Summit Oktoberfest Marzen - A Microbrew Review

It's not officially fall just yet. And October's a few weeks away. But hey, I'm already thinking about the Oktoberfest beers. And why shouldn't I be. I picked up a mixed sixpack of Octoberfest style beers tonight and Summit Brewing Co's Oktoberfest Marzen was the first to sample of the evening.

First off, Summit Brewing Company calls St. Paul, Minnesota its home. I'm not all that familiar with the microbrews from Summit so trying this one gave me a little sense of curiosity and intrigue.

Pouring the 12 ounce chilled brown bottle into my glass, I observed a respectable creamy eggshell head which topped a nice mahogany, rust colored liquid. Carbonation was quite lacking however, almost non-existent. Did I get my hands on a bad beer?
Holding the glass up to my nose didn't help. It smelled a bit like that all too familiar scent of when you've got yourself a skunked beer that just wasn't handled or stored correctly somewhere along the way. I was worried I'd wasted $2.00 on this one.

However, I was somewhat pleasantly surprised once I started drinking this microbrew. There was nice comforting caramel malty sweetness. Not cloying or profound, but more common and expected. Being that I thought this one might be spoiled originally, this was a pleasant surprise already. I was a winner already just in the fact this wasn't a drainpour beer. The mouthful was actually fairly thick and rich and only became more profound as the liquid warmed about halfway through the glass of beer. Nothing too off center here and there was a nice spiciness to this brew in the mouthful. No real hop presence at all however, not to worry though. This is an Oktoberfest. Alcohol presence did start to make itself known toward the latter part of the glass. The warmer the beer got, I could more and more feel that alcoholic burn.

While Summit Brewing Company's Oktoberfest was not the best Octoberfest beer I've ever tried, it was respectable. It was sweet, and very easy to drink. My bottle I'd originally thought was spoiled. So just finding out it was drinkable was a pleasant surprise that probably lent to a more favorable subconscious rating that would normally be the case. I'd felt like I got lucky I guess.

I'd recommend giving this Summit Oktoberfest beer a try if you see it in your neighborhood bottle shop or tavern, especially this time of year (just keeping in the spirit of the season). Summit Brewing Company's Oktoberfest Marzen was very drinkable and smooth. There is nothing challenging or out of the ordinary with this beer however. It just kind of blends in with all the other Oktoberfest offerings you can find out there this time of year. Nothing too bad, but nothing all that special either. Not memorable. It is smooth though, and very easy to drink. Despite the 7.7 Alcohol by Volume rating, it's one that doesn't kick you too much in the butt but you're by your second, you're probably going to be ready to move on to something else anyway.

I'm giving Summit Brewing Company's Oktoberfest Marzen a 6.00 out of 10.00 on my rating scale. I will add, that I'd like to try this fresh on draft at a local watering hole sometime. I think it just might make a significant difference in this microbrew's flavor and richness versus the traversed bottled version.

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A Microbrew Review of Victory Festbier - Oktoberfest Style Lager by Victory Brewing Company

Here's another craft beer in the Oktoberfest vein picked up just this week at my local microbrew and craft beer bottle shop. This beer is another from a Pennsylvania brewery which I've become quite fond of over the past two years. Welcome to Festbier Lager from Victory Brewing Company, a brewery based in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.

As mentioned in previous posts, I'm really starting to come along in beginning to appreciate the Oktoberfest style beers this fall. I thought I'd try this Festbier being that it's described right on the label as an Oktoberfest style lager.

Upon pouring the properly chilled beer into an unchilled sixteen ounce pint glass, it's easy to describe this beer as a burnt, rusty orange color with a little bit of cloudiness and haze. Festbier poured with almost no head to speak of and very minimal evidence of carbonation. From appearance, it almost looks like it may be spoiled or flat.

Smell is faint. No very much eminating from the surface as far as aroma goes until you really take a good whiff. Scent is somewhat sweet and predominantly of bready malt, maybe almost a toast smell with a strange orange peel presence as well (almost like one of those gel fruit candies shaped like oranges and lemons...strange).

Several sips into the beer, it's got a little more of a carbonated feel to it than its appearance admits. Beer tingles a little on the palate. Not very much excitement in the flavor however. It's got the typical bready, German malt flavor but nothing out of the ordinary or striking. There's not a whole lot in the way of hops bitterness (nor anything tasting like the orange peel as hinted to in the aroma). It wasn't very crisp and left a somewhat unpleasant sour aftertaste on the tongue well afterwards.

As far as an Oktoberfest beer goes, Victory Brewing Company Festbier is pretty standard in the real of Oktoberfests, although it's easy for me to deduct from sampling this beer that I have had better Oktoberfest beers. It's decent enough to drink and is not drain pour quality certainly, but running out and purchasing a 24 bottle case of this at $27.00 for my party this Saturday is something I will not be doing. I probably wouldn't have more than one and I'm guessing my guests would not as well.

My final assessment of Victory Brewing Festbier is ho-hum, which disappoints me a little being that this beer was from one of my growing favorite local Pennsylvania microbreweries. I wanted to like it more, but just can't honestly say it's on my short list to be drinking again anytime real soon. At 5.60% alcohol by volume, this would be a beer you could enjoy a few of on a warm fall evening on the back porch after a football game. But I just don't see myself doing that with Festbier. It's worth a try though and maybe it might be a better experience for you though. Who knows. But in the world of countless Oktoberfest microbrews, with so many beers and so little time, I might steer you towards another beer to satisfy your fall Oktoberfest season beer hankering.

In all fairness though, Victory Brewing Company is a fantastic craft beer brewery with incredible beers. For Victory Festbier though, I'd rate this Oktoberfest beer a 6.00 out of 10.00 points.

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Atwater Block Brewery Bloktoberfest - A Microbrew Review

I'm really starting to appreciate these Oktoberfest beers this fall. I've never been the biggest fan of this particular style, but the more I drink and review American Oktoberfest beers this year, the more I respect them and enjoy them as well.

This evening's craft beer Oktoberfest selection from my trusty basement beer refrigerator is downtown Detroit-based Atwater Block Brewery's Bloktoberfest Lager. I've not had all that many microbrews from Michigan microbreweries over the past year, but Atwater Block Brewery is a well known and respected brewery across the state of Michigan. Atwater Block has severak really nice craft beer offerings and I was anxious to give Bloktoberfest (a previous GABF Silver Medal Award winner) a shot to see if it would continue the trend.

Dumping the chilled 12 ounces of brew from the brown glass bottle into my pub glass, this beer poured with an extremely active and aggressive marshmallow two finger head that hung around for a good 5 minutes or so finally settling down to a frothy corona around the parameter of the top of the glass. Bloktoberfest boasts a tannish gold color with slight tinges of tawny red. It was clear with generous, visible carbonation. A good looking beer overall at this point. A strongly malt based scent eminated from the surface of this beer. It was sweetly scented reminiscent of cookie dough, bread and even a little cinnamon. Interesting enough for an Octoberfest beer. This is one of the strongest scented German style Oktoberfests that I've tried so far.

Taking down the first taste of this beer, I knew I was on to something pretty special. First off, there was a very nice presence of lacing down the side of my glass which I've always found to be a good indicator of the richness of a craft beer. It was a lot chewier and thicker than I imagined. Great feel on the tongue and malty to the max. Sweet and a little bit of gingerbread and spice which surprised me a little as well. A nice and mild hoppy bitter backbone balance it out very well and kept the flavor from going off to far in one direction or the other. A great, clean finish with a mildly sour aftertaste but nothing too distraction.

Atwater Block Brewing's Bloktoberfest Specialty Lager met and exceeded my expectations of an Oktoberfest style beer. No it wasn't the best Oktoberfest beer I've ever had, but it sure comes close in my book. Blocktoberfest is a very enjoyable and drinkable beer that I would certainly be able to imbibe in a few of in one sitting. It's very smooth, and easy to drink and has a special festive appeal to it that matches the fall season perfectly I would say. At 6.3% alcohol by volume, you probably don't want to go overboard, but that's just good sense when enjoying any microbrew. I loved Bloktoberfest and will give it a well-earned 8.0 out of 10.0. This is one Oktoberfest I'll be looking forward to again next fall for sure!

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A Microbrew Review of Great Lakes Brewing Company's Oktoberfest

Yes, October is here, fall weather is starting to make its entrance and it's finally time to enjoy all the wondrous variations of Ocktoberfest beers in all their glory. I've not always had the best experiences with microbrews and craft beers of the Octoberfest style (and had even less success with the so-called "pumpkin beers") but I'm still a craft beer enthusiast and, doggone it, I'm always open to trying new beers. That's why this craft beer blog was created in the first place.

Well tonight, I decided on trying out Great Lakes Brewing Company's Oktoberfest amber lager. If you didn't already know, Great Lakes Brewing is a Cleveland, Ohio-based craft beer brewery with a great track record of producing some pretty fine beers over the years. It's certainly been one brewery that I never hestitate to try something new from.

Great Lakes Oktoberfest lager was served tonight from an approximately 45-50 degree chilled brown bottle into a standard 10 ounce, unchilled, glass beer mug. A nifty black & white photo of several assumed German patrons in their local beer garden enjoying their harvest of brew during Octoberfest is featured on the label. In addition, an "enjoy by" date of 10/13/07 is stamped on the label (not exactly leaving a whole lot of time to imbibe in this one being that it's Oct. 1st already. But I'm a trooper and I'll make the effort to try this one out under the pressure. I prefer a bottled on date myself but that's a personal preference I guess.

Pouring the beer into my mug, I discover that Oktoberfest is, as promised, an amber lager of great clarity. Not alot of carbonation going on here and the head is minimal at best and short lasting, even with an aggressive pour. Overall, the beer does look fairly handsome sitting in my mug. Nothing all that shocking in an extremely good or bad way either way.

This microbrew smells sweet, very heavy on the malt and almost sticky in its scent. There is a hint of spiciness to it as well (nutmeg?). I'm apt to believe at first wiff that this beer might be an autumn spiced seasonal judging just from the aroma. But, I digress.

First sip is hearty. It's a little chewier than I expected and the malty sweetness really dominates this craft beer. The malt does not go over the top however, and judging by the style, fits in right perfect on the scale. I don't taste anything in the way of added spicing. There are some hops in there, a fairly respectable backbone offsetting the malty sweetness just a tad. But this beer is not about hoppy bitterness. It's Oktoberfest afterall isn't it?

One thing I noticed is how easy the beer does go down, especially as it warms. Alcohol is more noticeable as it creeps closer and closer to room temp. I could see myself having several of this Great Lakes Brewing offering at a single sitting. That might not be all that bad, but this is a microbrew boasting a 6.5% alcohol by volume rating, at least on the label which I have no reason to doubt. By all accounts though, I thought this was pretty smooth and easy drinking.

My microbrew review rating of this fall seasonal beer is good for the style. I'd say it's substantially above average in my book. It did win a Silver Medal at the World Beer Championships afterall (according to the label which does not list the year that is won silver). I would certainly recommend this to any of my microbrew and craft beer enthusiast friends, even those who may not be crazy about this style. It does fit the style well and matches a good to great Octoberfest beer to the fall season which is what it should be striving to accomplish anyway.

I'm giving Great Lakes Brewing Company's Oktoberfest Amber Lager a 7.00 rating for the Octoberfest style and will surely enjoy several more of these before the month passes. I've got 30 days left though so there's plenty of time to enjoy a few other Octoberfest beers and pumpkin beers and you can bet good friend that enjoy them I will! I give Great Lakes Oktoberfest a thumbs up and I think you would also. Try it!

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