Sam Adam’s Oktoberfest Beer
03. Feb, 2010 
9 Comments
Hey everybody and welcome back to the Brew Review.
Sorry guys (and ladies), but I am making another trip back in time to fall. I hope you don’t mind me reviewing another seasonal in the wrong season, but sometimes you just have to review what you have. And in my case it was a mixed pack with a bunch of Seasonals. I definitely don’t mind and I really like the Ocktoberfest and fall seasonals, they go down smooth and have a lot of flavor. So let’s get to it.
I removed the about brewery part of this review. We all know who Sam Adam’s if you care about knowing what year they open look at a bottle or check out their website if you really liked that part of the site let me know and I will bring it back. But it was getting monotonous and distracting me from the review process.
About Sam Adam’s Oktoberfest Beer
Sam’s Oktoberfest is brewed with 5 types of malts, German hops, and a has a hint of caramel sweetness to it. The color is supposed to be an amber hue to represent the season. Oktoberfest is 5.9% ABV and is available August – October.
My review
The Package
The Sam Adam’s Oktoberfest package is nothing special when compared to the some other beers. But it is solid and has the strength the Sam Adam’s logo which is why you will pick this beer up when looking for an Oktoberfest. You have drank Sam before you will drink it again, and you will know it is brewed well and that it tastes good. There is not much more you can ask a label to do.
The Pour
Look at that head! You get a big off white head on top of that dark red / brown body. This beer pours very nicely. Not much lacing as you drink it down, but you find a little bit of that head remains along the sides of the glass.
The Nose
Sam’s Oktoberfest didn’t give me much on the nose. A little sweetness and a malty smell other than that it was very “aromatically challenged”.
The Palate
On the Palate Oktoberfest is very nice. I have really no complaints about this beer. It has a good balance of malts and hops creating a really good mouth feel. The malts come through immediately and stay through the finish leaving you a little dry. The hops dance on your tongue giving you a pleasant sharpness. There is something sweet going on in there too. A little candy like flavor. It is not predominant, but you can definitely tell it is there.
I just read a really great article on Marzens aka the Oktoberfestbier in Beer magazine that really was informative. I need to break out of just reviewing beer and really get into explaining beer too. Look for a couple of upcoming posts on Barley wine and Marzens.
The Rating
3.5 out of 5 Beers
The Discussion
What is your favorite Oktoberfest Beer? Why do you like them or dislike them? Be sure to use the comments below to discuss and rate these beers along with me. No point in me talking to myself in here. If you really liked this post be sure to subscribe to get our articles emailed directly to you.
Related posts:
- New Holland Brewing Company’s Ichabod I love all things fall. I love the temperature, the...
- Upland Brewery’s Winter Warmer Barley Wine Welcome back to the Brew review. Today edition leads us...
- Upland Brewery’s Dragonfly IPA A Hoosier beer. Something brewed in the good old state...
- Leinenkugel’s Fireside Nut Brown Ale The Fireside Nut Brown Ale is the closest thing we...
- 3 Floyds Brewing Company’s Gumball Head Living in Valparaiso, IN is a treat as a beer...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
The only thing I really remember about this beer was the malty flavor to it. I had no idea that it had “5 types of malts” though! Halfway through the beer the malty flavor does simmer down a bit and then is thoroughly enjoyable.
I would give this a the same rating of around 3-3.5 compared to all beers, but compared to the Sam Adams brewery as a whole it would rank at a 2.
This beer is very malty. But I think it is well balanced with the hops they put in it and it really takes away a lot of the malt flavor.
I think Sam Adam is average in general. It is something that I would definitely drink when it is around. And I enjoy about all of their beers, but I don’t go out looking for them.
Goose Island really tickles my fancy and has a pretty similar price point.
You are right, its definitely not the best of Sam’s seasonal beers, but its damn good compared to other Oktoberfest beers. I’ve tried several of them that I could barely finish so this one is near the top of the pack. I do think this is somewhere between a 2 and a 3 compared to Sam’s other brews, but that’s just a personal taste preference for me. When compared to other to other Oktoberfest beers I think it deserves at least a 4. I’ve had this beer several times and will have several more of them next fall when its released again. Ohh, and if you couldn’t tell, this is my favorite Oktoberfest beer.
Drinking another Sammy right now. Another seasonal lets see how it goes.
Now you’re getting much closer Adam! (see my response to you’re I like dark beer comment under the Grolsch review) I’ve always liked this beer and anything Sam has made dark. And I’ve had several of all of them. I like the review but I don’t agree with the “nose” comment. I think Sams’ dark beers & ales just want to make you stick your nose in the heads. They’re the closest thing America has to a real beer brewer! Whether it’s the hops, the malts or the barley’s the darker and richer the better!
Now that your getting closer, make me thirsty for beer again my friend!
A couple of days until the Dark Lord cometh. This beer is beyond anything you have ever had.
when you do the Dark Lord you have to post that video you shot with it. Now that I have seen it, describing it with typed words just won’t do it justice, everyone will need to actually see it for themselves to really grasp how dark and thick it is.
I want to, but I will have to buy a USB cable for my phone. The file is too big to send via the interwebs. I was writing up the review today. I want it to be my next review.