Oktoberfest
The Fort Collins Brewery

 

12 oz. Can

Pours a nice yellow color, nice carbonation, with a pretty nice small off-white head, which leaves some sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty. The taste is malty. Medium body, with a nice dry/bitter finish. Overall, a pretty tasty brew.

 

 

 

 

 

12 oz can at the Fall 2016 ASMF.
Clear copper colored body with a decent head that lacks retention. Caramel bread in the nose.
Hoppy aftertaste for style but flavor is mostly dominated by bready and caramel malts.
Smooth, rather full body.
Improved with warming.

 

Fort Collins has started canning all of their beer. I like the new designs.

Pours blonder than expected but forms a glowing plum flesh color, 90% opaque, mounding a 2 finger head that gradually recedes to a ring, leaving nice lace on the sides.

Aromas of plums, wet leaves, black grapes, and melon. Some roast malt and aqua as well.

Flavors of flaky bread crusts, pumpkin flesh, honeydew rind. Some roast malts and chemical follow. As it warms the malts and chemical come out more and the desirable flavors fall away.

Feel is very carbonated, slightly creamy, with a semi dry finish.

Overall, a yummy Oktoberfest if drank cold. Once it warms the flavors fade.

 

 

Poured into a dimpled mug.

Look: Light caramel colored body with a cream colored head that recedes to a bubbly film, then just a wisp. Little or no lacing.

Aroma: Sweet cereal grains, lightly toasted bread, subtle toffee.

Taste: Toasted bread, sweet malts, light caramel and toffee.

Mouthfeel: Watery, very thin.

Overall: Too sweet, too thin. Fairly disappointing.

Next up in my Oktoberfest tasting spree, a beer from a brewery that I haven't enjoyed much in the past. However this beer won a gold medal at the GABF last year so it seemed worth a try. Pours copper with a thin tan head that disappointingly fizzles out. The smell is a typical Oktoberfest with bread, toffee, and a hint of herbal hops. Toasted bread flavors dominate the taste along with caramel and toffee. A little sweetness but its well balanced by the hops. The malt flavors are nice and the hops add some pleasant spice. Besides the lack of retention which has been a common problem with FCB beers, the malts could be a hair stronger. But otherwise a quite good brew and one of the better offerings from FCB.

L: Clear orange copper gold color with a medium frothy white head that dissipates really quickly.

S: Sweet toffee and caramel. Bready toasted malt, though the caramel and toffee is quite a bit stronger than the others. I don't get much hop character.

T: Toffee and caramel, with Bready toasted malt. A slight hop balances it out. The taste is less sweet than the aroma would suggest.

F: Crisp and clean, medium body.

O: A nice Oktoberfest beer.

2015 gold medal winner for the style at GABF. I get a big, clean toffee flavor and sweetness, but this isn't a thicker American take on the style like Sam Adams. The aroma is doughy and earthy with a little grain husk and caramel — only knock is that overall it's too faint. The finish starts sweet but dries out and proves very drinkable. It might not be the best O-fest I've tried, but it is a worthy contender.

 

 

Enjoyed from the 12 oz bottle in a pint glass via a friend at work---Thanks Randy!
Pours a bright and clear light orange hue with a light head of white foam that settles to a thin ring and light wispy layer with good lacing. Nose of nice caramel malts, light bread, and subtle hops. Flavors exceed the nose with nice sweet caramel and sweet breaded malt notes on the front, followed by a light sweet grain and zesty hop note on the back with a rich almost peach like flavor. Nice medium spritzy carbonation is lively while finishing a light dry with an herbal hop note. Nice and highly quaffable.

Cheers