Schell Octoberfest Beer - A Microbrew Review

I was digging around down in the fridge tonight and found a bottle of Schell's Octoberfest that I thought I'd try. Hadn't had a chance to sample this craft beer just yet so no time better than the present, that's what I always say when it comes to beer.

Popping the bottle cap on this chilled 12 ounce brown bottle, I poured the beer fairly roughly into my 10 ounce bar mug watching as the creamy off-white head billowed up in the glass to just about a one finger standing. It looked rich and thick and although the beer's head receded just a bit, it constantly glazed the surface of the brew even as I started sipping 5 minutes later.

The color of Schell's Octoberfest was a bright and sparkly light copper rust. Shimmered just a little when holding up to a light with carbonation respectably present and well distributed throughout the liquid. Aroma was sweet with just a smidgen of "sugar cookie" scent to it. Overall, not a real strong smelling marzen beer but that's okay. I'm here to drink it. Total mug presentation of Schell Octoberfest was pretty nice. Nothing turning me away at this point.

Sipping down the first few sips, my first impression was although it was standard Marzen Octoberfest sweet, it seemed a little bit thin for my taste. Watered down may be too strong of a description, but just not an overall rich mouthful in my opinion. It was slick and went down the throat very smoothly with very little carbonation feel in the mouth and on the tongue. A slightly sour aftertaste was distracting. But I'm going to drink the whole beer anyway, what the heck?

As the microbrew warmed at about halfway through the glass, the beer took on more and more of a thicker, richer feel to it. It tasted creamier and became a little more rounded in the finish. There are no hops here at all but that's great for an Octoberfest beer. I quickly finished the last half of the mug and thought I might try another before the month of October is out.

August Schell Brewing Company hails from New Ulm, Minnesota. The brewery has been around since 1860 and has the pleasure of claiming many of its beers to be award-winning throughout the years. Schell's Octoberfest, as one example, won the Silver Medal at the 1991 Great American Beer Festival. There's actually a really neat overview of the history of the brewery if you have a chance to check out their website at August Schell Brewing Company.

My bottom line beer review for Schell Octoberfest is that it is a very quaffable craft beer, especially for this time of year heading into the fall. This Octoberfest beer can be consumed quickly and easily with not a whole lot of complaints from me. At 5.5% alcohol by volume, it's not over the top and won't get you in too much trouble if you partake in 2 or 3 at a sitting. This would be a great Oktoberfest festival beer and I think even better if being pulled off the tap into one of those great big German Octoberfest bier steins. I'll give Schell's Octoberfest 7.25 out of 10.00 points for the beer style and it's one I'll personally be having again, probably fairly soon!
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