Heileman's Old Style Oktoberfest
Pabst Brewing Company

 

Most excellent beer, had the beer in la Crosse wi on tap and in cans while at Oktoberfest

 

Poured from a 16 ounce can into a Weizen glass.

Look - A nice crisp clear amber with a tall creamy pillowy white head. A little paler and less lively looking than other Märzen examples I've seen.

Smell - Caramel malts with the slightest hint of roast. Vague grassy tones that make me think Saaz hops, but I'm not too sure on that. The smell makes me excited to get drinking this beer.

Taste - Very, very sweet malt forward (almost like drinking caramel syrup), a faint soapy transition, and finishes with a tiny bit of roasty earthy bitterness.

Feel - Medium-thin body with a smooth creamy carbonation. A very easy drinker.

Overall - Paid for a cheap Märzen, and that's exactly what I got. There's no way I could have passed up on a 4-pack for $3, but in the end, it wasn't really worth it. Far too sweet, sickeningly so. Ended up drinking two, giving away one, and drain pouring the last one.

 

 

Simply put, this in no way resembles an Oktoberfest. It isn't all that different from regular old style, which is a lightly hopped adjunct lager. It was on clearance, so I decided to give it a try. Now I need to give away the other 3 cans.

 

Got in a trade with The-Adjunct-Hippie. 16 ounce can into dimpled mug, canned on 7/12/2017. Pours slightly hazy deep orange/copper color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy cream colored head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, light nuttiness, and herbal/grassy earthiness. A bit fruity/yeasty, but not overwhelming. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of dark/bready malt and light earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of big caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, light nuttiness/pepper, and herbal/grassy earthiness. Mild herbal, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, light nuttiness/pepper, and herbal/grassy earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt and light earthy hop flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance, and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Fairly clean on lager flavors; a tad fruity/yeasty. Slightly increasing dryness from bitterness. Medium-plus carbonation and body; with a very smooth, creamy/bready/grainy, and slightly slick/sticky mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 6.3%. Overall this is a very nice Oktoberfest. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mildly bitter finish. This is a nice take on the style, though a tad too caramelized. Very rich and complex Munich/Vienna flavors; with just enough hops to balance the sweetness. A very enjoyable offering.

9/30/17 (Chicago): 16 oz can poured into standard pint glass. Copper pour, medium puffy white head. Sweet malty aroma. Sweet malty taste, smooth drinking, minimal carbonation. OK offering.

Rusty orange color with a popcorn colored head of 1 finger. Leaves lacing as it recedes.

Aroma is slightly musty, some cara malt, slightly grassy, and sugar.

Flavor starts off with a promising Munich vibe, with german pilsner and munich malts coming full force. The malt then gives way to a leafy hop flavor, and then an odd cinnamon-sugar thing. A slightly bready finish. I'm not sure if they were going for like a spiced winter cookie thing or not, but it doesn't fit.

Feel is very carbonated, but an overly starchy feel lends a poor impression overall.

Overall, this beer could use some tweaks to be taken seriously.

16 oz can poured into an imperial pint glass. The beer is bronze with a chill haze and a thick beige head.

It has a nice nose of malts and something sweet almost like honey. There is a whiff or two of spice from the hops.

The taste is semi-sweet with caramel malts, red apple and some spice from the hops. Are these Hallertau (SP) hops? This is nicely integrated beer that avoids the overly sweet notes that some American O-Fests have. It is 6.8% which is high for the style but there is no evidence of heat.

The mouth is medium thickness with a touch of slickness.

I was glad I was able to buy a four pack (on sale ($5.49) and will be on the lookout for more.

Not that it impacts how the beer is rated, but I love how the retro can is decorated!

I'm pretty impressed with how much I dislike this. Darker than most with brown abundant in a very clear liquid and a decent white top. In both the aroma and taste there is a lot of sweetness. If you like a sweet and caramel marzen this is the one for you. I don't...at all. Esp. with a 16oz pour it's hard to finish the glass. Richness with sweetness can be too much. There is a lager feel but comes across a little too heavy and not enough dryness.
Can't recommend this, although I appreciate the attempt.
Stick to the regular Old Style - which is really not too bad.

 

Dark amber orange tone, bright clarity with rapid rising carbonation, one finger of foam. Minor lacing.

Aroma is sweet bready caramel malt, not very nuanced or toasty.

Taste is overly sweet with a floral hop note in the middle, vague orange. Sweet bready caramel malt dominates. Really odd aftertaste, coarse grainy feel and a bit astringent. Medium bodied and cloyingly sticky sweet, slick on the palate. It's pretty rough, more of a bland american amber ale than an oktoberfest. Not traditional at all or even a halfway decent example. The can is cool though, i'll be keeping a couple of those.

Not a bad beer for this venerable label in the popular price segment....greetings from La Crosse, WI! Nice copper color with a proud head that sticks around for a while. Has a malty sweet taste with a slightly bitter finish...packs a punch at 6.3% alc. and the 16 oz. cans leaves you with a pleasantly mild buzz as you finish...Not a bad way to celebrate Friday afternoon...

la crosse in a can. nothing to be proud of, but you could totally do worse.

copper colored with a pillowy head that sticks. looks pretty good.

i get the honey sweetness here. and the malt sweetness. kind of really sweet. there's a hint of bitter at the very end.

mouth is full. kind of rich.

it's really not bad, but i married a girl from la crosse so i might have a soft spot for things from there.

 

This is meant as a compliment - this is the "best worst beer" ever. I am a long time Old Style drinker from the 1970s and rarely buy it. However, in the realm of backhanded compliments, everyone I ask who has tried it says "this is so much better than I expected!" I first tried this last year and I buy it as often as I can in 16 oz cans.

Sometimes you get a chance to find a diamond in the rough - Rhinelander Bock is one I always thought was vastly underrated - I think if you try this it will bring a smile to your face. It will never replace the classic Munich beers, but it is great for the price.

Pours a clear orange amber with a thick white head that settles to a thin cap that leaves a modest amount of lacing. The aroma is a nice caramel base, and when tasting it has a touch of honey and a bit of hop bitterness to balance it out. Needs a touch more carbonation, but overall a pleasant economic beer.