Oktoberfest
Glenbrook Brewery

DATE: September 26, 2025... OCCASION: taking in a relaxing Friday night with a fest I picked up last week from a brewery I've yet to enjoy... GLASSWARE: Otto's mug... pours a Schwarzbier-toned opaqueness with a foamy, craggy two inches of beige head... surprisingly dark for the style.... toasted oats, toffee, cocoa, and light vanilla blends with floral hops and rich peat to create a strong, decidedly porterish in aroma... this drinks with a mellow carbonation, textured like a brown ale with a soft texture that makes this an easy sip and a thin, swift finish... again, not the usual vibe for a fest, but its medium-bodied strength makes it both drinkable and enjoyable... toasted malts, sweet oats, and chocolate hits mesh with peat and vanilla to offer a strong, earthy flavor that doesn't resemble a fest but fits the fall milieu well enough... again, it evokes a schwarzbier more than a marzen...

A: Pours a dark brown body with a tan head with decent retention and lacing. Some red hues, but very dark brown.
S: yeast ya nd bready with hints of burnt toffee; hints of vanilla.
T: burnt toffee, roasted notes with hints of vanilla - very subtle; roasted malt aftertaste.
M: full bodied and pretty smooth. Slightly thin.
O: great feel and taste combo; decent overall.

From a 5 ounce sampling glass at Glenbrook Brewery in Morristown, NJ
Look: Dark brown, clear with a thin white head with great retention.
Smell: Carmel, sugary, chocolate
Taste: Follows the nose. Sweet and smooth array of roasted malts, caramel, and chocolate. No bitter aftertaste. This is by far the most complex tasting marzen that I have ever tried.
Feel: Full bodied with very good carbonation
Overall: The best marzen style beer that I have ever tried.

Pint on draught at the brewery. It was served in a pint glass. It's unusually dark for a Märzen - a deep mahogany with some dark cola hues, with a frothy, light khaki-colored head and very thick lacing. It looks more like a Porter. The smell offers chocolate, caramel, nuts, and just a whiff of tobacco smoke. Surprisingly, the taste leads with dark chocolate, along with roasted malt, caramel, and charred, earthy nuts. It's neither overly sweet nor very bitter. As it warms in the glass, there are increasing notes of tobacco and spice. While the taste profile is a bit unusual, it's tasty. I like the mouth feel; it's nicely thick and creamy with pleasant carbonation, and the 5.7% ABV is appropriate for the style. Overall, Glenbrook's Octoberfest is a quirky Märzen but I like it. Considering that Glenbrook only opened this Spring and this is the first Märzen it's brewed, they're off to a great start. I'll drink it over the next few weeks to see how it evolves.