Oktoberfest
Dark Star Brewing Company Limited

The colour is pale amber, the liquid clear. The minimal head is white. No lacing occurs.

The smell is hoppy with some hay. It is rather sweet with a good bitterness.

The taste is more “Dark Star” than “Oktoberfest”, it is quite hoppy (dry hopped?). Fruity and medium sweet. Dry hints of citric fruits and flowers in the aftertaste. Hints of yeast in the finish.

The carbonation is low; the few bubbles are small and fresh. The liquid is a bit dry.

A classic cask beer from Dark Star, but it is not much of a Märzen. Pleasant and very refreshing.

The third real ale at the beginning of a session in the Cask Pub and Kitchen, London:

The hand pulled pint looked interesting, bronze in colour, so a bit darker than a traditional Oktoberfest/Marzen usually looks: the head being full and lasting. I believe both Carahell and Cara-Munich malts amongst others; are used in the brew.

The smell was a mix of hop pines and malty molasses, grains also.

The taste was a good healthy blend of maltiness and fruity hops, difficult to compare it to the taste of a true Oktoberfest bier, but as a UK brewed cask version I certainly enjoyed it. Didn’t have that lager/pilsner/helles base to start from, this is an ale based brew and it shows in all aspects. It did however lead to a change of tack during my drinking session, I moved onto German bottled beers leaving the cask selection alone.