Beer #352 – Oktoberfest by Climax Brewing Company

Oktoberfest by Climax Brewing Company

Nothing like coming home to a lot of water on the kitchen floor.  It turns out that the drain pipe from the sink decided to give away making the water that was being expelled from the dishwasher leak out onto the floor.  Looks like a ride to Home Depot is on order to fix this issue.  In the meatime, with my tools in hand and a beer of course…I decide to blog first then fix the pipe later…

Beer #352 is Oktoberfest by Climax Brewing Company.  This Oktoberfest/Marzen is brewed right here in New Jersey and has an ABV of 6.2%.

Appearance – Amber color with quite a bit of an orange glow.  The head was just a sliver of white.

Nose – Hmm…it had a sour funky smell to it and a smell very much like baked apples.  My grandmother used to bake apples as a treat and this is what it reminded me of.

Taste – A sour taste hit me first followed with a heavy dose of bread.  There was a perfume like thing towards the back end of this also…all in all…a very odd tasting beer.  I started to think that maybe this was actually spoiled in some way.

Mouthfeel – It had a body just south of medium and some really low amounts of carbonation.

Overall – I’m not quite sure what to think here.  Did I get a bad beer or was this supposed to taste like this?  I think something was wrong to be honest as I researched this beer later and my observations on the nose and taste were quite unlike any review I found.  I have come to expect a quality product from Climax Brewing Company so I’ m thinking there is no way they brewed it to have these flavors and smells.  I’m not going to rate this because I feel this is a spoiled beer.  I will see if I can get this again in the next few days and will come back and update this entry…stayed tuned…

And then there were 13…

Rating: n/a

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Beer #338 – Oktoberfest by Sprecher Brewing Company

Oktoberfest by Sprecher Brewing Company

Did you get it?  Well if you didn’t…you better.  Steel Panther just released their 2nd CD/MP3 album today, Balls Out.  Absolutely brilliant…this is what heavy guitar rock or metal is all about.  And talk about the lyrical themes here…mind blowing.  I raise a toast to Michael Starr, Satchel, Lexxi Foxxx, and Stix Zadinia…this beer is for you!!!  Panther rocks!!!

Beer #338 is Oktoberfest by Sprecher Brewing Company from Glendale, Wisconsin.  This is the last of my Beer Of The Month selections…at least for this month.  This is a Marzen or an Oktoberfest with an ABV of 6%.

It poured the color of amber with a minimal off-white head.  The nose was really light.  It consisted mainly of caramel and bread.  The taste followed suit with it being quite malty with a slightly sweet caramel flavor and a nice crust from the bread kind of taste.  There was a bit of a nutty, earthy thing going here also.  It had a mdeium body, was light on the carbonation and was quite smooth.  It would be quite easy to drink quite a few of these.

This was a pretty solid brew for its style…definitely above average.  I was never a big fan of this style, Marzen/Oktoberfests, but I think it they have really grown on me.  Nice tasting, light in alcohol content, very drinkable…what is there not to like?

Rating: B

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Beer #308 – Oktoberfish by Flying Fish Brewing Company

Oktoberfish by Flying Fish Brewing Company

My last beer in my Oktoberfest fest…will this top the Brooklyn Oktoberfest?  Lets open it, pour it, and taste it…shall we?

Beer #308 is Oktoberfish by Flying Fish Brewing Company.  Brewed in Cherry Hill, New Jersey this Marzen/Oktoberfest has an ABV of 5.5%.

Was I surprised when it poured an amber color with a white head?  No.  Was I surprised this had a light nose with aromas of caramel and toast?  Nope.  I wasn’t shocked by the taste either…slightly caramel malts with a toasted bread like flavor.  It had a bit of a nuttiness near the end also.  One thing that set this apart from the other Oktoberfests I have had was that the carbonation was heavier in this medium bodied brew.

This wasn’t bad but didn’t set itself apart in any way and I wasn’t a big fan of the heavier carbonation here.  My Oktoberfest fest is now officially done and Brooklyn Oktoberfest was my favorite.

Rating: C

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Beer #307 – Oktoberfest Beer by Lancaster Brewing Company

Oktoberfest Beer by Lancaster Brewing Company

I think during the month of September and now the start of October, NJ somehow moved to Seattle.  It seems like everyday we have had rain…very annoying.  I don’t mind the rain but man…enough is enough.

Beer #307 is Oktoberfest Beer by Lancaster Brewing Company.  This is another in my Oktoberfest fest from the home of the Amish…Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Their version of an Oktoberfest or Marzen has an ABV of 6.5%.

Into my Yankee (go Yanks!) glass this went with a nice amber color with no head.  There was quite a lot of tiny little bubbles rising to the top.  The nose was light again with caramel and bread but no grassy hop like aroma from the previous Oktoberfests I have had.  The taste was mostly sweet (slightly) caramel with some bread.  There was a bit of wheat and grains here also.  It had a nice crisp finish to it, moderate carbonation, and medium body.  This was another Oktoberfest that was quite drinkable.  I guess that is the point since anytime I have seen photos of people with a beer in hand at an Oktoberfet in Germany, the glasses are huge.  They are 1 liter or 2.11 pints of beer…yum!!!

This was a decent version of a Marzen.  The version from Brooklyn was better though.  Prost!

Rating: C

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Beer #306 – Brooklyn Oktoberfest by Brooklyn Brewery

Brooklyn Oktoberfest by Brooklyn Brewery

Yeah baby!!!  Playoff baseball tonight with my Yankees going up against the best pitcher in the MLB, Jutin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers.  I have been lucky to be able to get to see the Yankees in so many playoff series since 1996 and I have enjoyed everyone one of them…win or lose.  It is a bit sad though to know that this is probably the last time I will get a chance to see Jorge Posada suit up as a Yankee.  I’m glad Posada will be getting some playing time this series with all the righties Detroit will be throwing against the Yanks.  Go get ’em Jorge!!!

Time to drink some beer!  Beer #305, another in my Oktoberfest fest, is Brooklyn Oktoberfest by Brooklyn Brewery.  Brewed in Utica, New York, this Marzen or Oktoberfest had an ABV of 5.5%.

I poured this in my River Horse glass and than I slapped myself, I have some nice Yankee glasses given to be by a friend a few years ago.  The color of this brew was a nice clear amber.  The head was off-white and small.  The nose was light, I’m getting the impression that an Oktoberfest or Marzen has that characteristic.  It was slightly stronger in the smell than yesterdays beer with the same caramel malts, toasted bread, and grass.  It had a similar taste profile also with a slightly sweet caramel flavor and toasted bread but where this was different was the the grassy flavor from the hops was more prominent.  It had a honey nutty like taste (the best way I could describe it) near the end that lasted into the aftertaste.  The body was medium and the carbonation was on the moderate side with just a slight stinging quality.  This was quite drinkable…I finished it a bit too fast.

I enjoyed this Oktoberfest much more than Sly Fox’s version.  I’m not quite sure I dig the style…I may have to have a few more to make that  determination.  Ah well…time to get ready for some baseball…lets go Yanks!!!!

Rating: B

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Beer #305 – Oktoberfest Lager by Sly Fox Brewing Company

Oktoberfest Lager by Sly Fox Brewing Company

I stopped by the beer store for a fill up and saw a bunch of Oktoberfest/Marzen beers…so I picked a few up.  Looks like for I will be heavy into that style for the next bunch of days.

First up is beer #305, Oktoberfest Lager by Sly Fox Brewing Company.  Brewed in Royersford, Pennsylvania this Oktoberfest has an ABV of 5.8%.  It is also canned…cool!

Into another Pennsylvania brewers glass, Victory, this went with a nice clear amber color.  The head was small and off-white.  The nose was light with caramel malts and and toast.  I picked up a bit of grass in the smell.  This was a tad bit sweet and had the same flavors as I picked up on in the nose…toasted bread, caramel and even a a slight grain flavor…kind of like Cheerios.  It left an odd aftertaste I couldn’t identify…maybe a result of the can?  Although it didn’t taste metallic to me.  It was pretty light in the body and had a lower amounts of carbonation.  It was very easy to drink.

This was OK…nothing to write home about.  One thing I have noticed about some of the beers I have had from a can is that they are so much better then one would think.  These ain’t your Silver Bullets and such…

Rating: C

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Beer #302 – Festbier by Victory Brewing Company

Festbier by Victory Brewing Company

Football night tonight…old cracked ribs and punctured lung Romo will hopefully be leading the Cowboys to victory against the Redskins.  Go Boys!

Beer #302 is Festbier by Victory Brewing Company from Downingtown, Pennsylvania.  This Marzen or Oktoberfest has an ABV of 5.6%.

It had quite the nice brownish amber color with just a very small tan head.  The aroma was kind of light with some hints of roasted malts and caramel.  Throw in a little bread and a nuttiness and you have the nose.  It tasted liked it smelled with roasted malty flavor, a caramel flavor that wasn’t all that sweet, and bread.  Near the finish, I got…bear with me…a flavor that reminded me of pretzels.  That was quite interesting.  It had a medium body, a nice amount of carbonation, was a bit crisp and at the same time…smooth.

This was a very solid Oktoberfest that is worthy of drinking this time of the year.  Prost!

Rating: B

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Beer #288 – Dogtoberfest Marzen by Flying Dog Brewery

Dogtoberfest Marzen by Flying Dog Brewery

As a Cowboy fan, I wanted to choke Tony Romo last night but I figured why bother, he will choke on his own…which he did.  Oh well…on to beer #288.

Dogtoberfest Marzen by Flying Dog Brewery is my brew of the day.  Brewed in the style of an Oktoberfest or a Marzen in Frederick, Maryland, this brew has an ABV of 5.6%.  This is just about the right time for this type of beer as Oktoberfest (a famous German festival) is just about ready to begin.  Get out those drinking mugs and lederhosen.

Dogtoberfest poured a nice amber color with a touch of red to it.  It had a thin white head.  The nose was caramel malts and an aroma of something similar to those old butterscotch hard candies I still like to this day.  It tasted mostly of caramel and had a bit of an apple taste towards the middle and back end.  It had a nice slight bitterness towards the end also.  The body was somewhere between medium and light and it had a moderate amount of stinging carbonation.

This was a nice brew that was quite easy to drink.  It was a solid beer that would make any Oktoberfest celebration quite enjoyable.

Rating: B

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Beer #155 – Hoss by Great Divide Brewing Company

Hoss by Great Divide Brewing Company

As the days roll on and my basement gets more and more  cluttered with all of the bottles from the past 154 beers…I begin to doubt once again if I will finish this little endeavour.  Not that I can’t finish it…I just wonder if I really want to.  Oh well…to that end…on to another beer.

Beer #155 comes to me from Colorado by the way of Great Divide Brewing Company.  Hoss (odd name) is a Marzen or an Oktoberfest with an ABV of 6.2%.  According to the bottle it was bottled on February 4th of 2011…pretty fresh stuff.

This was a pretty beer, a nice dark orange color.  Either my nose is busted or this was pretty mild in the aroma department.  I did get some caramel like malts…but that was it.  I didn’t get any rye and considering it mentions rye lager on the bottle, I thought this was odd.  Sure enough…the taste was straight up malt.  There was something here also slightly sweet, almost fruity but damned if I knew what it was.  Mouthfeel was typical, medium body with decent carbonation.  I could see one drinking these with ease.

Ehh…nothing here to write home about.  Average, average, average…did I mention it was an average beer?

Rating: C

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