Monthly Archives: September 2009

Review of Sam Adams Oktoberfest

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I picked this beer for my example of a more mass produced Oktoberfest. Now Sam Adams is far from a macrobrew, but as far as craft brewers go, I am thinking they are the most well distributed. So that’s why I choose them as my “Mass Market” craft brewer. Don’t get me wrong, Sam Adams has some very fine beers, and Boston Lager and Ale are two of my favorites. But I think someone would be more inclined to buy Sam Adams if they are delving into craft beer for the first time, rather than say, Sprecher or Green Flash. So with that, let’s review this example of the Oktoberfest.

     The aroma is fairly complex, with some great crusty bread notes, faint nobel hops, and a hint of vanilla. There is some sweetness in the aroma, and an almost caramel-like aroma. Overall it’s very nice, but the caramel is a bit out of style. Still, not as caramel-like as the New Glarus version.

   Well, you can see from the picture above, which is the actual beer I am drinking the beer is a rich copper color, a bit dark for the style but not too bad. The picture does not show it, but the clarity is very good. The head is outstanding, and as I finish half the glass there is still a 1/8″ layer over the beer.

The flavor is quite interesting. There is a stiff malt flavor. Very bready, a touch sweet, some mildly spicy hops come in late, then some mild malt. Overall it finishes slightly dry, which is very good for this style. I really like how clean this beer tastes. There is some complexity to it as well, but nothing is heavy or overpowering. This is a very easy drinking beer. The mouthfeel is a touch too thin for my taste for this style, but still has a creamy feel to it. It’s just a bit too watery in the end.

Overall a good beer, and a bit better example of the classic style than New Glarus was. The style guidelines call for a beer that is “Smooth, clean, and rich, with a depth of malt character” and this beer delivers that. I easily give this beer a B+ but would even put it into the A- Category if I was in a good mood :)   Seriously, the beer hits the style fairly good with only some minor issues, so I am happy with giving it a B+. I normally like to score in these reviews with a school style A, B, C, D, or F, but I am more apt to think of the beers in a BJCP scoresheet sense. So for those of you who know that range and how it plays out between 0-50, This beer I would have to give a 38,without the slight caramel aroma I would bump it up a few. .

Review of New Glarus Staghorn (Oktoberfest Beer #2)

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The second beer in our Oktoberfest flight is New Glarus Staghorn. This beer has been called by a few of my beer geek friends, an American Oktoberfest, although I personally like the idea, the BJCP or other sanctioning bodies that I have found, have no such style listed. For quick reference, here is the style guidelines that we will comparing this beer against.

The aroma is sweet and malty, I think it’s almost more Victory malt (due to the biscuit-like aroma) and some sort of light caramel malt. The aroma is quite clean with no hop aroma. The suspected Victory malt and caramel blend lends a biscuity quality to the beer, along with some soft caramel notes, which should not be in a traditional Oktoberfest. Which leads me to the American Oktoberfest comments. I myself am a huge New Glarus fan, like so many Wisconsinites, so I can see why some people may want to adjust the style descriptions to make the beer more acceptable in their eyes to the Oktoberfest style. But, the fact remains that caramel aroma is inappropriate for the style. I like it, but per the style does not fit.

The color is more to what I think of when I think of Oktoberfest, than the Hofbräu was. The clarity is very good, and although it poured a small head, it disappeared very quickly to nothing.

The flavor is good, but not great. There is the initial sweetness up front, but the overall malt profile is a bit on the weaker side. The beer does finish dry, and there is very little bitterness to the beer, which tells me the hops are just supporting the beer. The malt flavor is pretty much matching the aroma, with a bit of biscuity malt, some toast, and a hint of caramel. Long into the finish you continue to taste the toasty malt, which I enjoy a lot. The only issue is the overall weakness of the malt profile. In this style it should be rich and complex.The mouthfeel is medium/light which is in the acceptable range, and I get a slight creamy feel to the beer. However, not as much as in the Hofbräu.

Overall the beer is quite good, but misses the mark in some places for the traditional Oktoberfest style. As far as drinkability goes, this beer is in the upper crust, and does not disappoint in that department. It does have several of the key points of a traditional Oktoberfest, but has the caramel that is not acceptable which hurts it stylistically. I ask myself, is this an Oktoberfest? Yes it is. Is it a classic example of an Oktoberfest. No it is not. So overall I grudgingly give the beer a B-, the  points taken off are for the caramel quality, and lack of richness. But the rest of the beer hits the mark, and it’s so remarkably drinkable.

Review of Hofbräu Oktoberfest

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I wanted to first start of by thanking those who left comments for enjoying the blog. It’s good to know that some people share the same interest and find this interesting. So thanks for the kind words.

Second, I had a great time at Great Lakes Brewfest this last Saturday and will post more about it this weekend, when I have time to gather my photos on it and comment on this well put together fest. If you would like to attend next year, the date will be September 18th, and you can learn more at http://www.greatlakesbrewfest.com.

Now on to the first Oktoberfest review of the Oktoberfest season. I thought it would be best to kick it off with a German Oktoberfest, in honor of the origin of the style. The selection I have is from Hofbrau and is thier version which boasts a 6% ABV, which is on the higer end for the style. Like always, I will be comparing this beer to the BCJP guidelines for the Oktoberfest style.

The aroma is heavy with a Munich malt aroma, fairly sweet and clean with some very nice toasty tones to it. I am really liking the malt aroma in this beer.  There is some alcohol detected in the aroma, although light, the lightness of the style probably allows it to come through. There is some hops in there as well. This is also fairly light, but should not be present. I also feel that I must note that although this particular beer is in a green bottle, this one must have been taken care of quite nicely because it is not skunked. That was one concern I had when picking this one up. I actually looked forward to nailing this brewery for that, but since its not in this particular specimen I got, I can’t. But just be wary of that if you buy this one.

The color is a bit light for the style but appears to be at the low end of the acceptable range according to my color guide, and although I have never been to Germany, I have been told by friends who have been that sometimes the color tends to be even lighter than we are mostly used to seeing the states for this style. The beer is crystal clear with a nice moussey head, as you can see from the pic above of the beer I am drinking right now (although the glass is now half of what it was in the pic).

The flavor is very nice. There is a soft sweetness to the beer right up front, but the middle and finish are well balanced. The hops come to the party a bit later than the malt, but are noticed quite easily. They pop their cones in somewhere in the middle with a bit of a spicy flavor, and finish with a bit of a bitter note that fades very fast.  The beer does finish a touch sweet, but not too bad. The malty is bready, toasty, and rich with some quite evident honey notes in it as well. It think it’s and easy drinking beer. I do get a touch of alcohol in the flavor, but I am thinking it is mostly because I smell it, because it’s not really warming or anything you get when you usually can taste the alcohol.  The mouthfeel is medium, and quite creamy. It is very pleasant for this cool and foggy first day of fall evening.

Overall I really like this beer, and although not the classic example I think of when I think Oktoberfest, this is a well worth trying beer. The touch of sweetness in the finish is not big deal to me, as is the alcohol in the nose. The hop aroma in this beer is not a huge deal, but all these things ding against it for style accuracy, but regardless, it is a fine Oktoberfest. In the end, I give this beer a good B+.

Up next will be New Glarus Staghorn Oktoberfest.

-Jason

Oktoberfest

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Oktoberfest is right around the corner, and to celebrate, I picked up a mixed six pack of Oktoberfest beers to review from six different brewers. Five of which are American brewers and one German. Over the next few days to week or so, you can expect to see a head to head match up between these beers. I will be attending Great Lakes Brewfest on Sept 19th, so I will also comment on that. But that is always a great time.

Review of DueS Brut De Flanders

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nullAroma is of grainy malt and aroma is typical of wild fermentation. I don’t know if it is a wild fermentation, but I get a light, yet unmistakable aroma of brettanomyces. Some faint hop aroma. Very effervescent. Aroma is just like a weak geuze. I love the aroma. There is some fruitiness to it, similar to ripe pears. Good stuff.
It is not crystal clear as I expected but slightly hazy. The color is light gold and head is loose, yet long lasting. It pours just like a champagne, but the head retains a lot longer.
The beer is sweet on palate but dry in the finish. It is slightly tart, with some light fruit flavors, again it is very pear-like. The alcohol is evident as well as the brett. Overall the flavor is very light, with some sweet grainy malt and very little hop presence. The bitterness is just high enough to balance the beer and pretty much undetectable. Yet without it, you know this beer would have a sweeter presence in the middle. For such a light aroma the flavor is quite a bit more complex. Aside from the main stage of the grain and brett, there is some underlying spiciness to the beer that keeps things interesting. This beer is exactly what I pictured when I read about it. Not a disappointment at all. If you are a fan of brett beers, this one is for you.
Overall, a great beer. It’s not something I would purchase often, but for special occasions this is a beer lovers champagne alternative. You get the champagne experience and appeal with all the Belgian or Wild beer lovers indulgences. Plus this beer gets bonus points for creativity.