Harvest Fest
Smoky Mountain Brewery & Restaurant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filled my growler on a trip to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/The Smokies.
I only went to the SMB in Pigeon Forge.

Nice clear bronze-amber color with a thick white head, good retention and some lacing. Balanced somewhat subtle nose of sweet malt with a little hop spiciness.

Rich full taste is both sweet and toasty. Enough hops to balance and be present but does not interrupt malt profile and stay true to style. Mouthfeel is perfectly fitting! Thick and chewy with malt, slightly dry and crisp in the finish.

The low alcohol content, mouthfeel and taste make this a very drinkable beer. If I lived in the area I would get this in the growler regularly while it was available.

Visited the brewpub in Gatlinburg after hiking in the Smokies, so this review may be slightly biased due to the parched state of my palate.

The Harvest Fest ale was described as an "Octoberfest" by the server, and it held true to the style. Nice amber body, with fine clarity, small stone white head forms, but fades fast. The aroma was primarily toasted and biscuit malt, with faint sweetness, and finishing hop spiciness.

The beer had a very nice malt/hop balance, but tended towards a biscuit malt flavor, with a finishing hop bitterness. Some sweetness was present, perhaps from the use of caramel malt in grain bill? Medium malt base provides an appropriate mouthfeel.

Overall this beer was a nice surprise, thirst quenching, but not too filling. A perfect beer for a fall afternoon after a bumper-to-bumper trip to Cades Cove or Clingman's Dome and back.

I had to try this beer during my latest visit to Smoky Mtn Brewery because we were winding down Oktoberfest Season (10/20/07).

It arrived in it's pint glass with a thin cap of foam over a light amber colored beer.

The nose was slight, but I picked up a toasted malt like smell.

Taste: Pretty good... a little weak when compared to my favorite in this style (Christian Moerlein Fifth & Vine). This beer has all the trademark flavors of an Oktoberfest beer... The toasted malt, the light fruity taste like apples. Also a slight tart, lemony taste.

Mouthfeel: Again, just a little heavy on the carbonation. Had a tartness to it that detracted just a bit.

Drinkability: OK.... yeah.... not my favorite.... but a solid Oktoberfest.

The brewery describes this beer as, "Modled after the famous malty, amber lagers of the German harvest festivals. Balanced with Bavarian hops and very drinkable. Theis delicious lager is a bit stringer than the German "Helles" (meaning light) style. Also more full bodied and flavorful." ...and I pretty much agree. In fact quite flavorful and bold. Mostly clean with a light graininess, but not too offensive. Moderately clean in the finish, but with a light emphasis on the sweetness.

Update: This beer is now called Harvestfest
This is an extremely smooth, malty beer that exhibits tremendous drinkability. A tawny red hue in the glass with a medium tan head and light lacing highlight the appearance. The nose is very malty with hints of honey and caramel. The taste is malt laden with a touch of hopped bitterness for more balance, but the malts completely dominate. This is a very drinkable beer that makes sessioning very easy. A very nice autumnal offering.