Hoptoberfest
Walking Man Brewing Co.

Not sure when I had this, but I thought it was last Fall when we went there. Maybe they brought it back. I remember this being a really good beer for the style.

Had this on tap at Brouwers Cafe. Small creamy, off-white head that coats the sides of the glass. Dark brown color. A more spicy aroma than one would expect from a typical marzen, but this is Walking Man and we are in the NW. Hint of hoppiness in the taste, but mostly malt, allspice, cloves. Not much carbonation.

Appearance – This one poured a light, glowing orangish-brown in color with a moderate but very retentive head.

Smell – The big, classic, dry malts came out nicely at the nose. The anticipatory gigantic PacNW sledgehammer was thankfully nowhere to be found. The hops were barely there and mostly just added some light fun spicing to this Oktoberfest Bier.

Taste – The big malts from the nose came out nicely at the taste. The hops picked things up just a tad but mostly this was a nice collection of various malt flavors. They were rich and smooth in the mouth.

Mouthfeel – This one was in between light and medium-bodied with a rich, creamy mouthfeel and a good amount of bitterness, especially at the finish.

Drinkability – This was a good drinker. I was very wary of a hoppy rendition of this classic German malty bier, but Walking Man did it with subtlety and class.

Comments – This was one of the highlights of my visit to the 2005 Fremont Oktoberfest.