carbonation. Slick mouthfeel. This is a good rendition of an Octoberfest style, better than I expected. Worth trying if you like a Marzen style brew.
★ 335 characters
3.64/5 rDev +2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Pale orange/mohagony with very little white head that dissipates quickly. An average looking O-fest.
Sweet candied malts with fruity undertones. Not sure I've ever smelled an O-fest like this one. Very sweet smelling.
Nice...and I like the approach to the style. It is however somewhat thin yet refreshing. Sweet fruits and malt yet the malt is very thin. No meat to this beer whatsoever. No hops either. But interesting to try.
★ 434 characters
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Pale orange/mohagony with very little white head that dissipates quickly. An average looking O-fest.
Sweet candied malts with fruity undertones. Not sure I've ever smelled an O-fest like this one. Very sweet smelling.
Nice...and I like the approach to the style. It is however somewhat thin yet refreshing. Sweet fruits and malt yet the malt is very thin. No meat to this beer whatsoever. No hops either. But interesting to try.
★ 434 characters
3.65/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Don't worry, timtim IS a rookie! No burnt anything in this one. Believe me, if you spent all your life shotgunning Dale's Pale Ale, Green Flash IPA, and 90 minute, then the first actual taste of malt just may blow you away as it did to poor old timtim. I've seen the guy in action, so take it from me. This beer is medium bodied, round and smooth with a lush malt character that yet somehow lacks depth or complexity. Here's a word to take the mystique out of Octoberfest beer: Amber Lager. Sam Adams regular Boston Lager shows more breadth and depth than your average Bavarian fest beer these days. Are you a D.C. metro area local? Than by all means buy a sixer of this stuff, and grill up some sausages already. That's what I did, and don't invite timtim over, because he will punch you.
★ 789 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Don't worry, timtim IS a rookie! No burnt anything in this one. Believe me, if you spent all your life shotgunning Dale's Pale Ale, Green Flash IPA, and 90 minute, then the first actual taste of malt just may blow you away as it did to poor old timtim. I've seen the guy in action, so take it from me. This beer is medium bodied, round and smooth with a lush malt character that yet somehow lacks depth or complexity. Here's a word to take the mystique out of Octoberfest beer: Amber Lager. Sam Adams regular Boston Lager shows more breadth and depth than your average Bavarian fest beer these days. Are you a D.C. metro area local? Than by all means buy a sixer of this stuff, and grill up some sausages already. That's what I did, and don't invite timtim over, because he will punch you.
★ 789 characters
3.65/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I had this on-tap here recently at a local restaurant.
Served in a pint glass.
A: Poured an orange color, with a slight chill haze, and minuscule white head.
S: I got some bread with some German malt poking through the dough. Also, the fresh filtered water kinda reminded me of a melted lollipop.
T: This was slightly sweet, but not too Americanized. Nice balance between the sweet and the German mothball.
M: Nice spritz on the carbonation front, but I honestly wish this had a touch more bitterness for added character.
O: Nothing groundbreaking here, but I must say: I chugged my pint rather quickly.
★ 609 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I had this on-tap here recently at a local restaurant.
Served in a pint glass.
A: Poured an orange color, with a slight chill haze, and minuscule white head.
S: I got some bread with some German malt poking through the dough. Also, the fresh filtered water kinda reminded me of a melted lollipop.
T: This was slightly sweet, but not too Americanized. Nice balance between the sweet and the German mothball.
M: Nice spritz on the carbonation front, but I honestly wish this had a touch more bitterness for added character.
O: Nothing groundbreaking here, but I must say: I chugged my pint rather quickly.
★ 609 characters
3.65/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance:
Pours copper in color with a minor off white head. There is no lacing and poor retention.
Smell:
Malts build the nose with scents of toffee and caramel. They aren't very strong but present none the less. There's a slightly funky lager yeast note as well but it's very minor.
Taste and Mouthfeel:
Drinks smooth and a little dry with minor bitterness in the finish. The major taste presiding is a toffee malt character. There's an aftertaste of japanese rice crackers but it isn't too bad.
Drinkability:
If I said it wasn't drinkable there would be throngs of angry Germans to disagree with me so lets just call it good, it goes down smooth enough.
Bottom Line:
It's not one of my favorite styles but it seemed true enough to itself to warrant a decent rating.
★ 787 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance:
Pours copper in color with a minor off white head. There is no lacing and poor retention.
Smell:
Malts build the nose with scents of toffee and caramel. They aren't very strong but present none the less. There's a slightly funky lager yeast note as well but it's very minor.
Taste and Mouthfeel:
Drinks smooth and a little dry with minor bitterness in the finish. The major taste presiding is a toffee malt character. There's an aftertaste of japanese rice crackers but it isn't too bad.
Drinkability:
If I said it wasn't drinkable there would be throngs of angry Germans to disagree with me so lets just call it good, it goes down smooth enough.
Bottom Line:
It's not one of my favorite styles but it seemed true enough to itself to warrant a decent rating.
★ 787 characters
3.65/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a pint glass. Reviewed alongside Flying Fish OktoberFish.
A: Slightly hazy amber with particles and three-finger, off-white, creamy head that lasted a few minutes or more. Okay lacing.
S: Malt. Bread. A bit grassy. Mild overall.
T: Light sweetness and subtle bitterness. Toasted and caramel malt. Grassy hops, but mild. Matches the nose.
M: Medium bodied with a sort of bite. Medium carbonation. Not bad.
O: Overall, this was pretty good. It's as shame the aroma and taste were a bit mild. I liked the Flying Fish better.
★ 538 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a pint glass. Reviewed alongside Flying Fish OktoberFish.
A: Slightly hazy amber with particles and three-finger, off-white, creamy head that lasted a few minutes or more. Okay lacing.
S: Malt. Bread. A bit grassy. Mild overall.
T: Light sweetness and subtle bitterness. Toasted and caramel malt. Grassy hops, but mild. Matches the nose.
M: Medium bodied with a sort of bite. Medium carbonation. Not bad.
O: Overall, this was pretty good. It's as shame the aroma and taste were a bit mild. I liked the Flying Fish better.
★ 538 characters
3.68/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a pint glass. Pours orange-red with little head. Smells of dark grain. Tastes of caramel, raisins, and a little bit of tartness. Beer is medium bodied and lightly carbonated. Overall, an above average beer.
★ 219 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a pint glass. Pours orange-red with little head. Smells of dark grain. Tastes of caramel, raisins, and a little bit of tartness. Beer is medium bodied and lightly carbonated. Overall, an above average beer.
★ 219 characters
Dominion Octoberfest! from Old Dominion Brewing Company
3.57
out of 5
based on 241 ratings.
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Honestly, I'm becoming a little marzened out. It's shameful, I know, because it's only October 3rd, but I've already saturated my palate with so many Octoberfest beers this season that I've simply begun to lose interest. Still, I have a few left in the fridge that need a proper write-up. So here goes....
This one pours a bright copper color with a thin, one-finger, slightly off-white head that dissipates quickly but does leave behind trace elements of a hazy lace. The nose is standard issue malty marzen scented. Nice, but nothing spectacular. I get some spices in the aroma as well, although everything is muted just enough to remain undiscernable. It tastes good, but again nothing extraordinary here. Malty and spicy, with some nutmeg and faint orange peel. This flavor is actually the highlight of the beer, which I suppose is a good thing. Mouthfeel is firm, but a tad watery at times.
On the whole the folks at Old Dominion have produced another fine craft brewed beer. It's not great, and there is nothing about this Octoberfest beer that would stand out in a crowd, but it's solid and holds its own. I'd put back a couple of these at the bar if it were on tap, but I won't likely run out next year looking to find it.
★ 1,233 characters