Day #292 – Harpoon Octoberfest

Argh! The Rangers lost last night! Well game 2 is tonight and I expect good things. Here’s another Oktoberfest.

Harpoon Octoberfest

Harpoon is based out of Boston, Mass. This is their Oktoberfest, spelled with the English spelling, at 5.5%.

This beer pours a clear orange color with an amber touch. Fizzy bubbles from the bottom that form a white head.

Aroma is surprisingly hoppy. Malty for sure but definitely has a hop bite. Very nice! I like the smell.

Flavor is a tad bitter with hops coming through and a leafy, malty flavor as well. Not bad at all.

Cheers!

Day #291 – Leinenkugels Oktoberfest

Game 1 of the World Series is tonight so I’m going to be brief!

Leinenkugels Oktoberfest

Leinenkugel Brewing Company is based in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. They were bought out by MillerCoors several years ago which now makes them not a craft company any longer. This is their oktoberfest at 5.1%.

This beer pours a clear orange amber color with a foamy white head. The beer is bubbly and foamy.

The aroma is dusty, dry and leafy with a fair bit of malts here. Slight sweetness.

Flavor is dry, slight bitter and malty. Fairly easy to drink with a bit of a fizzy feeling on the finish. Bitter on the end.

Go Rangers!

Day #272 – Avery The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest

Something special is up for today.

Avery The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest

Avery came out with this gem a few years back, and it was advertised as an Imperial Oktoberfest. A few different breweries have played around with the idea of making an amped up version of the Oktoberfest style, but as the original style rarely has over 6% in alcohol, these “Imperial” versions of 9 and 10% couldn’t be true Oktoberfests. That’s why I have double labeled the style on this one; as an Oktoberfest as well as the more accurate distinction, Dunkler Bock. This beer has 10% ABClearIngs beer pours a clear orange color with a slight white head. Also has a bit of darker reddish hues to it as well.

Aroma is sweet malts with some berry type fruit. Bit of roastyness with a heavier malty backbone. Can’t really smell the alcohol but you get an impression of it’s intensity.

Flavor is sweet. Candy-like sweetness with a berry flavor and malts. No bitterness can be detected. Not bad; very different for a marzen. I definitely recommend you try this, if only to see a new twist on an old style.

Cheers!

Day #271 – Brooklyn Oktoberfest

My week of Oktoberfest continues with another trip to Gingerman. They’ve got a great Draught selection and always stock up on a variety of Oktoberfest beers. Today’s is from Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Oktoberfest

Brooklyn Brewing has been doing this one since 2000. It’s an Oktoberfest beer at 5.5%.

This beer pours a very clear reddish orange color with a nice white head.

Aroma is fairly straightforward. Malty aroma that has a touch of spice. Bit grainy and bitter.

Flavor is malty sweet, caramel notes and bitter tastes on the finish. This is pretty much what I think about when I think “Oktoberfest”.

Cheers!

Day #270 – Franconia Oktoberfest

Quick one today.

Franconia Oktoberfest

This one’s out of Franconia; a local brewery based in McKinney. I’ve had this beer several times before and in my opinion is one of the best things they do! Unsure of the ABV; estimated around 5.5%.

This beer pours a clear reddish orange color with nice rouge highlights. Tan type head.

Aroma is fairly sweet smelling; sweeter than I remember. Sweet caramel malts, grains and light sugar fill the nose.

Flavor matches the sweetness well. Lots of caramel malts, leafy flavors and sugary sweetness. Not too sweet but sweeter than your typical Oktoberfest. I think it works for them though.

Cheers!

Day #269 – Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen

OK so today officially starts my week of Oktoberfest! Haha even though it’s a Tuesday, that’s just how we’re going to do things here. I’ve got an authentic German Oktoberfest beer in an authentic German Oktoberfest mug. It doesn’t get much better than this…unless I was actually AT Oktoberfest. I can dream can’t I?

Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen

Hacker-Pschorr is actually brewed by Paulaner, which is a brewery in Munich, Germany. I actually remarked when I was drinking this beer tonight that it reminded me a lot of the Paulaner Oktoberfest beer, and now I know why. ABV 5.8%.

This beer pours a fairly clear reddish brown color with a slight edge of orange. Light fizzy white head.

Aroma is very similar to the Paulaner Oktoberfest beer. Light malts, some metallic notes, bitter flavors and a bit of caramel sweetness.

Flavor is dry, bitter and malty. Slightly metallic in nature. As it warms it grows increasingly bitter. Not my FAV but a cool addition to my glassware collection no doubt.

Cheers!

Day #266 – Rahr & Sons Oak Aged Oktoberfest

Today was an awesome day! It started off with a brisk 5K run sponsored by Fort Worth’s own local brewery, Rahr & Sons. Money that was raised for this run was donated to Habitat for Humanity. After the run we were treated to German style food, a live polka band and of course beer! The previous mayor of Fort Worth came by for the official tapping of the keg, an old German tradition used to signify the start of Oktoberfest. Rahr had on hand a large oak barrel filled with Rahr’s Oktoberfest beer. This is the first time I know of they have barrel aged their Oktoberfest, so I was very anxious to try it.

Rahr & Sons Oak Aged Oktoberfest

Unfortunately I was so excited to try this beer that I forgot to take a picture of it! However I did get a nice picture of the keg itself:

This beer pours a slightly hazy dark brown color with a maroonish hue. The head was very bubbly, almost like freshly brewed tea. Brown head.

The aroma is very woody, which I didn’t expect to be this strong as they only aged this beer in the barrel for 10 days. The wood characteristics are pretty strong but there is a fair bit of malty notes as well.

Flavor is again very woody. Lots of oak flavors that have a slight vanilla edge as well. Bit of bourbon flavor with some malty notes as well.

Very glad to have tried this, and shared it with good friends!

Cheers!

Day #264 – Real Ale Oktoberfest

More Oktoberfest beers! I’m glad these only come out once a year cause I will get super burned out on them after next week.

Real Ale Oktoberfest

This is Real Ale’s Oktoberfest. ABV 5.7%. What more need be said?

This beer pours a fairly clear copper orange color to heavier red tints with a very light amount of head.

The aroma is malty and surprisingly leafy. Lots of earthy tones in this, caramel malts and some added sweetness as well.

The flavor is also malty sweet, and dried leaves. Bitter finish that lingers with the malt leaves flavor. Not as sweet as I’d prefer it to be.

Cheers!

Day #262 – Rahr & Sons Oktoberfest

At the Ginger Man tonight for a super glass night!!

Rahr & Sons Oktoberfest

My Oktoberfesting continues with this one from Rahr & Sons. This is their version of the Oktoberfest which rings in this year at 5.5%. They made an Imperial version of this last year which topped 8%, but it appears they have scaled things back again for this year.

I certainly like my brand new Rahr mug. I have an Oktoberfest mug from them already but it was a different style and still from the old label.

This beer pours a dark reddish brown color with a nice creamy beige head. The head dissipates after just a bit.

The nose here was pretty nice, and about what I expected for an Oktoberfest. It is heavily malted with some chocolate notes and a bit of roastyness. It almost has a bit of a nutty quality to it as well.

The flavors seem to match the aroma. Very malty indeed with a slight bitterness near the finish. Sweeter notes of chocolate and gentle roast meet in the middle. I enjoyed this no doubt. I’ll try and find a pic of my older glass too.

Cheers!

Day #261 – Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier

Continuing on the Oktoberfest kick…

Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier

Found this beer on the bike ride yesterday as well, so I thought I’d feature it as well. Paulaner is based out of Munich, Germany. This is their Oktoberfest at 6% ABV.

This beer pours a slightly cloudy amber/copper color with a creamy looking white head.

The aroma is mainly malts, and very bitter notes. This has some metal on the nose and something else that is just a bit off. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is but there is something I do not like.

This strange flavor continues into the taste. It has a malty, bitter taste for sure but there is something else in it that turns me off. I probably won’t be getting this one again.

Cheers!