Yuengling Oktoberfest

When I saw Al’s of Hampden tapped the new Yuengling Oktoberfest, I decided I had to go over and order a draft. The beer pours an amber color with a thin frothy off-white colored head. The aroma is malty with a caramel sweetness and some spicy and peppery hops. The taste has a big malty profile with some caramel smoothness. Most notably, there is a dry peppery and grassy hop finish. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be approximately 5.5% ABV. I would say that Yuengling has provided a solid marzen, but you should know that it is a little drier than most and not quite as smooth. However, it does stand apart from the rest of the marzen crowd.

Blue Point Oktoberfest

My coworker Greg brought me a bottle Blue Point Oktoberfest straight from Long Island. The beer pours a copper color with a frothy white head. The aroma consists of sweet malts, light sour hops, hints of caramel, and faint butterscotch. The taste is smooth and sweet as expected with this style with a large helping of malts and caramel and lots of carbonation. The beer actually has a little bit of a hop bite before the hops transition into a sour accent. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. Blue Point has provided a solid performer in the Oktoberfest category. I might say that it is a little too sweet, despite the hop kick that it does have.

Iron Hill Oktoberfest

I ordered an Oktoberfest at Iron Hill in West Chester on my last visit there. The beer pours an amber color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of malts and caramel with light hops. The taste is big on caramel and malts with a perfect sour hop balance. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV, which I thought was high for an Oktoberfest. Iron Hill has provided a top notch Oktoberfest offering with a perfect balance of sweetness and sour hops. I recommend grabbing this one while it lasts.

Great Lakes Oktoberfest

I ordered a glass of Great Lakes Oktoberfest from TJ's in Paoli. The beer pours a caramel color with a thin bubbly white head. The aroma is sweet and malty with caramel coming to the front of the nose and pronouncing itself. The taste is smooth, sweet, and malty with lots of caramel. There is a delicate sour hop balance on the finish. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. This offering from Great Lakes is one of the best Oktoberfest beers that I have had, and I would highly recommend picking up a six-pack or ordering a draft if you get the opportunity.

Matt and Mike's Homebrew

My friends Matt and Mike have their own homebrewing operation and asked if I would like to try their beer. I obviously accepted and offered to give them some blog space in return for the beers. I hope to venture into homebrewing in the near future, so the final product of a homebrew complete interests me.

The first beer I tried was the Oktoberfest. The beer has an amber color with a thin white bubbly head. It smells sweet and malty. The taste is sweet and malty with a slight sour finish. I liked the freshness and flavoring, and it had a perfect sour finish.

The second beer I had was the Dunkleweizen. The beer has a dark amber color with a thin filmy head. The smell consists of sweet malts and alcohol. The taste is malty and alcohol bite on finish. I thought that the Dunkleweisen was pretty tasty.

The third beer I had was the Belgian Abbey. The beer has a gold color with a light head. The smell consists of sweet malts. The taste is packed with alcohol and and malts. This was my favorite of the six-pack I was provided and is a very tasty abbey.

The fourth beer I tried was the Irish Stout. The beer has a dark brown color with a nice tan head. The beer smells of toasted malts. The taste is light chocolate with toasted malts. I thought the Irish Stout was a multidimensional stout and I really like it.

The fifth beer I had was the Bavarian Wheat with American Yeast. The beer has copper color with a lofty foamy white head. The smell is lightly hoppy and smells of wheat. The taste is sweet and full of yeast and light malts. It was a light beer with great taste.

The sixth and final beer I had was the Bavarian Wheat with Belgian Yeast. The beer has a copper color with a think bubbly head. The smell is malty and sweet. The taste is very good and sweet with a good alcohol finish. The interesting fact about the Bavarian Wheat beers is that the yeast was the only variation between the two beers and the character of the two beers is completely different.

Samuel Adams Oktoberfest

I'm not sure why I haven't had a glass of Samuel Adams Oktoberfest this year, but I ordered one with dinner the other night. The beer is amber in color with a light frothy head. It smells malty with hints of sourness. The taste is nice and malty. The surprise with this beer is the light carbonation on the tongue that tickles the tongue a bit. The alcohol content is 5.7% ABV, I thought that the Sam Adams Oktoberfest was a very good Oktoberfest, one that I would order again and again.

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.

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.

Leinenkugel Oktoberfest

Due to positive previous experience with the Leinenkugel brand, I picked up a six-pack of their Oktoberfest at Wegman's. The beer is amber in color with a light malty and sweet aroma. There is a thin head that does not linger long. The Oktoberfest has a malty sweet taste with a slight crisp hop finish. I detected a light caramel undertone. The alcohol content is 5.1% ABV. I thought that Leinenkugel has a solid Oktoberfest and would drink it again. It isn't the best Oktoberfest beer out there, but it is solid, as I have come to expect from Leinenkugel.

Spaten Oktoberfest

I was at McGrath's when they tapped Spaten Oktoberfest, so I decided to order a glass of it. The beer is dark amber in color with no head or aroma. The taste is sweet and malty with a slight hop bitterness. The malts and hops are balanced nicely. The beer finishes a little too sour, which surprised me. The alcohol content is 5.9% ABV. I thought Spaten's Oktoberfest was mediocre and not really too memorable, with the exception of the sour notes on the end. I don't really like it as much as other Oktoberfest beers out there, but I'm glad I tried a glass of it before buying a case of it.

Bell's Oktoberfest

To my surprise, McGrath's in Harrisburg added Bell's Oktoberfest to their draft line-up. I had not previously been aware that Bell's had an Oktoberfest beer, but I was not reluctant to give it a try. The beer is copper in color with minimal aroma. I was not able to pick up any scent. The taste is smooth and malty with a subtle bite. It is very clean and smooth. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. I thought that Bell's delivers a very solid and enjoyable Oktoberfest. The quality that is put into their other beers has carried over to this one and leaves the drinker satisfied.