Fresh-Hopped Oktöberfest
Level Beer - 1 Brewery & Beer Garden
- From:
- Level Beer - 1 Brewery & Beer Garden
- Oregon, United States
- Style:
- Märzen
Ranked #291 - ABV:
- 5.9%
- Score:
- 86
Ranked #27,517 - Avg:
- 3.72 | pDev: 5.91%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 8
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Dec 11, 2021
- Added:
- Sep 04, 2019
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
86
Very Good
86
Very Good
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by TheBricenator from Oregon
3.94/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.94/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
*2021 version using Willamette hops
Look: Nearly clear rich orange/light amber with a frothy head that holds as a pillow, slowly receding and leaving a ring of film behind
Aroma: Freshly cut grass, fresh vegetal notes, bread dough, herbal and floral notes, some toffee and melanoidin
Taste: Floral hops – magnolia, Oregon grape, and jasmine, grass, and vegetal/herbal hop notes erupt onto the palate and quickly deepen and develop in flavor as toffee and bready malt start to trickle in. Standard Oktoberfest feel in the middle but the hops keep peeking in and closes with bread and more floral hop notes
Mouthfeel: Full but light feeling, very clean throughout, medium-high carbonation, and a clean and soft but crisp finish
Overall: I’m really digging this one. I’m a sucker for and always have been for fresh hop beers that aren’t the typical pale ale or India pale ale style and love how they impact those more unique styles. Plus, I’ve never in the three plus years these folks have made this, had a chance to try it. Tons of floral/herbal/vegetal notes that just scream wet hops and all incorporated into a nice Festbier base that comes together quite nicely. Stoked that I have three more – tasty and recommended
Dec 11, 2021Look: Nearly clear rich orange/light amber with a frothy head that holds as a pillow, slowly receding and leaving a ring of film behind
Aroma: Freshly cut grass, fresh vegetal notes, bread dough, herbal and floral notes, some toffee and melanoidin
Taste: Floral hops – magnolia, Oregon grape, and jasmine, grass, and vegetal/herbal hop notes erupt onto the palate and quickly deepen and develop in flavor as toffee and bready malt start to trickle in. Standard Oktoberfest feel in the middle but the hops keep peeking in and closes with bread and more floral hop notes
Mouthfeel: Full but light feeling, very clean throughout, medium-high carbonation, and a clean and soft but crisp finish
Overall: I’m really digging this one. I’m a sucker for and always have been for fresh hop beers that aren’t the typical pale ale or India pale ale style and love how they impact those more unique styles. Plus, I’ve never in the three plus years these folks have made this, had a chance to try it. Tons of floral/herbal/vegetal notes that just scream wet hops and all incorporated into a nice Festbier base that comes together quite nicely. Stoked that I have three more – tasty and recommended
Reviewed by jonphisher from New Jersey
3.79/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.79/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Clear slightly cloudy darker shade of pale or lighter shade of amber, a tweener. Really nice white head, recedes to big bubbled uneven craggy looking terrain.
The smells is earth, grainy, toasted bread, and something sweet. There is a nice hop note that is present as well, subtle cannabis like to me.
The flavors are nicely melded on this beer. It reminds me almost of a spiced bread and crust at first . Slowly gives way to waves earthy and spicy hops. The two flavors really give each other a chance to shine without colliding, very nice!
The body is medium and it has a soft carbonation. The flavors coat the tongue and leave a pleasant after taste. It is nice and full without being rich or syrupy, finishes with minor bitterness.
Sep 25, 2021The smells is earth, grainy, toasted bread, and something sweet. There is a nice hop note that is present as well, subtle cannabis like to me.
The flavors are nicely melded on this beer. It reminds me almost of a spiced bread and crust at first . Slowly gives way to waves earthy and spicy hops. The two flavors really give each other a chance to shine without colliding, very nice!
The body is medium and it has a soft carbonation. The flavors coat the tongue and leave a pleasant after taste. It is nice and full without being rich or syrupy, finishes with minor bitterness.
Reviewed by DefenCorps from Oregon
3.54/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.54/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Can from Market of Choice.
A clear amber with a dense white head with good retention and lacing this looks solid. The nose is decent. Earthy, woodsy hops, minimal fresh hop character, caramel, toffee. The palate opens mildly sweet with bread and dough, there's some hop character, earthy, bitter and leafy. Medium-light in body softly carbonated, creamy, bitter finish. Decent, though not a whole lot of fresh hop character.
Sep 11, 2021A clear amber with a dense white head with good retention and lacing this looks solid. The nose is decent. Earthy, woodsy hops, minimal fresh hop character, caramel, toffee. The palate opens mildly sweet with bread and dough, there's some hop character, earthy, bitter and leafy. Medium-light in body softly carbonated, creamy, bitter finish. Decent, though not a whole lot of fresh hop character.
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington
3.94/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.94/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2021-09-04
16oz can dated 08/30/21. Bought it at Pint Defiance yesterday.
Pours a clear light amber color with a couple fingers of head that dissipates into a fairly uniform curtain with ragged edges and thin skin with a couple mountains. Smell is a little grain and a little grass (fairly muted overall). There might be a hint of honey and flowers.
Taste is much more interesting. Grain comes across very clearly, grain tea and grain husk both, a grassy bitterness, and more than a hint of honey and hop resin (but not enough to overpower).
Mouthfeel is medium, smooth, clean. Overall, this seems like an interesting choice, using fresh hops in a beer style not "hop forward." I think it's successful in a sense -- it tastes like an oktoberfest with a bit of fresh hop notes in the background and it's very tasty -- but not the knockout punch of hop flavor and aroma that I'm looking for in beers that say "fresh hop" on the label.
Sep 04, 202116oz can dated 08/30/21. Bought it at Pint Defiance yesterday.
Pours a clear light amber color with a couple fingers of head that dissipates into a fairly uniform curtain with ragged edges and thin skin with a couple mountains. Smell is a little grain and a little grass (fairly muted overall). There might be a hint of honey and flowers.
Taste is much more interesting. Grain comes across very clearly, grain tea and grain husk both, a grassy bitterness, and more than a hint of honey and hop resin (but not enough to overpower).
Mouthfeel is medium, smooth, clean. Overall, this seems like an interesting choice, using fresh hops in a beer style not "hop forward." I think it's successful in a sense -- it tastes like an oktoberfest with a bit of fresh hop notes in the background and it's very tasty -- but not the knockout punch of hop flavor and aroma that I'm looking for in beers that say "fresh hop" on the label.
Reviewed by vurt from Oregon
3.29/5 rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.29/5 rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
16-ounce can purchased at Whole Foods Tanasbourne. Date stamp on the bottom of the can reads "PAC'D ON 08182020". Poured into a half-pint tumbler.
Look:
Bright orange-amber, slightly hazy. Capped by a long-lasting head of eggshell white foam that leaves nice sticky lacing.
Smell:
Lightly sweet and nicely toasty, featuring plenty of malt and some caramel. Also includes subtle scents of flowers and some dried grass.
Taste:
Malty sweetness is persistent from start to finish. It starts off with sweet, bready malt that reminds me of biscuits with honey butter. The flavor goes floral and drier through the middle with a sweetened black tea character. The beer finishes with that persistent sweetness offset by nutty malt and low-key herbal bitterness with a zesty note of fennel seeds.
Feel:
Medium light-bodied. Moderate carbonation.
Overall:
Conceptually, this is a tough one for me. I want an Oktoberfest beer to be malty. But in a fresh hop beer, I want the malt to get out of the way and let those tasty green hops shine. This beer is definitely worth trying, but the fresh hops don't make it a better Oktoberfest beer, and the maltiness doesn't make it a better fresh hop beer.
Aug 31, 2020Look:
Bright orange-amber, slightly hazy. Capped by a long-lasting head of eggshell white foam that leaves nice sticky lacing.
Smell:
Lightly sweet and nicely toasty, featuring plenty of malt and some caramel. Also includes subtle scents of flowers and some dried grass.
Taste:
Malty sweetness is persistent from start to finish. It starts off with sweet, bready malt that reminds me of biscuits with honey butter. The flavor goes floral and drier through the middle with a sweetened black tea character. The beer finishes with that persistent sweetness offset by nutty malt and low-key herbal bitterness with a zesty note of fennel seeds.
Feel:
Medium light-bodied. Moderate carbonation.
Overall:
Conceptually, this is a tough one for me. I want an Oktoberfest beer to be malty. But in a fresh hop beer, I want the malt to get out of the way and let those tasty green hops shine. This beer is definitely worth trying, but the fresh hops don't make it a better Oktoberfest beer, and the maltiness doesn't make it a better fresh hop beer.
Reviewed by BBThunderbolt from Kiribati
3.43/5 rDev -7.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.43/5 rDev -7.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
2020 version. Thanks to John_M for this one. 16oz can (Dated 8/18/20) poured into 14oz teku. poured a clean, lightly hazy burnt orange color with 1-1/2 inch of just off-white head that had very good retention and lacing.
The aroma was malt-forward, as expected, but the fresh hops were more subdued than I expected. The hops were the usual grassy/floral associated with the noble hops.
Pretty similar on the tongue, with the hops having a more prominent profile, with a slight bitterness on the finish.
The body was smooth, even, and had a light-medium finish.
Drinkability was very good, I could knock back a few cans of this.
Overall, a very nice first Fresh Hop brew of the year. Certainly worth a shot if you see it.
Aug 29, 2020The aroma was malt-forward, as expected, but the fresh hops were more subdued than I expected. The hops were the usual grassy/floral associated with the noble hops.
Pretty similar on the tongue, with the hops having a more prominent profile, with a slight bitterness on the finish.
The body was smooth, even, and had a light-medium finish.
Drinkability was very good, I could knock back a few cans of this.
Overall, a very nice first Fresh Hop brew of the year. Certainly worth a shot if you see it.
Reviewed by PatrickCT from Connecticut
3.83/5 rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.83/5 rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Thanks Phil!
Big hops in the aroma here. Very floral.
Bready malts are there, with some sweetness. However, as these guys are fond of dry hopping, hops run the show.
This is an interesting take on a marzen. Fresher hopped, yet balanced and delicate.
Oct 16, 2019Big hops in the aroma here. Very floral.
Bready malts are there, with some sweetness. However, as these guys are fond of dry hopping, hops run the show.
This is an interesting take on a marzen. Fresher hopped, yet balanced and delicate.
Reviewed by Lingenbrau from Oregon
3.74/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.74/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
The down and dirty, this beer needs to warm up a bit. The subtle aromas and flavors pop as it does, leaving light grassy and even lighter bready, toasty, and caramelly notes. It's an easy drinking Oktoberfest bier, that has an appropriate"freshness" to it. Light in body, slightly crisp, and very well balanced. This here is like an all day drinker to last throughout your fest. In that sense, it's absolutely wonderful. But it won't win any awards for being a sensory slayer.
Prost!
Sep 04, 2019Prost!
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!