Oktoberfests You Aren't Looking Forward To

I stopped buying it because of the price. $11.50-$11.99 is common around me. Way too steep for an Okto that's not an Okto.

 

Ok. i get that. Didnt think of it like that because i get beer bad or not because i need to see for myself.

 

You don't like SN Fest offering? It's fresher than the imports and IMO it was damn good. It's a collaborative effort as well. Mectoberfest is very local to Charlotte it's great as well. They're out there, and I'd prefer fresh over an old new Fest beer. The Imports are already 6 months old at release.

 

Agreed. If you haven't had 2016 yet, it's really good. Not as hoppy, but still really balanced and amazing

 

You should steer a wide berth from the 16 SN Oktoberfest. The 15 was great IMO, though noticeably hoppier than most German Oktoberfests. The 16 has lost the prior year's restraint. It's still an interesting beer, and at least the hop character is spicy and not floral, but it's seem like the love child of a German Festbier and German Pilsner

 

I think '16 is way hoppier than '15, a sentiment echoed elsewhere in this thread. I'm very pleased with it, though.

I'm not looking forward to: Sam Adams, Surly (how is this the number 2 Fest on the site?! It's nowhere near what the style is, even if you account for the differences between maerzen and festbier), Leinenkugel, Great Lakes, Ballast Point, Revolution, Metropolitan (surprisingly it isn't very faithful to the style), Avery, Victory (another surprisingly off version of the style), Goose Island, Firestone Walker (what a misnomer, too), Capital, Flying Dog, or basically any others that fall into the heavy caramel/toffee "American" maerzen (the exception being Staghorn, likely for homer reasons, but I do feel that New Glarus makes some of the best lagers in the country regardless).

My main drinkers for the year will be Sierra Nevada (very hard to pick a favorite between '15 and '16), Ayinger, Weihenstephaner, Augustiner, Paulaner Wiesn, Hacker-Pschorr, and, of course, Schlenkerla Rauchbier Maerzen.

 

It seems to me that many breweries have dumbed-down their Octoberfest beers. Years ago, I thought Leinie's OF was just fine, but the last couple of years I tried it, it didn't taste much different from their plain lager. Of course, it seems to me they've dumbed down a lot of their beers. Their bock has no resemblance to a bock beer. In fact, I wonder if it also is just a re-bottling of their lager. Maybe it's just my aging taste buds.
Sam Adams is similar. I don't find their OF sweet at all, but it tastes more like an undistinguished American style lager than an Octoberfest. In fact, I can't really name a readily available 'fest that tastes like it's supposed to.

 

I like this thread.

 

I haven't had many oktoberfests that were bad enough to remember and avoid. In fact every year I like one I hated the year before.

 

Have you had the Weihenstephaner FestBier version? Man oh man. It's almost a blonde ale color. Super crisp and crushable. As another member here mentioned, SA and the like sort of bastardized the style and far too many people don't give it a fair shot.

A local brewery releases a VMO beer every couple of months. It's basically a maltier LAGER. Still crisp and clean but a touch more malt flavor. The flavor itself has nothing to do with fall. It's just a really clean crisp beer.

At one point I saw 18 of these in a store (available in singles). It was a fun experience for sure.

I tend to look forward to trying them all once again and see what has changed with me/and or the beer.

I think its either Left hand or Pyramid who has a "imperial" version of this style. I just can't do it.. Some are actually ales and not a lager. I tend to want to believe most need to try more than one of the style because, just like IPAs, the Oktoberfest world is so vast.

In closing, to answer OP, the ones I don't look forward to are the overly sweet, overly malty, non crisp versions that seem to sit above 6%. Even if some are 5.7%, the FG makes them anything but a crisp clean beer. I think we've all had some IPAS in the mid 5% range that felt or tasted like those in the 7% range. That's one sign of a great beer. Many "American" styles do not care or want to hide anything about the malt and sweetness factor.

This makes the fact that SA Ofest is around 5.3% a true travesty. It is super sweet, malty, and yet the ABV is much lower than versions that are IMHO considerably better.

I like a well balanced crisp sessionable Oktoberfest where I can use my 1L stein properly and still function

 

And only the lightest touch of citrus in a lemon sort of character.

 

I agree with the exception of Victory Zelt Bier. This is a great version of the pale style Oktoberfest beer.

 

Odd as it may seem SA Oktoberfest is popular with BMC drinkers also at a few of the bars near me. That might be because it's the only Oktoberfest the places carry.

 

Getting close, quite possibly, I think I still buy it from time to time out of nostalgia. Years ago I would buy it by the case at Sams Club. It would always be the first Oktoberfest available here and I remember enjoying it quite a lot.

 

Just saw some Sam Adams oktoberfest this week it is still the first to hit the shelves.

 

I'm fortunate I have Live Oak right down the road for all my Oktoberfest beer needs. I don't really know any bad ones I've had per se.

 

I may be banned for saying this: I prefer the American Octoberfests (mis)interpretations compared to the original ones, starting with the SA Octoberfest.

 

Agreed, Sam's version is overly sweet and Great Lakes is even sweeter. I strongly suspect there is a significant percentage of beer drinkers who really gravitate to "sugar-bomb" beers and drive the popularity of these beers [and many beers in other styles, but that's getting a little off-topic.]

I wouldn't rule out all Octoberfests based on Great Lakes take on it. See above.

I get a strong vegetal flavor from Sly Fox Octoberfest that I really dislike. I usually really enjoy Sly Fox's take on German styles, but I pass on their Octoberfest.

 

Two years ago it had some DMS, but was much cleaner last year. Maybe give it another shot.

 

Usually you don't taste DMS, you just smell it. I've had a few beers that use a barley that imparts a real vegetal taste, so I understand what Ranbot is talking about. On the other hand, I've had plenty of beers that give off DMS in their aroma, but have no off characters in the flavor.