Oktoberfest
La Conner Brewing Company

 

Some warm, malty aromas. Attractive coppery amber in the Pilsner glass. Slim mustache of foam at first, but that evaporates after a few sips. Mouthfeel is nearly flat after those tastes as well.

Pleasant flavor of malt, a winey touch, and some nutty, sweet roasted tastes. Just a slight scratch of bitterness at the end. A little salty. This is a plain but decent tasting Märzen. If only it had better carbonation, this would be a great quaff. On tap at the La Conner brewpub.

Sept. 24, 2019 UPdate: They have solved the carbonation problem over the years but the thick, sweet, and bitter concoction is not any better. Tastes like the same bitter and urky hops they use in all their beers.

After drinking quite a few OK fests in Leavenworth a few days before, this version was among the best I have tried. Mid Gold with a good solid head, the beer smells of malt and carmel and nuts. This is a really full bodied marzen with a slightly sweet finish. What grabbed me about this beer was the great complexity and huge drinkability combined. One of their best beers but sadly a seasonal

I felt this was a superior Oktoberfest brew. Full-bodied, with enough hop to balance the complex malt flavors. My preferences always lean toward the more bitter beers. This is fully within the malty profile of a good Marzen. Excellent head and a touch of lace. Nice.

Pours a nice orange amber with a white head that isn't mind blowing. The smell is of caramel toasted grain and nutmeg, very clean to the nose. The taste is a nice blend of lager (toated grains and caramel smoothness) with a nice festive nutmeg and toast. Very distinct tase, different than most Oktoberfest's. A very nice session beer, will be in my fridge everyday this fall. Great.

Appearance – Nice, deep, cloudy orange-brown body with a smallish head.

Smell – Faint aroma of lightly-toasted malt, but not much else. What’s there smells good, but this one is definitely light at the nose.

Taste – Wow! This is a heavy hitter. It looks and smells like cheap American macrobrew, but the flavor is major league. The smooth, buttery, lightly-toasted malt/yeast base is complimented by some deep, quality, toffee and sugar syrup. This is a very creamy malt mixture.

Mouthfeel – Little carbonation and medium-bodied.

Drinkability – This went down like a creamy, melted Heath Bar.

Comments – I thought this was an interesting interpretation of the style. It didn’t look the part, but this was a quality effort by this fine brewery.

Update – I originally rated this in 2003 so thought it would be fun to revisit it in ’05. It really is a very different interpretation of the style. There’s an off toffee flavor that really is out of character for the style. I’m lowering some of my ratings a bit but still calling this a quality lager.

Throws a heavily hazed copper body. No head to speak of. Appears briefly, then gone. Not an attractive oktoberfest.
Nose is slight, but inviting. Grainy toastedness is the main player. Lovely, but not quite enough.
The sloppy presentation masks what truly is a great marzen. Things pick up dramatically at this point.
Full malt body. Heavy on the toasted aspect. I love that, and I find it lacking in many 'fests, or vacant altogether. Fruit hints lurk behind the toast. Subtle but noticeable pear syrup and cherries. Vanilla drapes itself across the middle with nutmeg accents. The faint spice notes make this far from ordinary. It turns earthier and drier towards the finish. Hops are a minor player, but add grassy and hay-like hues at the conclusion.
About as complex as the style gets, while staying true.
A firm, medium body. Carbonation is steady, in a tiny prickly form. Hearty for the style, but deviously drinkable all the while.
A great Oktoberfestbier. Maybe some minor maibock hints to boot. Unique and wonderful. I like this a lot more than my overall score indicates. Right up there with my favorite fests. Truly an ugly duckling turned swan.

It would be a staple if I had it available. A 3L stein of this would be in my hand all fall.
Thanks jreitman.

Clear to amber in color with very little head. Caramel and sweet flavors are the most dominant with hints of nuts. Herbal, earthy flavors are also pretty apparent. Very interesting and quite a bit going on.