Oktoberfest
Commonwealth Brewing Company

Had to try out the new CommonWealth spot in Fairfax. Had a pint in a Pilsner glass.
L - Pours a medium amber color with a slight white head.
S - Smells sweet and malty.
T - Tastes sweet, bready and malty.
F - Medium body and carbonation.
O - Very tasty marzen, I enjoyed it a lot.

A: Pours a clear golden amber in color with slightly heavier than moderate amounts of active visible carbonation rising quickly from the bottom of the glass and moderate pale golden yellow + bright yellow + pale orange colored highlights. The beer has a two finger tall sudsy foamy light beige head that reduces to a large patch of very slightly mottled thin film covering the entire surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Slightly stronger than moderate aromas of toasted + caramel + bready + spicy rye malts with a light amount of caramel sweetness. Light to moderate aromas of herbal + earthy + grassy hops. Light aromas of lager yeast.

T: Upfront there are slightly stronger than moderate flavors of toasted + bready + caramel + spicy rye malts with a light amount of caramel sweetness. That is followed by light flavors of lager yeast. Finally there are light to moderate flavors of herbal + earthy + grassy hops which impart a light amount of bitterness which fades away fairly quickly leaving a clean finish.

M: Slightly heavier than light bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly crisp upfront with a hint of dryness and a relatively clean finish.

O: Easy to drink with well hidden alcohol and a pleasantly crisp + clean mouthfeel without the excessive sweetness often found in American Oktoberfest beers. Enjoyable with the spicy rye malts and earthy + grassy + herbal hops.

 

 

Solid Oktoberfest. Biscuit malt flavor. Slightly sweet. Strong carbonation with a foamy head. Finish is slightly bitter.

 

On tap:
A lighter fest bier, it’s basically golden, maybe dipping a toe into amber. White head is decent up front and keeps replenishing to a certain degree. Early lacing fades fairly quickly, but each glass tip brings a froth to the opposite side of the glass.

Nose has a decent spice aspect to the malt base. Moderate caramel sweetness with a rye/coriander type spice note.

Taste follows to a degree but has a more light Vienna lager aspect to it. There’s a hint of acid mid taste, fleeting, and the finish is more like I’m expecting with a drier, earthier lean (relative to the beer’s opening).

Feel is a bit light, but but a little more distracting is the carbonation seems a bit high. It doesn’t have the typical American sweetness, but lacks a certain robustness of flavor I’ve enjoyed from the German imports. It took a little warmth to appreciate, and I’m still on the fence.

 

 

Poured a clean orange body with an aroma that is grainy and bitter w/ a dry hoppiness. Light bodied and clean, the beer is easy to drink but unfortunately doesn't have much going on and ends finishing a tad bitter and dry as no sweetness to speak of.