Dominion Octoberfest! | Old Dominion Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Old Dominion Brewing Company
Delaware, United States
olddominion.com
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
Ratings: 244 | Reviews: 132
3.25/5 rDev -9%
WaterCzar, Sep 14, 2013
3.3/5 rDev -7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Got this at my local Beef O'Brady's, they just wanted an Octoberfest beer for the season I think.
It came with almost no head, and looked almost flat. I saw them pour the beer and it didn't sit at all. An orange-amber color with no haze.
The nose detects almost nothing, maybe some grain.
The tongue catches some malt, slight bitterness and some grain. Very watery and flat feeling in the mouth.
I can drink these but it's about as good as a A&B Amber Bock, if it's fresh it's nice if not...
495 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Got this at my local Beef O'Brady's, they just wanted an Octoberfest beer for the season I think.
It came with almost no head, and looked almost flat. I saw them pour the beer and it didn't sit at all. An orange-amber color with no haze.
The nose detects almost nothing, maybe some grain.
The tongue catches some malt, slight bitterness and some grain. Very watery and flat feeling in the mouth.
I can drink these but it's about as good as a A&B Amber Bock, if it's fresh it's nice if not...
495 characters
3.3/5 rDev -7.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Pours a copper amber with a medium off white head. Aroma and taste has a sweet toasted barley malt character, grass and grains with some bitter notes on the end. Palate is medium body with good carbonation and crisp mouth feel. Gets slightly sweeter and flavorful as it warms up, needs a bit more malt. Overall a good drinking brew but could be better.
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look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Pours a copper amber with a medium off white head. Aroma and taste has a sweet toasted barley malt character, grass and grains with some bitter notes on the end. Palate is medium body with good carbonation and crisp mouth feel. Gets slightly sweeter and flavorful as it warms up, needs a bit more malt. Overall a good drinking brew but could be better.
352 characters
3.32/5 rDev -7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Maybe i just dont like the style...
Dark amber/brown with minimal head that dissipated quickly and no lacing. Smell is innocuous - toasty malts, caramel sweetness, and a hint of sourness. Body really killed this beer - effervescent to the point of stinging. Way too thin - no real substance.
I dont know - it's not bad, but i didnt really care for it.
357 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Maybe i just dont like the style...
Dark amber/brown with minimal head that dissipated quickly and no lacing. Smell is innocuous - toasty malts, caramel sweetness, and a hint of sourness. Body really killed this beer - effervescent to the point of stinging. Way too thin - no real substance.
I dont know - it's not bad, but i didnt really care for it.
357 characters
3.33/5 rDev -6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
beautiful red-orange color. clear, but head deminishes almost immediately. strong caramelly sweet malty aroma. maybe some fruit, but mostly just a sugary sweet smell. malty sweet flavor followed by a cooked vegetable overcast. very german noble hop character as well. drinks easy and has a nice medium mouthfeel with good carbonation. vegetable flavor hinders, though. not my style, as i've stated before, but i'm trying to get into the season! i love dominion, but it's just not happening for me.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
beautiful red-orange color. clear, but head deminishes almost immediately. strong caramelly sweet malty aroma. maybe some fruit, but mostly just a sugary sweet smell. malty sweet flavor followed by a cooked vegetable overcast. very german noble hop character as well. drinks easy and has a nice medium mouthfeel with good carbonation. vegetable flavor hinders, though. not my style, as i've stated before, but i'm trying to get into the season! i love dominion, but it's just not happening for me.
497 characters
3.33/5 rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Brought over for me by dkachur... thanks, Dan!
A: Clean, lighter gold... head is a little disappointing and doesn't last long, but the remains of it do leave some nice sticky lace on just over half the glass.
S + T: Bread 'n butter... some light caramel notes in both the aroma and on the palate (which also tastes like buttered bread!) but it's lacking a little outside of that. It still manages to be a decent beer, but something seems to be missing. It comes across to me more like a Vienna Lager than an Oktoberfest (but with a little bigger flavour profile, perhaps).
M + D: A bit of a sharp carbonated kick, sorta medium bodied, and a smooth finish. Drinking it is easy... might not be up to the flavour and aroma I've come to expect from the style, but it goes down really easily and would work just fine for a weekend of relaxing and putting a few back!
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Brought over for me by dkachur... thanks, Dan!
A: Clean, lighter gold... head is a little disappointing and doesn't last long, but the remains of it do leave some nice sticky lace on just over half the glass.
S + T: Bread 'n butter... some light caramel notes in both the aroma and on the palate (which also tastes like buttered bread!) but it's lacking a little outside of that. It still manages to be a decent beer, but something seems to be missing. It comes across to me more like a Vienna Lager than an Oktoberfest (but with a little bigger flavour profile, perhaps).
M + D: A bit of a sharp carbonated kick, sorta medium bodied, and a smooth finish. Drinking it is easy... might not be up to the flavour and aroma I've come to expect from the style, but it goes down really easily and would work just fine for a weekend of relaxing and putting a few back!
866 characters
3.35/5 rDev -6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a bright golden coppery color with a thin, fast fading off white head. Smell is of roasted malt with notes of bread dough and sweet fruits. Taste strongly of malts and caramel with a hint of spice. Finish is nutty with a very light hoppiness coming through. Medium body with good carbonation.
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look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a bright golden coppery color with a thin, fast fading off white head. Smell is of roasted malt with notes of bread dough and sweet fruits. Taste strongly of malts and caramel with a hint of spice. Finish is nutty with a very light hoppiness coming through. Medium body with good carbonation.
298 characters
3.35/5 rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
My wife brought me a couple of bottles of Dominion Octoberfest from a recent visit to the east coast. Poured in to a pint glass.
Appears a tarnished copper color and clear. A thin frothy off-white head builds and dissipates quickly.
Smell is faint, a sweet malted grain aroma, with a little floral peat fragrance.
Taste is a roasted sweet beat flavor, with a bit of a lager-ish acerbic character. Something of a biter smokey aftertaste.
Mouthfeel is fullbodied, but zesty. Well carbonated and clean.
As drinkable an O-fest as you could want to have. The lager style makes the taste a bit unusual.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
My wife brought me a couple of bottles of Dominion Octoberfest from a recent visit to the east coast. Poured in to a pint glass.
Appears a tarnished copper color and clear. A thin frothy off-white head builds and dissipates quickly.
Smell is faint, a sweet malted grain aroma, with a little floral peat fragrance.
Taste is a roasted sweet beat flavor, with a bit of a lager-ish acerbic character. Something of a biter smokey aftertaste.
Mouthfeel is fullbodied, but zesty. Well carbonated and clean.
As drinkable an O-fest as you could want to have. The lager style makes the taste a bit unusual.
601 characters
3.35/5 rDev -6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Copper pour with a white head, decent retention
Aroma is of malts...not much else going for it. Rather mild
Taste is malty with little else going on. It has a slightly hoppy finish, but not enough..the malts end up being the major part of the already mild flavor profile
Mouthfeel is medium with decent carbonation
Well its drinkable..its not the best marzen out there, but I could easily have another one. And really, it isn't all that bad. I've just had better.
467 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Copper pour with a white head, decent retention
Aroma is of malts...not much else going for it. Rather mild
Taste is malty with little else going on. It has a slightly hoppy finish, but not enough..the malts end up being the major part of the already mild flavor profile
Mouthfeel is medium with decent carbonation
Well its drinkable..its not the best marzen out there, but I could easily have another one. And really, it isn't all that bad. I've just had better.
467 characters
3.35/5 rDev -6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle into a pilsner - fridge - no bottling date - probably fall 2009
Appearance: Transparent, copper colored, with a fleeting off-white head. Plenty of rising bubbles and no lacing left behind.
Smell: Lager yeast, tutti frutti, melange of malts, and no hop aroma.
Taste: Sweet with sugar, cereal, cherry, strawberry and some lager yeast. A noble hop aftertaste balances the beer well.
Mouthfeel: Sweet, medium bodied, some alcohol and hops in the finish. A solid beer.
Drinkability: A little sweet for me, but it is great for a festbier of which can usually be quite mild. I will drink another!
609 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle into a pilsner - fridge - no bottling date - probably fall 2009
Appearance: Transparent, copper colored, with a fleeting off-white head. Plenty of rising bubbles and no lacing left behind.
Smell: Lager yeast, tutti frutti, melange of malts, and no hop aroma.
Taste: Sweet with sugar, cereal, cherry, strawberry and some lager yeast. A noble hop aftertaste balances the beer well.
Mouthfeel: Sweet, medium bodied, some alcohol and hops in the finish. A solid beer.
Drinkability: A little sweet for me, but it is great for a festbier of which can usually be quite mild. I will drink another!
609 characters
3.38/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
3.38/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Pours a copper color into my glass with a sustaining 2-fingers thick of head that is white to a light tan in color. Body is somewhat hazy as well.
Aroma reminds me a lot of butterscotch as well as a white grapes or maybe even slight apple aroma. IT actually reminds me a bit of cider.
Flavors of caramel along with a crisp earthy hops hit my palate. Some slight fruit also comes out of this one, but rather bland honestly.
Very crisp and carbonation tingles my tongue a lot up front. Slight oily finish though.
Overall drinkability would be higher if a little less sweet I think. I really like Dominion brews, but this one misses the mark a little in my opinion. It'd make a solid session brew for a crisp autumn night though.
730 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Pours a copper color into my glass with a sustaining 2-fingers thick of head that is white to a light tan in color. Body is somewhat hazy as well.
Aroma reminds me a lot of butterscotch as well as a white grapes or maybe even slight apple aroma. IT actually reminds me a bit of cider.
Flavors of caramel along with a crisp earthy hops hit my palate. Some slight fruit also comes out of this one, but rather bland honestly.
Very crisp and carbonation tingles my tongue a lot up front. Slight oily finish though.
Overall drinkability would be higher if a little less sweet I think. I really like Dominion brews, but this one misses the mark a little in my opinion. It'd make a solid session brew for a crisp autumn night though.
730 characters
3.38/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Sampled from a 12 oz bottle, poured into a pint glass at 45 degrees.
A - Poured a cloudy brown with orange highlights and a medium off-white head. Good carbonation and head retention.
S - Smells of spiced malt with hops lingering in the background...all scents are on the mild side.
T - Not as strong as I had hoped. Some fruity notes atop the caramel-malt, but not enough to make a strong presence. Finishes with citrus-hops.
M - Thin body with an aftertaste that starts mildly bitter, but ends a little sour.
D - Stands out, but not in a very positive way. I had picked up 6 different beers from the brewery, and this was the most disappointing...but I'd still suggest picking one up; if for no other reason, than to compare it to other Marzens.
763 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Sampled from a 12 oz bottle, poured into a pint glass at 45 degrees.
A - Poured a cloudy brown with orange highlights and a medium off-white head. Good carbonation and head retention.
S - Smells of spiced malt with hops lingering in the background...all scents are on the mild side.
T - Not as strong as I had hoped. Some fruity notes atop the caramel-malt, but not enough to make a strong presence. Finishes with citrus-hops.
M - Thin body with an aftertaste that starts mildly bitter, but ends a little sour.
D - Stands out, but not in a very positive way. I had picked up 6 different beers from the brewery, and this was the most disappointing...but I'd still suggest picking one up; if for no other reason, than to compare it to other Marzens.
763 characters
3.38/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Holy smokes! I just found a review I had e-mailed to myself waaay back in August 2009. Was the site down? Was I simply too pressed for time to properly enter it? Who can say!
12 ounce bottle from Total Wine & More in Atlanta, Georgia.
Appearance: Pours a near clear, darkened amber body with a half inch of off-white suds. A little lax in the lacing department.
Smell: Sweetish, malty nose with some bready aspects to it alongside some fruity estery and whiffs of mild, lightly spicy hops.
Taste: Light, bready German maltiness with a decidedly sugary sweetness to it. Some juicy berry-like fruitiness arrives early on. Light Noble hop character with a modest amount of steady spiciness to it and an overall mild bitterness. For me, the beer takes on an herbal, somewhat tea-like quality as it warms a tad. Finishes semi-dry and smooth.
Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium-light carbonation. Fairly soft mouthfeel.
Drinkability: It's fair. While not one of the more richer, more graceful examples of the style, it goes down fairly easily. I gotta give it that!
1,066 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Holy smokes! I just found a review I had e-mailed to myself waaay back in August 2009. Was the site down? Was I simply too pressed for time to properly enter it? Who can say!
12 ounce bottle from Total Wine & More in Atlanta, Georgia.
Appearance: Pours a near clear, darkened amber body with a half inch of off-white suds. A little lax in the lacing department.
Smell: Sweetish, malty nose with some bready aspects to it alongside some fruity estery and whiffs of mild, lightly spicy hops.
Taste: Light, bready German maltiness with a decidedly sugary sweetness to it. Some juicy berry-like fruitiness arrives early on. Light Noble hop character with a modest amount of steady spiciness to it and an overall mild bitterness. For me, the beer takes on an herbal, somewhat tea-like quality as it warms a tad. Finishes semi-dry and smooth.
Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium-light carbonation. Fairly soft mouthfeel.
Drinkability: It's fair. While not one of the more richer, more graceful examples of the style, it goes down fairly easily. I gotta give it that!
1,066 characters
3.4/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Dominion Octoberfest! from Old Dominion Brewing Company
3.57
out of 5
based on 244 ratings.