Oktoberfest Elchland Märzen Lager
Straub Brewery

 

 

 

 

This beer is outstanding and local for me. It pours a nice craggy head and leaves a good bit of lacing down the glass. Scents of peat and caramel on the nose and a bit of nuttiness. Tastes fantastic and is well balanced. Not cloying not hoppy, like a good Oktoberfest should be. The caramel flavor comes through on the palate with no aftertaste. A nice offering by Straub I just wish they’d bring back their Maibock or put Boulder Bock in cases by itself. Other than that, this is a pretty good brewing company.

 

I am continuing to purge the Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody while The CANQuest (tm) waits patiently in abeyance. If there was a silver lining to the COVID-19 cloud, it is my quarantine with all of this beer to be drank! This one came from The Beer & Beverage Shoppe on Roseville Road.

From the Bottle: "1872"; "Peter Straub Signature Brews Oktoberfest Elchland Märzen Lager"; "Rich Toasted Malty Goodness"; "24 IBU".

I drank, reviewed & rated their Summer Splash a couple of weeks ago, on Easter Sunday, and had I seen this one amongst the backlog, I would have had it at the same time. 8=( No time like the present & so I Pop!ped the cap. For this one, I had a clear glass stein since I like to see my beers.

"Stein" is German for "stone", hence the stoneware style of authentic steins. I own a few, but the glass ones work better for my nefarious purposes.

My slow, gentle C-Line pour did not get me much more than wisps, but in looking at an Untappd On-Tap check-in of mine, that did not have much head, either. This may be a low-carbonated beer. Hmm. Color was a gorgeous Deep-Amber/Light-Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity. Nose was rich, very malty with a maple syrup-like cast. Mmm. Mouthfeel was medium, solid for a Lager. The taste was malty with a toasty breadiness, not as sweet as I had girded myself for, based on the nose. Mmm. Finish was semi-sweet, bordering on semi-dry. Over time, I have come to realize what I like & this would be a prime example. I simply cannot brook flat-out sweet anything! Some sweetness is tolerable, but cloying is a real bummer. I admire the restraint that they showed in brewing this one. Now, if I CAN just CANvince them to put it in CANs, I'd be all set! YMMV.

Super good Octoberfest from a small brewery in PA. Unlike most reviews on this site I'm not going to go into the particulars. Try it ! In my opinion this is one of the best Octoberfest beers I've tried and reasonably priced at $7.99 a 6pk !
What is feel in a beer anyways ? Anyone who rates a beer on look and feel should be drinking wine !

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a copper/bronze color with a 1 inch head. Smell is mild, some toasted malts. Taste has lots malts, light hops, a touch of sweetness. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall it's a refreshing and decent beer.

 

Light, copper amber color. Crystal clear. Modest head which remains as a film of bubbles throughout the tasting. One ring of lace after the initial sip. A few, minute spots thereafter.

The aroma is mostly caramelized malt naturally, but there's off-smell of metal as well. It's almost as if it were exposed to aluminum foil somewhere along the way.

The taste is more traditional than the smell, but with a little bit of brief hop bitterness in the swallow. The carbonation leans high but the body is also a bit above average. Semi-sweet caramelized malt is featured throughout the tasting, particularly in the finish.

Bottled 6/22/18, purchased 9/16/18, reviewed 9/17/18

Look- clear copper orange with a thick one finger head that settles slowly to a thin coating; and spotty lacing

Aroma- somewhat sweet caramel, grainy bread, very faint floral hops

Taste- somewhat sweet toasted malt that doesn't veer into caramel in the flavor; very mild floral and spicy hops with a nice mild bitterness

Feel- medium bodied with lighter than average carbonation; semi-dry with mild but lingering bitterness

Overall- decent marzen, but just a little too sweet w/not enough hop presence to balance it

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Clear copper/amber pour with 1 finger of foamy white head. Nice ring of lacing.

S: Grains and malts... caramel sweets and bread dough.

T/F: Follows the nose. Toasted grains and caramel malts. Bready, earthy, with some hopping for bittering/balance. Crisp and clear... light bodied.

O: A classic Oktoberfest. If you're a fan of the style this is a well made beer and just what you'd expect for a Marzen. Easy drinking and tasty.

 

 

 

 

This is a good American Oktoberfest. Not to sweet, not too malty. Looks clear gold/orange color with off white head that continues as a thin cap. Smell is clean malt and some hop spice. Taste is toasted malt, white grape skin, followed with that herbal hop character that cleans up the aftertaste. It's got a medium feel due in part to the carbonation that keeps going throughout. Overall, This is a quality beer at a great price and a good example of a pretty well balanced American Oktoberfest.

12oz brown bottle, sample from the brewery.

Rich tawny hue, great looking suds. The malt profile is bready with a mild sweetness, balancing hop bitterness beneath. Drinkable and very to style. Worth checking out if you like Ofest beers.