Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest Review

Name: Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
ABV: 5.1%

Tonight I'm doing something a bit special, as I will be doing two reviews of same style of beer made by the same company, Leinenkugel's. My first review will be their regular Oktoberfest beer, which is released around this time every year and the second beer I'll be reviewing is their Big Eddy Über-Oktoberfest beer.

With the case of many Leinie Seasonals, you're bound to find this in pretty much anywhere in the Midwest, whether it's a bar, grocery or liquor store; Though I'm unsure how widely available Leinie's is available in the rest of the country.

Leinie's Oktoberfest pours a clear orange color and a foamy head with excellent retention. The carbonation has a very mild appearance and the lacing is fairly decent.

The aroma has some light caramel to it, but the majority of the nose is grain adjuncts, cooked corn and some grassiness.

The flavor starts out with a mild caramel and Munich Malt-esque taste but aside from that it's grain adjuncts, corn, and grassiness make up most of the flavor. The finish is also quite dry so it doesn't linger on the palate

The body is quite light but the carbonation is quite intense for what it is, a sharp contrast compared to what I saw earlier.

There isn't really too much going on here: it smells like a typical adjunct lager and while the flavor somewhat resembles what an Oktoberfest should be, it just doesn't cut it. You're better off getting something else if you're looking for a decent fall seasonal.

Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest - 6/10

New Glarus Staghorn Octoberfest Review

Sorry for the poor & rushed picture quality

Name: New Glarus Staghorn Octoberfest
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
ABV: 6.25%

Continuing on with fall tradition, I travelled over the bridge to Wisconsin and acquired New Glarus' very own Staghorn Octoberfest beer (and another seasonal, look for a review in the near future!) I have heard some good things about it, and plus the label is a departure from most New Glarus labels in that it features black backdrop as opposed to white.

Staghorn pours a dark and mildly hazy orange color with a foamy white head. Not really much visual activity in terms of carbonation.

The nose starts out with some mild caramel and Munich malt notes. This is followed by some roasted barley, nuts, and yeasts.

The flavor is pretty consistent with the smell with it's Munich Malt, caramel, nutty and roasted barley profile. There's also a slight hoppiness to the flavor as well and some yeast and buttered biscuit notes.

The body is moderately weighted and the carbonation is on the mild side, making this a reasonably easy beer to drink.

Staghorn is a solid Octoberfest beer and the slight hoppiness helps add to it's uniqueness because you don't see a hoppy profile in an Oktoberfest too often. Mind you, it didn't blow my socks off but I found it to be enjoyable nonetheless.

New Glarus Staghorn Octoberfest - 8/10

Sam Adams Octoberfest Review

Name: Sam Adams Octoberfest
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
ABV: 5.3%

Fall is starting to rear it's head into our collective consciousness which means only one thing: Oktoberfest Beers. It seems this is the most widely available type of seasonal out of the entire year and pretty much every brewery has their own interpretation of this style. Now from an objective point of view, I've never had an Oktoberfest-Style Ale that has blown me away. In my experience, they've either good, okay or bad; Never great or excellent. Although I have heard whisperings and rumors that Leinenkugel's Big Eddy Uber-Oktoberfest is quite excellent....

From what I understand, Sam Adams Octoberfest is one of the most widely available Oktoberfest out on the market; If not the most widely available Oktoberfest style out there. So why not kick things off with something most beer drinkers are familiar with?

The beer pours a dark orange color with a filmy brownish head. There isn't much in terms of lacing and there's no carbonated activity as far as I can see.

Aroma-wise, I'm getting pungent Nutty and Munich Malt notes along with hints of Caramel, Yeasts and Toasted Barley. Slightly sweet and rusty scent, the latter of which is typical in some Oktoberfest Beers.

In terms of flavor, you have some strong Nutty, Bread Crust, Toasted Barley, Munich Malts and a slight Floral Hoppiness. Thankfully, no rusty taste to speak of.

The body is pretty light and the carbonation is also very light as well, though I think it does feel a bit watery at times.

Sam Adams Octoberfest is a decent beer though I wouldn't go out of my way to have it again unless it's on tap. Those who are familiar with Oktoberfest beers know what they are getting when they drink this.

Sam Adams Octoberfest - 7.5/10