Berkshire Brewing Oktoberfest Lager

Berkshire Brewing Oktoberfest Lager (2012)

Autumn Seasonal (Limited Release).

22 fl. oz. / $4.39 USD / 6.8 ABV??

About: "Aged for months prior to release, this Marzen-style lager is brewed using German hops and yeasts, true to tradition. Its orange-amber hue reminds us of the fall foliage that accompanies the season, and its elegant and complex malt structure produces a smooth, drinkable brew. It finishes with hints of spice and a subtle hop flavor, just enough to entice you to have another."

Thoughts: BBC Oktoberfest poured a deep and hazy honey orange color with abundant carbonation and a large fluffy head that eventually died down to a half inch thick slightly yellowed top that stuck around.

It's got a very distinct and spicy scent to it. Noble hops and yeast are prominent, as it smells a bit like a German Pilsner, but there's also a thick haze from those heavy malts that are very rich and even a little sweet. It's a little toasty, and a bit hard to describe the dimensions - almost like a fruity bread but not really, but it's very robust.

Taste is a severe blast of malts that flood around the tongue. Like a peppery semi-cooked sourdough bread. There's a ton of spice in here and flavor bursts all over the place. Little bits of leafy and grassy hops pop and tingle after the swallow and breath in. Somewhat chalky after a short while, but the aftertaste is very clean.

This beer is smooth as hell. Little heavy, and even pretty frothy... but it goes down smooth.

After a while this one is just a tad too sour. Mix that with the extreme peppery aspect of it and it's pretty rough around the edges. The hops gather and linger a bit around the end of the bottle. Still, it's got a pleasant (if somewhat overwhelming) taste, and as I said the finish is clean. I'd say try it.

Narragansett FEST Lager

Narragansett FEST Lager (2011)

Autumn Seasonal (Limited Release)

Craft-Brewed and Bottled by Narragansett Beer Co., in Providence, RI. USA.

16 fl. oz. / $1.60 USD / 5.5% ABV

Info: "Winner of the silver medal in the 2010 World Beer Championship. Winner of the gold medal in the Oktoberfest category at the 15th annual Great International Beer and Cider Competition in Providence, RI 2011."

Look: FEST poured a light auburn orange with a small bubbly head that lasted a minute.

Scent: Smells like sweet malt, minor vanilla bean, with a wholesome citrus overtone to the whole brew.

Taste: Roasty. Toasty. Yeasty. Kinda sweet. Little bit spicy on the tongue after swallowed, and followed by a very slight bitterness. Sweet bubbling tingles around the tongue and when I lick my lips it's even sweeter. Damn good tasting... the bitterness is so very light, with that sweet coming through at just the perfect amount. This absolutely slaughters the competition taste wise. It's euphoric!

Feel: A heavy medium with an above average drinkability. Goes down pretty smooth.

Feelings: Probably the best $1.60 I ever spent in my life. This is one of those few beers that I just let sit in my mouth for long periods of time, and felt good. Much like I did with my second bottle of Pumking during the Halloween snowstorm / three-and-a-half day power outage. For this one I can't really imagine any room for improvement. It's near perfect, the best Oktoberfest I've ever had without a doubt. If it were stronger it most likely wouldn't taste the same, so that's the only downside to improvement that I can think of here. FEST is one of the best beers that I've had this year. I'd say that FEST is a FEAST... in itself.

 Update: The guys over at Narragansett gave thanks to my positive review on their twitter feed and blog. Much appreciated. Here's a screen cap: 

Harpoon Octoberfest Beer

Harpoon Octoberfest Beer (2011)

Brewed and Bottled by Harpoon Brewery, in Boston, MA. USA.

Autumn Seasonal -  August to October (Limited Release)

12 fl. oz. / $1.50 USD / 5.5% ABV

Stuff: "The beer’s color is from a blend of Munich, chocolate, and pale malt.  The thick head results in part from wheat malt added to the grist.  The hop aroma of this beer is not overpowering but it is present.  Tettnang hops add a subtle spice nose that blends with the malt character. Willamettehops are used to provide a gentle bitterness and to balance any residual sweetness present from the malt.  The finish is soft and malty with a mild bitterness."

Pour: Pours a pretty deep red with amber shades and a huge fluffy head that almost spilled over.

Smell: The initial scent I'm getting is some grape wine here again, just like the Spaten. When that sour mash hit me first it was a bit unnearving. That all died down after a minute. Getting some subtle fruity tones afterwards.

Bite: Very bitter and hoppy. Not much to say about the taste other than those two things seem fairly well balanced enough. Except that it's ending up way too sour. The bitter and the sweet are ok, and I'm getting some weak spices and bread but nothing really seems discernible. I can't figure out if it's this or that.

Open Wide: Feels fluffy in the mouth, a slightly light to medium body.

...and Later: For a 5.5% ABV this one sure does smell and taste a bit strong. Hop and Malt strong. It's too heavy in the areas that it perhaps shouldn't be. The finish is major bitterness. The sour and sweet have all but faded and it's all just a bit grim and smokey. A heavy funky blandness. I'm not really digging this one too much.

Samuel Adams Octoberfest

Samuel Adams Octoberfest (2011)
Autumn Seasonal - August through October (Limited Release)
Brewed and Bottled by the Boston Beer Company, in  Boston, MA. USA.
22 fl. oz. / $2.99 USD / 5.3% ABV

Notes: "Brewed to celebrate the arrival of autumn. Malts: Two-row Harrington and Metcalfe pale malts, Munich-10, Moravian, and Caramel 60. Hops: Tettnang Tettnanger and Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops. Yeast: Samuel Adams lager yeast."

Look: Poured out a light reddish tone with a huge puffy head that eventually bubbled its way down to nothin'. Carbonation is very light after that.

Nose: Little bit spicy, but it's very subtle. There's light cherries. Besides that smells like a malty lager.

Lips: This one is pretty sweet, not like over the top sweet, but with the amounts of malts to hops, it comes out pretty good. Still, with that said, it's not really getting me too excited. Caramel and toffee for the most part. Nothing else is really standing out, but the balance is quite well done.

Inside: Smooth, watery, and goes down like nothing.

Final Thoughts: A well balanced and good tasting brew that's uneventful and leaves no real lasting impression on this here guy. Apparently this beer won the 2006 Great American Beer Festival for Märzen (a year after Michelob won [which then lost to this the next year - and out of 45 total entries(!)]. Either Märzen just really ain't my thing or... well, I don't know. For me the Oktoberfest stuff I've recently tried has been split into three categories: German, USA and Red Lagers, resulting in a bit of compare and contrast difficulty. Though German beer has always been of an acquired taste to me, it has grown on my senses and now I'm coming across this strange stateside beast. Not that I mind finding out what I like or what's the best stuff out there (in limited testings of course as there's no way I can try them all for whatever reasons). But, this brew is OK. Not more OK than some of the others, but still good.

Magic Hat Hex Ourtoberfest

Magic Hat Hex Ourtoberfest (2011)
Autumn Seasonal - August 1'st thru October 15'th (Limited Release)
12 fl. oz. / $1.75 USD / 5.4% ABV

Specs: "A malty amber ale with hints of toffee and caramel and a slightly smoky finish." YEAST: German Ale / HOPS: Apollo, Hallertaur / MALTS: Pale, Vienna, Crystal, Cherry Wood Smoked Malt, Malted Rye.

Look: Poured out a hazy golden orange, like honey, with a dark bubbly head that didn't entirely fade. Something weird is happening in the bubbles. They're clumping together in some spots. I'll blow on em and they'll dissipate then form in other areas. What the fuck!?

Scent: Smells different from the rest straight off. Not really like a  märzen at all, which as I hold it in front of my computer monitor just now and see, oh of course, it's a red ale like Freaktoberfest. The scent has a very caramel undertone to it.

Taste: Bitter toffee. Coffee notes. Cherries and light toasty bread.

Feel: Medium bodied. Leaves an astringent feeling, and it's a bit drying.

Final: This one's not bad. It's a bit malty though, and there's not much going for it in terms of special recognizable qualities.  Wish there was more to say about this one, aside from that it tastes pretty good, but it was somewhat plain. It's their highest ABV from their seasonals, and has the coolest artwork, but I'm not really feeling the brew all too much and that's what matters most. I don't dislike it, but it just didn't live up to that wicked image.

Shmaltz Coney Island Freaktoberfest Ale

Shmaltz Coney Island Freaktoberfest Ale (2011)
Autumn Seasonal (Limited Release)
Brewed and Bottled by Shmaltz's Brewing Co., in Brooklyn, NY. USA
12  fl. oz / $2.99 USD / 6.66% ABV

Check out that pink head, eh!?

About the Brew: "Beer creeps and lager freaks! Arise and taken possesion of this bewitched offering of the season crafted to lure your spirit’s deepest rapture. Conjured to exorcise the grim horrors of the armies of soulless drafts everywhere. Malts: 2-Row, Munich, Rye, Wheat, Dark Crystal, and CaraMunich 40. Hops: Columbus, Northern Brewer, Crystal, Willamette, Fuggle and Centennial."

Appearance: This weird ass beer poured redder than the devil's dick(!), with a light pink head that was frothy as hell and stuck around to taunt me.

 

Aroma: Strange brew. The smell reminds me of the taste of this pistachio ice cream I once had that was primarily vanilla and had no mention of cherries anywhere on the label, yet tasted just like cherries. After the beer warmed I got an alcoholic strawberry-banana smoothie type deal.

Taste: Malts and hops with some dried no-sugar-added cherries. Wheat. Hints of sweet creamed corn. Overall it's sweet but not too sweet, bitter but not too bitter. The sweet and bitter seem to be battling it out here. The bitterness is coming out on top, but not by much... it's still pretty damn sweet.

Mouth-Feel: Little foamy with a smooth yet tingly flow.

 

Finish and Overall: Aftertaste is like a cherry cough syrup. It's a gimmicky beer, but I like it. The color really impressed me and frightened me at the same time. But it had a certain taste that I was looking for at the moment, not funky at all, nor too fruity. It may look weird and act weird, but it's decent enough and kinda cool looking. I just hope it's not poisonous. Or do I? Muahaha...

Michelob Marzen

Michelob Marzen Oktoberfest Style Beer (2010) Discontinued.
Brewed and Bottled by Anheuser-Busch, in St. Louis, Missouri. USA
12 fl. oz / $1.45 USD / 5.1% ABV

Company Statement: "A classically brewed copper-colored marzen that displays just the right balance of hoppiness and malt character."

About: This beer won the Gold Medal at the 2005 Great American Beer Festival for Märzen(!), the Silver in 2006, Bronze in 2007, nothin' in 2008 and then Bronze again in 2009. Seems as if things have gone downhill a bit. Either that or the US Oktoberfest scene has really stepped up as of late (I highly fuckin' doubt it!).

Look: Poured a hazy gold and somewhat rusty copper color, with a fluffy one-inch white head that faded rather slowly.

Scent: Smells pretty uneventful. Like a lager, kinda sweet, but it's a light one.

Tongue: Taste is OK at best. No real problem there. It's not as sour or strong as some of the other Oktoberfest brews. Watered down toffee and nuts. They must have made this so completely average in every way so that girls and guys alike could enjoy it. By that I mean... well, anyways...

Swish: Very thin mouth-feel. Smooth and drinkable... kinda like water. Fluffy too.

Overall: Well, it's not brazen, yet it's not obnoxious either. And it's not horrible, but that's not exactly a compliment. Instead of being discontinued for whatever reason (another brew?) it could have been vastly improved upon, but that's obviously not the prerogative of this particular company. I hope when they laid this one out to rest they came up with something a lot better... because this at the least had potential. And that's the most positive thing I've got say.

Spaten Oktoberfest

Spaten Oktoberfest - Ur-Märzen (2011)

Brewed by Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu in Munich, Germany.

12 fl oz. / $1.69 USD / 5.9% ABV

The Dreaded Green Bottle!!

Info: "Spaten Oktoberfest Beer is amber in color. This medium bodied beer has achieved its impeccable taste by balancing the roasted malt flavor with the perfect amount of hops. Having a rich textured palate with an underlying sweetness true to tradition."

Look: Poured an dark amber orange with a half inch white head that faded slowly. The bubbles were small and the carbonation was abundant at first but later died down.

Smell: Definitely getting some kind of grape wine, and it is strong. Smells a little funky and fruity like prunes or figs. Lightly bitter as well. It's got a bit of that skunk going on.

Taste: Like a light malt liquor with raisins. It's not bad. Not gonna say that it's necessarily good either. It tastes different than I had expected, but still has that German flair about it. Reminds me of Rolling Rock for some reason, and I'm not really into that beer. I know I may be a funky guy, but there's only so much I can take sometimes.

Mouth: Feels a little filmy, bubbly. Medium body that goes down alright.

Overall: Aftertaste is like I drank some grape juice that had gone bad. It's not really unpleasant, but that doesn't make it any better. The bottom line is that the taste didn't agree with me. I wouldn't really recommend this.

Heavy Seas Mutiny Fleet Prosit! Imperial Octoberfest Lager

Heavy Seas Mutiny Fleet Prosit! Imperial Octoberfest Lager (2011)
Summer Seasonal - August (Limited Release)
Brewed and Bottled by Clipper City Brewing Company (Heavy Seas) in Baltimore, Maryland. USA.
22  fl. oz. /  $5.89 USD / 8.0% ABV 

The Official Statement: "Malt focused with five types of grain including Vienna and Munich malts - plus a secret extra malt that we use only in our Prosit! Balanced with 3 kinds of hops."

Presentation: Nice hat. It's their standard skull and crossbones logo, but this time with an Oktoberfestive cap. It's going to be neat when I line these up all in a row later on my shelf.

Appearance: Pours a dark blood orange, almost red with shades of amber and an off white, one and a half inch thick head. The bubbles in this are popping and going crazy, rapidly... there's plenty of carbonation rising throughout the brew.

 

Aroma: Smells mildly sweet, and malty.

Taste: Whoa! Tastes like a semi-bitter candy, almost medicinal. It's fruity too. I was at a barbeque party about a year back and there were these cherries in a big jar. Well my buddy kept bugging me about these stupid cherries until I tried one. What he had failed to mention is they have been marinating in vodka for a week or two. I'm reminded of that moment when I taste this. Only instead of an overpowering vodka tinge, the fluffy malts in this one roam around in the mouth. It's kinda spicy too, not quite sure if that's cinnamon but there's some kind of toffee sprinkled with black pepper thing happening. It's not major though. And I'm getting some apple in the aftertaste, as if I had taken a bite of one ten minutes ago but hadn't eaten the whole thing. It never really gets bitter until you swallow, and even then it's minor... but you can definitely get that boozy sensation.

Mouth-Feel: Full, frothy with a little bit of a tingle. This 8.0 is seriously drinkable.

Finish and Overall: It finishes pretty damn smooth. I'm on (almost) an empty stomach, just got through half of this and though I'm thirsty as all hell I can still sip this and enjoy the flavors. I chilled it only slightly once I got home, say about twenty minutes in the fridge and ten in the freezer. It's warming quickly and so am I. This brew is a very pleasant experience. How it compares to other Oktoberfest Lager brews I'll have to wait to find out, but one thing is for sure... I am one Imperial lovin' bastard. Heavy Seas Prosit!? Totally worth the six bucks.

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen Authentic Bavarian Festival Lager (2011)
Autumn Seasonal  - Brewed in March for Sept/Oct. (Limited Release)
Brewed  by Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer KG / Brauerei Aying in Aying, Germany.
16.9  fl. oz /  $3.69 USD / 5.8% ABV 

Stats: Multiple Award Winner (Gold Medal Winner at the World Beer Championships 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006). "Soft dryness from long maturation. Serving Suggestion: Tellerfleisch (boiled beef), pretzels and radishes, goulash with dumplings, clam chowder, bock-wurst, weiner schnitzel, roasted chicken, pork, and sauerkraut. Traditionally served in tall earthenware or glass mugs."

The Bottle.

Bottle: This one wasn't on the shelves but rather in the middle of the entire micro-brews section, stacked upon cases. The 16.9 oz bottle size caught my eye first, then the gold foil shining in the florescent lights. But it was when I saw that cute and colorful little bottlecap there that I snatched it up. Take a look at that scene. I know what they're saying too: "It's not gay, when it's in a three way."

Appearance: Poured a light amber-orange with an off-white head that faded pretty fast. The bubbles are of varying size and there's low to moderate carbonation.

 

Aroma: Fruity tones, low level apple and tangerine... maybe some pitted, dried and sugared apricots. Malty too. Smells pretty much like a German Lager though.

The Bottlecap.

Taste: It's a bit sour. Tastes of some ripe banana. Very low levels of nutmeg and clove. It's kinda peppery throughout, and bitter towards the end. Little bits of cinnamon rolls or a spicy sourdough bread, and toffee bouncing around, but it's not too noticeable. Then a little bit of sweetness comes around and balances things out. Tastes pretty damn good actually with all those subtle bits of flavor. Nicely done.

Mouth-Feel: Medium and a tad lingering. Fizzy.

Finish and Thoughts: Crisp. Bitter. Not a heavy beer, but it's got a slight kick that dies down once swallowed. Though I haven't tried too many German beers, this would be the best of them so far. I never did really develop a taste for German brews (Löwenbräu was the only one I ever liked out of the few that I drank years ago), which is why I ended up passing them up for the most part. This beer though, had a very nice balance and tasted good enough to be a session lager or even to drink with dinner. I'm impressed.