Oktoberfest
Highlands Hollow Brewhouse

pretty interesting beer, they had it written on the board as an altbier, which is not what oktoberfest usually is, and even more interesting is that they do it with fresh hops, not sure ive heard of all that together before, sounds confusing and confused, but its nice in the glass, a little rough and ready overall like a lot of the beers in here, old school, less refined, but i find it endearing, and this place is awesome, have a blast every time, love the food and service, and technical mastery on the beer side is not really missed too often. this has a little cloudiness to it, a nice deep rusty orange color, and a short patchy white head from the tap. the aroma and flavor are not really hoppy per se, and it doesnt really read as a fresh hop beer, there is some back end bitterness, but it appears they have kept the hop dosing pretty traditional and have not made an effort to turn this into a hop forward drink, its still appropriately malt driven for the style, nutty and toasty and a little bit caramelized but not too sweet either in nose or taste, some lager yeast is appreciable, some subtly european character there and in the grain, and as subtle as the hops are in this, they does make this unique, some late spice and bitterness with the sweetness of the grain is very pleasant, tastefully done, could frankly take a bit more of the fresh hops. a little fuller bodied with its lack of true tidiness, but i like it anyway. not sure if its really an altbier or a marzen or what, but it works, a lovely late fall drinker and excellent with their clams, which are the best in town.

Fresh hop version 2014. Don’t be put off by the mellow aroma, this beet kicks in with the taste, nice and malty. Hazy dark copper with small creamy head and full coating lacing. Lazy carbonation and light hoppy finish.