Scratch Beer 13 - 2008 (Oktoberfest)
Tröegs Brewing Company

 

 

First and foremost, this rating is based on how this one is drinking right now, not in the past.

Yet again, big thanks to Deuane for giving me one of these to try.

A - Pours slightly hazy amber orange with a small film of white head, dissipating down to nothing at all, leaving little to no lace down the glass.

S - Smells of mildly toasted grain, cereal, caramel, toffee, light fruitiness and mild oxidation. Definitely long gone but not too bad honestly.

T - Starts off with plenty of grainy malt, cereal and some light fruitiness quickly giving way to caramel and toffee sweetness. Finish is a little watery with some light sweetness and a mild oxidation twang, not lingering for very long.

M - Medium body with very little carbonation. Sweet, smooth feel with a small oxidation twang at the end of each sip.

O - While this one is definitely past its prime but it isn't too bad actually. I would have loved to have tried this one when it came out. I have always heard great things.

Knocking off some old Scratch Beers/cleaning out Deuane's basement.

A - Poured a murky orange body that had some suspended sediment...two fingers of white head formed but it was gone quickly...just a thin spot in the middle was left...no lacing

S - Cereal, grain, fresh baked bread...those were the leading forces...subtle fruitiness lingering

T - There was a huge grain bill to this beer...I'm sure when it was fresh it wasn't much different...cereal and grain notes linger throughout...a touch of sweet caramel brightens things up...the subtle fruitiness from the nose is lingering on the palate again...the finish is all grain with traces of caramel dipped bread

M - Medium bodied...feels thick, but it's also watered down

O - A three year old Oktoberfest? Sure...lots of grainy flavors still alive in this one...I'm sure other flavors were present when this one was fresh, but it held up decently

 

 

 

BEER REVIEWED TWO YEARS AFTER BOTTLING.
Thanks to Mikereaser for sending this one to me. Cheers Mike!
I had no intention of reviewing this beer when I opened it, considering it is an Oktoberfest that is 2 years old. After drinking it, however, I decided to write something up, because first, it isn't half bad, and second considering the low price for an entire case of Scratch beer, I'm guessing a few of these are still hanging around in people's cellars.

Scratch 13 is a very dark, cloudy orange color. At its core it is actually fairly red, and it is filled with loads of fast-moving carbonation bubbles. The head is off-white and only about one finger tall, but it is fairly solid looking and does leave behind some nice lacing.

Not a whole lot going on in the aroma, dry malts and perhaps a hint of cardboard-like oxidation.

The flavor is a ghost of an Oktoberfest fest, I keep thinking I catch a hint of a hop, but I'm pretty sure that I'm wrong. What remains is a fairly clean malt base (although it does have a good bit of caramel to it), some oxidated cardboard flavors, and hints of sherry.

Good body, moderate for the style. It still maintains a lively carbonation.

This beer is past its prime, there is no arguing about that; normally I wouldn't review a beer in this condition, but for the reasons mentioned above I went for it this time. Scratch 13 is still drinkable, and it seems that it would have been pretty solid fresh.

Massive Mega Scratch Beer Tasting @ the Meat Meet, 8.21.2010. Thanks Unclejedi!

Scores reflect how the beer is drinking NOW, and not when released.

An O-Fest from O-8! Looks good (not totally clear low orange), smells good, (sweet clean Old World malt), with good carbonation and it goes down easy. Age hasn't helped this, surely, but it doesn't seem to have taken much away either. Troegs makes a good Ofest -- why isn't this a regular brew?

12oz bottle via trade thanks to dashirey.

Pours a hazy medium amber color with a fading one-finger off-white head.

Aroma is sweet malt, bread, apple, and sherry oxidation.

Flavor is old and oxidized with sherry, but still nice. Munich malt and honey sweetness with sherry, spice, and earth.

Medium-bodied with average carbonation.

Not bad for a two year old Oktoberfest. Not bad at all.

12oz got this as a freaking bunch of incredibly cool beers from from mymrnngjckt... I won Kevin's "Guess My Favorite Rock Band" LIF.... Thanks dude.

Poured into my shaped SA glass... 1" head atop a crystal clear lite amber brew... left a bit of yeast in the bottle.

Nose is toasty malts.. pretty standard.. not alot going on.. but there isn't supposed to be.

Flavor has more of a rounded bready maltiness with some toasted crusts.. a little biscuity as it warms.

The body is about perfect.. the carbonation is a touch high... still pretty drinkable after all this time..

Thanks again Kevin.

This is Troegs lucky number 13 of their Scratch series. Like every other Scratch label, it's just a plain white label with the Scratch number and the bottled year at the top, a big gray "S" with a big bold "Scratch beer" over it in the middle, mandatory info along the sides, and an explanation on what the Scratch series is on the right side. Scratch 13 was bottled sometime in late 2008. Served in a standard Bell's pint glass.

Lucky number 13 poured a very hazy tangerine orange with a speck of amber blended into it. if you hold the beer into the light, you'll see lemon colored highlights along the sides. The initial head of foam was about 1/2 an inch in height as white a pure snow. It had a good size, but the retention was too fast. That and it only left behind a faint string of strings and if you're lucky, one single spot of lace. There wasn't much of an aroma coming off this Troegs beer. From what my nose received, I noticed that it started off with some lightly toasted malts and then it directly went into some fruits. I couldn't find many fruits in here. All I found was some peaches, lemons, and a gentle touch of orange peel. The aroma lead the way to the taste which was pretty much the same, except that the taste was all about the toasted malts. The taste started off with toasted malts and then the carbonation level went higher and higher. When the carbonation reached its peaked, in rolls a touch of peppery hops and a faint taste of fruits. The taste of fruits was so small that I wasn't able to pick out what kind of fruits they were. This was a light bodied with loads of carbonation and a light aftertaste of toasted malts. IMO, it's pretty much just a standard German style of beer. It's a good beer, but nothing to exciting. Scratch lucky number 13!

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Thanks, mikereaser!

Pours a hazy dark orange with a small white head. Not much head retention, and not much lacing, either.

Earthy, toasty, malty, grainy aroma. Some slight caramel sweetness with a bit of spice. Light hop scent.

Flavors pretty much follow the aroma. Bready, toasty malts and caramel. Seems a little thin, and the flavor doesn't really last.

Body is on the lighter side of medium. Appropriate level of carbonation makes for a pretty smooth drinker. That said, it still seems a little thin/watery.

Very easy to drink. Not a bad beer at all.

My last bottle of Scratch 13. Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into my shaker glass. Appears a slightly hazed copper color with about a finger of off white foam. Smells of bready yeast and caramel malt, and spicy grassy hops. Taste pretty much mimics the nose. Caramel and toasted malts, biscuits, grassy hops. Medium in both body and carbonation, this beer is very enjoyable on a chilly evening.

Last of the Scratch series beers leftmindedrighty sent me... looking forward to this one!

Pours a hazy pale copper with a finger and a half of creamy head which dissipates rather quickly with reasonable retention.

Aroma is a bit muted, hints of caramel and toasted malt with a bit of hop spiciness around the edges.

A bunch more going on on the palate... well rounded malt sweetness with lightly toasted bread notes and a moderate caramel sweetness finishing with a nice, dry, well balanced finish.

Medium bodied that feels substantial but finishes clean with dead on carbonation.

Nothing that blows you out of the water, but eminently drinkable. Really enjoying this.

got this one from DrJay as part of the EDM BIF. thanks jay!

12oz bottle. sampled jan 30/09.

pours deep orange with a bit of haze. a small dense white head forms, dropping fairly fast and leaving spotty lace.

aroma is nice. light caramel. bit of toffee. white bread and cracker. bit of toasty character. light alcohol. touch of cocoa and fruit.

taste is nice. touch of caramel. lightly toasted whole wheat bead. biscuit. bit of cracker. hint of alcohol. touch of fruit, but without imparting any appreciable sweetness.

mouthfeel is good. just under medium carbonation level. medium-light body with a fairly light finish.

drinkability is good. nice balance. fairly mellow. good stuff.

12 oz bottle, big thanks to grub for sharing.

Pours a lightly hazed golden orange/amber, thin off white head forms, drops down to a thin ring around the glass, some big bubbles, no real lacing, but decent retention, certainly looks like a marzen. Smell is nice, sweet and malty, some caramel, toast, really biscuity malt, orange, light bit of sour maltiness, pretty good. Taste is similar, very toasty, some oats, very biscuity, caramel sweetness, a bit fruity, oranges, light sourness, watery flavour, not too appealing. Mouthfeel is light bodied with medium carbonation, certainly drinkable but not exciting. A little bland, but thanks for sharing Russ!

This is an ok marzen. Everything you'd expect from a marzen, but muted. Cool idea to go back to your roots, drank this while brewing up beer myself and loved the idea that the bros. decided to dust off their old recipes. This is not unlike watching Tom Cruise in Valkyrie.

THis beer isn't much of an oktoberfest. It isn't as dark as an oktoberfest, doesn't have as much body, it doesn't have the malt flavor either.

This beer has some orange citrus on the nose and taste. This is the first miss from Troeg's. There are a tiny bit of fruity esters in here as well.

I don't get the rhyme or reason from this one.

I appreciate the sample as I get to try all the scratch beers. This one is the first one that was a miss for me.

Thanks to Deuane for the sample.

Thanks Santa (Deuane) for this want
Bottle poured into a pint glass produced a finger worth of tan head that trailed off to nothing. All this was on top of a clear copper colored body brew.

Aromas of bread, malts and a light hop's filled my nose. The flavor that was the most pronounced was the sweet malt not to much bitter .Not to the place where I would call it sticky sweet but sweeter than most Octoberfest's. I also picked up some nuttiness in it as well. Typical larger mouthfeel smooth easy drinking a great representation of the style and another fine brew from Tröegs.