BeerAdvocate Oktoberfest Tasting! (Sep 17-Oct 3, 2022)

Samuel Adams Octoberfest

My 2nd beer today is a "classic" that I am sure that we all (or most of us) have had. I typically have a couple every year, but haven't had any in the past couple of years. I find this beer pretty much as I expect - caramelly, somewhat () sweet, and very lightly bready and spicy. Not what I prefer in a Märzen, but a fine beer for a fall evening.

I must admit that I almost went with a Hofbrau Oktoberfestbier instead. I am curious to compare a bottle against the draft that I had the other weekend. But tomorrow is another day ...



Can(s)
Consumed on: 02 Oct, 2022
Glass: 0.5 L Fest Mug
Serving Temp: 50.4 F
ABV: 5.3 %


Look:
Very dark but clear reddish-copper that comes across as burnished. The head started as 3 fingers of light khaki fizzy foam and quickly dissipated to a thin ring-and-island. Some lacing remains on the glass.

Smell:
Sweet, caramelly, and malty. There is a light touch of spice that almost comes across as baking spice(s). There are also some faint notes of hay in the background.

Taste:
Mostly a mild but persistent sweet toasted caramel note with some doughy malts backing it up. A very vague hint of spices can be detected if one tries to do so. The hops are dominated by the malts here, but do serve to restrain them somewhat and keep things from becoming sickly sweet. The sip does dry a tad towards the end and finishes malty with a very light spicy note.

Feel:
Smooth and soft. A shade sticky. The body is medium.

Overall:
A classic. Absolutely drinkable. A fine fall beer. Just not what I look for in a Märzen.

 

New from Brandon, VT.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30542/622598/



16 ounce, canned this past week.

#LFGM!

 

Whisper from Tree House Brewing, thanks to another trade with @sulldaddy!
Deep amber color with a nice thick bubbly head, good retention.
Aroma of caramel malts, can't make out much else.
Taste follows suit with subtle sweetness and a smooth fine hop note, no bitterness to speak of, almost dry finish. Medium body with good carbonation.
This is a nice one!

Glad I was able to try this, another beer on my wish list checked off, thanks Sully!
One day I am going to make the trip up there!

 

One year I’ll have to buy Paulaner’s, Hofbrau’s and Weihenstephaner’s festbiers and do a three-way taste-off. For 2022 this stands as my favorite by default.

 

I waffle back and forth between Hofbrau and Weihenstephaner as my favorite wiesn festbier from year to year, but there’s no such indecision when it comes to my favorite marzen. Delicious as always.

 

Next up is another local: Municipal Brew Works from Hamilton OH with 1791 Oktoberfest.
Deep amber brown color with a finger thick head, fair retention.
The elevated ABV shows in aroma and taste.
This is certainly not what you would expect from a festbier, but it is quite delicious!

 

Firefly Hollow Oktoberfest, courtesy of @sulldaddy, thank you Sully!
Deep amber color, remarkable how similar the last three beers were in color.
Head is quite big and fluffy, good retention.
Nice malty sweetness with a hop undertone but not bitter at all.
Light body, drinks real easy. I like it!

 

I think I am done now as well, there is just not enough time in a weekend for all that beer you can have .

 

Great Lakes Oktoberfest


My 3rd and final beer of the day is another Bock-strength Okto. It is another chilly rainy night, so an "autumn Bock" hits the spit nicely. And this beer is quite a tasty "autumn Bock". Though I find the beer to be a bit too sweet (really caramelly) and also too boozy for what I expect a Märzen to be.

Does the Tasting continue into tomorrow? If so, I might have 1 or 2 more beers to add.

Regardless, this event has been fun and educational. Thanks, @Todd !



1.5 x 12-oz Bottles
Best By: 17 Nov, 2021
Glass: 0.5 L Fest Mug
Serving Temp: 51.8 F
ABV: 6.5%
IBU: 20


Look:
Deep, dark but clear copper that almost appear burnished. 2+ finger light khaki creamy head slowly dissolves to a very thin but consistent cover. Lacing along the glass is excellent.

Smell:
The nose is somewhat restrained. What is there is toasted caramel, toffee, and a vague nuttiness. Light spicy and earthy notes can be detected. There is a very, very slight note of grass or perhaps hay.

Taste:
Early notes of toasted caramel and some dough give way to a noticeable but not strong spiciness and a mild earthy bitterness. The spice and earth balance the sweet caramel nicely. The sip finishes somewhat dry and earthy and mildly bitter with some lingering notes of caramel. The alcohol makes itself known towards the end of the sip with pepper and a warming sensation that lasts into the aftertaste.

Feel:
Semi-smooth a somewhat viscous and maybe even a bit slick. The body feels about medium with a lean towards medium-full.

Overall:
This is not completely on-style for an Oktoberfest/Marzen, but it is a fine beer nonetheless. I view this beer as more of a fall/autumn Bock and in that respect it is quite good. A good beer for a chilly evening.

 

Consume?

 

I may or may not be tipsy right now.

All the local beers were not great, although the West Side was the best. Braxton brewing was probably the worst. Founders was pretty indifferent (would certainly not turn it down if given it at a gathering). The other ones were similarly boring. I’m disappointed I didn’t buy international. Well, there’s still time. I should have known better than to buy local.

#trashpalate @GuyFawkes

 

I have a a 5 year old GI Oktoberfest and. 1 year old version. I’ll have to post in the side-by-side thread soon.

@cjgiant

 

Bell's Oktoberfest Marzen is very nice this year. Prost!
3.93/5 rDev +7.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz bottle pkg date 7/15/22 into a dimple mug.
L: Pours dark marmalade burnt orange w/a slight haze, 1" creamy semi-rocky light khaki head w/good retention, med-low carbonation, some sticky skeletal lacing & light banding.
S: Caramel malts, honey, orange zest, bready, lightly earthy.
T: Caramelized malts, a short hop bite, a sensation of black tea, cocoa powder, brown bread, earthy hop flavor, light sweetness but not too sticky.
F: Soft, creamy, med-light bodied mouthfeel w/a moderately fast, lightly drying finish. Good fine carbonation.
O: A great tasting, well balanced American Marzen that is not too sweet or too malty. Very nice flavors, smooth, drinks quite easily and may be a tad bit lighter in body than others in this style but overall it is very good.

 

Eh? I did give some notes on flavor.

 

I meant, did you get it from Consume in Wisc...er, Lake Zurich.

 

Ah -- Consumé!

Actually don't know the place -- do they have Spaten Okto on draft?

But no, The Firkin in Libertyville -- probably even more Wisc to you.

 

Finally, an entire day & night off! On this final day of this thread I'll be accompanied by the fantastic 4 here and am looking frwd to rating/reviewing/sharing these beauties. Fair State can on R. Still need to scout around more to find Ayinger Okto as I'm sure I'll enjoy it. Prost!!

 

https://consumelz.com/lake-zurich-consume-draft-beer

Guess they do. No growler prices -- any idea?

 

Another local one from Great North Brewery. Pretty decent.



Cheers Okto lovers!

 

Probably my last Okto purchase for the season. I grabbed 3 four packs of
Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier and I still have a six of Hofbrau Okto. Props to
@steveh for talking up the Spaten Okto. I haven't had as many liters in years



Btw, I'm not being ironic with the glass, it's one of my favorites, go figure

 

This one is kind of a disappointment. Not bad, just plain. Prost!
Odell Oktoberfest Marzen 6.1% ABV
3.37/5 rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
12oz can eb date 12/03/22 into a dimple mug.
L: Pours clear iced tea amber w a fizzy light khaki head that quickly goes to nothing, low carbo, zero lacing.
S: Caramelized malts. That's it.
T: Caramelized malts, a light hop snap, lightly sweet, a hint of breadiness in the finish, clean tasting and very gently earthy.
F: Lightly snappy then a smooth, glassy med-bodied mouthfeel with a moderately fast, dry finish.
O: Clean and easy drinking. Not a lot of character or feel. Malty, gently sweet and good tasting. It is good in it's style.

 

In italics are the standouts for me at this point.

OVERALL BEST SO FAR: Spaten and maybe Hacker-Pschorr on draft too. Need to have the H-P one more time...for science.

Best in show (amber): Spaten on draft (maybe H-P)

Best in show (pale): Andechs Spezial Hell on draft

Imported Pale Oktoberfest:
Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier (draft and can)
Hofbrau Oktoberfestbier (draft)
Tucher Bergkirchweih Festbier (draft and can) - only the draft was a stand out
Andechs Spezial Hell (draft)
Weihenstephan Festbier (bottle, draft, and can) - only the can was a stand out

Imported Amber Oktoberfest:
Paulaner Märzen (bottle and draft)
Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen (both bottle and draft) - only the draft was a stand out
Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Märzen (both bottle and draft) - only the draft was a stand out
Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen (draft and bottle)


Domestic Amber Oktoberfest:
Jack's Abby Copper Legend (can)
Idle Hands Brocktoberfest (both can and draft)
Zero Gravity Oktoberfest (can)
Von Trapp Oktoberfest (can and I think draft?)
Sam Adams Octoberfest (can and draft)
Bells Octoberfest (bottle)
Mighty Squirrel Oktoberfest (can)
Toppling Goliath Oktoberfest (can)
Founders Oktoberfest (can)
Harpoon Octoberfest (can and draft) - only draft was a stand out
Trillium Märzen (draft)
Remnant Brewing Fest Lager (draft)
Brooklyn Oktoberfest (I think I had this on draft? either this or Von Trapp on draft)
Winter Hill Brewing Dr. Leo Märzen (draft)
Silvaticus Brewing Oktoberfest Festbier (can) - they label it as Festbier, but this was quite amber to me. Tasted that way too. Might be one of my favorites of the season too.


Domestic Pale Oktoberfest:
Notch Festbier (can and draft)
Trillium Wiesenbier (draft)
Idle Hands Wiesenbier (draft)
Dorchester Brewing Festbier (draft)
Nightshift One Mighty Festbier (draft)
Mast Landing Feierabend (can) - I recall this being pretty good, need another can to determine if it's a stand out
Sam Adams Festbier (draft)

Imported German Märzen
Rothaus Märzen Eiszäpfle (bottle)
Schlenkerla Märzen (draft)

Domestic Austrian Märzen
Schilling Konstantin (draft)

Barrel-aged Oktoberfest
None yet

Non-Alcoholic Oktoberfest:
Athletic Brewing Märzen (can)

Oktoberfest Events Attended:
Sam Adams Oktoberfest at the Boston Taproom in Quincy Market
Bow Market/Remnant Brewing Oktoberfest
Idle Hands Oktoberfest
Notch Oktoberfest
Trillium Oktoberfest
Nightshift Oktoberfest (both days!)
*Dorchester Brewing Oktoberfest
*technically the day after, but still the same weekend, and their German beers were still on tap
Winter Hill Oktoberfest

Stein Hoisting Competitions:
Sam Adams
Idle Hands
Notch

There's a couple more Oktoberfest celebrations left I might check out. Some more Oktoberfest food to be consumed. And of course still more Oktoberfest beer! Need to see if I can snag a single or two of the Founders Ultimate Oktoberfest too.

 

I still have five bottles of Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest beers from my six-pack purchase and I too will continue my 'science' here.

Prost!

 

Oh yeah I have bottles left. I want to grab another draft too though.

 

One of the best right here IMHO. Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Marzen. Super EZ drinking. Prost!
4.94/5 rDev +35.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
11.2oz bottle into a 0.3L mug.
L: Pours clear iced tea amber w good fine carbo, a 1/2" off white creamy head w excellent retention, skeletal lacing, sheeting & banding.
S: Rusty, earth hops, caramel malts, metallic, a sensation of bread dough. Clean & simple.
T: Gently bitter then sweet & toasty candied malts, a whisp of honey, cocoa?, earthy hops that dry, a light metallic taste. As the beer warms, malt flavours expand revealing more breadiness.
F: A light zip then smooth to the point of gently creamy medium bodied mouthfeel w a fast, clean lightly drying finish.
O: In the top 3 German beers of this style. It finishes with almost no trace. No hassle in the castle. Excellent in every way, it is world-class in it's style.

 

Cracking into another local Okto, this one from Concord Craft. WBAYDN cross-post...



Cheers.

 

I've always liked Warsteiner so I thought a non-Bavarian Okto would be interesting. And it is. It's quite good, but I'm a sucker for any good German beer. This case has been pleasant and true to tradition...And cheers to everyone! Preparing (mentally) for knee replacement due to a 1969 basketball injury. Bob McAdoo, Alan Bristow, and Pete Maravich took their toll on my body........

 

Double-check that bottle -- betch'a it's 12 ounces.

 

Like Tongo, I've had this beer and mine was in a brown bottle. I noticed that yours is in a green bottle. I'm a bit confused, is this available in BOTH colored bottles, or is the green bottle possibly old?

 

Perhaps the green color is simply the blue image on the screen behind it as seen through brown glass. @thebeers

 

Glad there was one more day for this event because this is the only one of six beers I hadn’t gotten around to drinking yet.

In the festbier/wiesn style, and oak-aged. Most enjoyable of the three domestics I’ve had so far, albeit by a slim margin. Not surprising, as I’ve found Threes to have a great touch with lagers…and ales too.

 

I can see that.

 

I've had a 4-pack of these in the fridge since August
and knew they wouldn't make it 'til this month if I opened one!
Now I can drink all of them in October!!
Cheers!!!



One of the best, for sure!

 

I honestly just want another Spaten after this...Prost!!
Fair State Festbier German-Style Party Lager. 5.7% ABV
3.48/5 rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
16oz can into a 16oz dimple mug.
L: Pours lightly clouded apricot w a 1" robust off-white head w excellent retention, good fine carbo, lacing, sheeting & light banding.
S: Grainy rich malt, a hint of honey, bread, caramel, pineapple cake.
T: Sweet malts, a hint of honey, fruity hops, citrus zest, a light hop bitterness in the center w hoppy dryness at the end, very full-flavored, hop bitterness goes wide lingering w some resin.
F: Slightly juicy & plump, big tasting med-bodied w a fast, lightly dirty & dry finish that ends w a bit of creaminess.
O: A fruity & bright Festbier that is fairly dry. It has moderate drinkability. Might be on the hoppy side of the style but is crafty and good.

 

Yep, optical illusion with the blue color on the TV screen behind. Mine are brown bottles. Best by 11/26/22. Here’s the one I drank yesterday…



It’s worth noting the Birds were playing awful until I switch from Troegs to Sly Fox.