Highland Clawhammer Oktoberfest
Today's sampling is from Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, North Carolina. I have had several of their beers before and always had excellent results and reviews, but this beer has a problem. I'm not sure if it's just this bottle or possibly the batch, but it has a bitter flavor that is very uncharacteristic of the style. It tastes like something is wrong with it. I actually poured this beer down the drain after 5 or 6 sips. Before I pass complete judgement on this beer, I'm going to chill another one and give it a try. If there is any difference in the next bottle, I will update this post with additional information.
My previous experiences with Highland beers have all been good. This is a brewery that I will always hold in high regards as well, so don't let this minor glitch steer you away from their wonderfully crafted beers.
*** Update ***
I opened another bottle of this beer this evening and it exhibited the same bitterness that the first bottle did. I poured it out. I'm going to try to talk to some others who have had this beer and compare notes...
Sam Adams Octoberfest
Here's another seasonal I picked up recently at Gail's Hops and Grapes. Before I continue on this one, I have a comment for any of my local people who might be reading this:
If you are interested in sampling the seasonal's being offered at Gail's, I have three bottles of each of the following beers that I will trade you three of something that I don't have already. I really hate buying six packs just to try a beer, and now I have a collection of Oktoberfests that I won't drink up myself...
Samuel Adams Octoberfest
New Belgium Hoptober (not a real Oktoberfest)
Bell's Octoberfest
Highland's Clawhammer Oktoberfest
I will trade these one at a time or in groups of three for any of the other fall seasonals if you want to mix up your tasting regimen without buying six of everything...
The Sam Adams Octoberfest, even though they (as did Bell's Brewing) spell it wrong, is a decent representation of the style. It poured a very rich copper/amber color with a thick head of foam. The malty aroma came through quickly and there are practically no hop aromas found that contribute significantly to the overall aroma. From the website:
The first thing you notice when pouring a glass of this seasonal beer is the color. Samuel Adams Octoberfest has a rich, deep golden amber hue which itself is reflective of the season. Samuel Adams Octoberfest is a malt lover's dream, masterfully blending together five roasts of barley to create a delicious harmony of sweet flavors including caramel and toffee. The beer is kept from being overly sweet by the elegant bitterness imparted by the German Noble hops. Samuel Adams Octoberfest provides a wonderful transition from the lighter beers of summer to the winter's heartier brews.
The Sam Adams Octoberfest is probably going to fall in the middle of the road of my favorites in this group this season. I'm not sure what is causing it, but there is a little bit of leftover bitterness in the aftertaste of this beer. That isn't characteristic of this style. This beer should finish on a sweet note with a caramel aftertaste if there is any aftertaste at all. Its not as full bodied as the Bell's and its got just a little bit crisper flavor. We'll see how these stack up to the Highland Brewing's Clawhammer Oktoberfest that I have been saving. I'm expecting it to be my favorite of the bunch so far...
Bell’s Oktoberfest
I have bee to Gail's Hops and Grapes twice in the last week to pick up several sixers of seasonal samplers. Fall seasonals, especially Oktoberfests, are some of my favorite beers. As you may be able to tell from my writings here, I love the malty beers. The girls at Gail's have been really clamoring over the Bell's offering this year. They say it's their most popular seasonal at the moment, so of course I had to give it a try. I am a fan of Bell's Brewery's products, and it's really hard to go wrong with one of their beers.
This Oktoberfest poured with a nice golden-orange color that isn't as deep as some I have experienced in the past. The thick head also looked appealing and it held on for the duration of this drink. The body of this drink is rather rich, and I would classify it as medium to slightly higher than medium with a beautiful caramel flavor with hints of toasted notes floating around. It has an excellent mouth feel and it isn't too crisp. From the website:
A coppery amber lager that showcases a full-bodied, malty flavor that is balanced by a refreshing bitterness derived from fine noble hops...
Oh well... the body level and character of a beer to a homebrewer is significantly different that to most beer drinkers. Let's just say that this beer does have a nice body overall. This style of beer is not known for any particular presence of hop character, so I'm not even really interested in discussing the hop value. These beers are defined by their maltiness.
It's good stuff... I'm just not ready to put it at the very top of my Oktoberfest favorites list yet. I have three more on hand to sample and I might pick up a few more during the season as well...
Abita Amber
I have been so busy lately that I haven't had time to drink much beer, which is unfortunate. I did complete a brewing session on Sunday, and I'll be reviewing my two previous brews in the coming week or two. I'm trying to get back on a regular sampling schedule, so tonight I'm sampling the Amber from Abita Brewing Company in Abita Springs, Louisiana.
This beer poured with a nice rich copper / amber color and a nice thick head. The head retention was decent and the flavor of this beer is definitely on the malty side with a practically non-existent hop presence beyond the aroma. It's rated at 17 IBU which is just on the low side for this particular style, but the caramel flavor is definitely nice.
In the greater scheme of things, Abita's Amber isn't something that really stands above many of the rest in this class. It's a good beer and it's one that I would likely buy again at some point, but after tasting it and enjoying the entire glass, I can't really come up with any definitive aspects of this beer that put it on a higher level. It's good beer, and that's about it :)
Gordon Biersch Märzen
Today's sample is another from the Gordon Biersch Brewing Company in San Jose, California. As for explaining the name of this beer, I'll just quote from the website:
Our most popular beer, Märzen is a smooth, mildly sweet, auburn colored lager. This beer originates from Barvaria where it was brewed in March ("Märzen" in German) and stored in caves to be enjoyed during warmer weather. At the end of September, any remaining kegs of Märzen were consumed during the two week celebration which became known as Oktoberfest.
This beer pours with a beautiful amber hue and a nice head that sticks around. The taste is accented by a wonderfully sweet caramel flavor and a mild hop presence. It rings in at 5.7% ABV.
My attempt back in January to brew this style was only minimally successful. My color was way off and the flavor profile is a little too much on the roasted side. The beer tastes good, but it doesn't fit this profile like I wanted it to. I'm going to make another attempt at it sometime in the future, probably in March just for nostalgic purposes. Märzen is traditionally a lager, but since I'm not equipped to ferment a lager properly, I will be making an ale version once again. I think my switch to the all-grain brewing format will help me properly brew this style in the future...
Homebrew – January Marzen
My January Marzen that I made back in January is finally coming of age. This beer has a really nice head and a very dark copper color. The color is actually darker than I intended it to be, probably because I didn't pay enough attention to measurements of my dark malts that went into this brew. The flavor is very rich and the combination of dark malt extract with the roasted barley and crystal malt gives this beer a nice caramel flavor with a toasty finish. This beer took a lot longer than I estimated to carbonate, but as you can see in the photo, that finally came around and looks really good. The flavor and body is excellent also, but it will still mature into more than it is right now. I plan to let this beer sit for several more weeks before I try another one, and I hope to save quite a bit of it to drink in October :)
