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. .