Festmeister
Hop Tree Brewing

Pours a medium copper color. Aroma is malty, brown sugar. Great flavor - lots of light brown sugar, fall spices: clove, cinnamon, allspice. Appropriate carbonation. Overall a very enjoyable Octoberfest, glad I bit a 4-pack at the brewery.

12/15/20
16 oz can
4.25 rating

Poured out of a 16 oz can into one of my steins, this beer pours a clear, deep amber color with a just slightly off-white head that's well over an inch thick when first poured that settles very quickly to a fairly thick ring surrounding the inside of the glass at the beer's surface and some some small spots of surface foam dotting the beer's surface here and there. Not much lacing here. Aromas of toasted, bready, caramel malt sweetness along with a bit of nuttiness that adds a bit more additional sweetness. Flavors of toasted, bready, buscuity, caramel malt sweetness along with a bit of that aforementioned nuttiness and a bit of toffee. Not much hop presence here, but a bit of earthy hops round out the flavor profile here. Has an overall crisp, smooth, light to medium bodied mouthfeel with light to moderate carbonation. Easy to drink in the way a good beer should be, with a clean finish and aftertaste. A good one here.

Eric

Canned on 7/30/29. 16oz can poured into a tulip. Pours a deep glowing amber with some clarity to it; small off-white head that fades leaving nice retention and sticky lacing. The aromas are malt forward. Lots of toast, crackers and fresh bread. Some grains. Hints of caramel and toffee. Some cherry coming through as it warms a bit. The flavors have lots of caramel going on. More hints of toffee in the mix. More toast and crackers. Some sticky characteristics, but it's still ultimately clean. Subtle sweetness along with a mild bitterness. Nice malt backbone. Subtle alcohol flavors in the finish, but in a good way. Mouthfeel is nice. It's medium-bodied with active carbonation. It's sharp, fluffy, smooth and easy to drink.

This is a pretty nice Oktoberfest. It's bold, enjoyable and fun to drink. The craftsmanship is on point. I haven't even heard of Hop Tree before now despite them being local, but this was definitely a nice first impression.

Light shimmering acorn golden-brown with a soft white blanket settling to a thin ring.

This has an unexpected cherry ester which is more present than the Oktoberfest-style malt flavor I am looking for. It's semi-sweet with a smooth medium body and a light creamy carbonation that ends semi-dry, with a little wheat bread shyly coming out on the exhale.