Stoudt's Bock

Another bottle I picked up at Stoudt's brewery was a 26-ounce bottle of the Bock. The beer is a reddish amber color with a light frothy head. It smells sweet and malty. The taste is malty and sour, with slightly toasted malts and caramel undertone. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. I thought that this is a unique and delicioius bock, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you get a chance to swing by the brewery and pick up a bottle (only place it's available as far as I know), I suggest you do so.

Stoudt's Brewers Reserve Belgian-Style Quad

When I was at the Stoudt's brewery, I picked up a 26-ounce bottle of the Brewers Reserve Belgian-Style Quad. I read that this was a limited edition on the website, so I could not pass up the opportunity to try it. The beer is purple-amber in color with absolutely no head at all. It has a sweet fruity aroma, consisting of hints of grapes and alcohol. The taste is powerful, filled with raisins, bananas, and of course alcohol. I thought that it really kicks with alcohol, which causes the beer to finishes a little dry. The alcohol content is 11% ABV. Overall, I thought that the Brewers Reserve Belgian-Style Quad was an excellent quad that definitely packs a punch. If you are looking for complex beer with a high alcohol content, this Quad from Stoudt will leave you satisfied.

Otter Creek Oktoberfest

Another bottle I piked up at Barley's and Hop's was the Otter Creek Oktoberfest. The beer has an orange amber color and pours with no head. There is a slight malt aroma. The taste is a little spicy at first, but does not finish with too much flavor. The alcohol content is 4.8% ABV. This beer was not bad, but I did not think that it was a great beer either. I've had plenty of better oktoberfests, and I would recommend you bypass this one and try another.

Atwater Blocktoberfest

I picked up a bottle of Atwater Bloktoberfest from Barley's and Hop's. The beer is dark amber in color with a sweet caramel aroma. There a frothy thick head from the pour. It has a sweet malty taste with a carmel undertone. There is a slight sour finish. The alcohol content is 6.3% ABV. I thought that this is a good oktoberfest, and the caramel accent is delicately balanced with the other flavors in the beer.

Thirsty Dog Barktoberfest

I picked up a bottle of Thirsty Dog Barktoberfest at Barley's and Hop's in Pittsburgh (Hey Pittsburghers: Check this place out!). The beer is amber in color with a fresh malty aroma. The taste is sweet and malty with a slightly sour finish. Surprisingly, the beer had a toasted malt undertone which I have not tasted in any other oktoberfest. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. This was a very good oktoberfest, especially with the toasted dynamic. It really adds to the flavor of the beer and makes it an original oktoberfest.

Lancaster Brewing Company Oktoberfest

I stopped into Lancaster Brewing Company to grab some food and a glass of their Oktoberfest. The beer is amber in color with a light frothy head. It has a malty aroma.The taste is sweet and malty with crisp hops on the tongue. There is also a slight hint of caramel. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This was an excellent oktoberfest beer, and the freshness was apparent. It actually ranks up there as one of my favorite oktoberfest beers. I plan on making a return visit for another pint or two.

Troegs Mad Elf

I stopped by Troegs and they had freshly bottled 22-ounce pounders of Mad Elf available, so naturally I picked one up for myself. This is the most anticipated beer of the year for me. The beer is reddish amber in color with a creamy frothy head. It smells sweet of alcohol and cherries. The taste is slightly bitter chocolate with cherry hints. It finishes a little sweet with a honey undertone. The alcohol content is 11% ABV. This is the freshest I have ever tasted Mad Elf, and it was excellent. Letting the beer warm up a little too helps release all of the flavors on your tongue. The crispness of the hops hitting with the slight sourness of the cherries and sweetness of the chocolate and honey will make your tongue dance like the “visions of sugar plums.”