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...
New Belgium’s Hoptober Golden Ale
Here's another beer that I picked up from Gail's Hops and Grapes recently as I started collecting some of the fall seasonals for tasting. There is definitely one thing I need to keep in mind about New Belgium Brewing in Ft. Collins, Colorado. They are definitely outside of the box. What you might expect from the isn't always, or usually, what you will get. I like this beer, but I'm going to whine a little about it as well...
This beer poured a beautiful golden color as possibly anticipated by the Golden Ale on the label. The head was nice and foamy and left a fantastic lacing on the glass. The lacing was pretty enough that I almost wanted to make a photo of that... The hop presence in this beer is duly noted by the name of the beer and the flavor and aroma that arises from this glass. This beer has a rather light and crisp body which is representative of some of my favorite summertime drinks, but the hop bill here creates something rather delicious and new. From the bottle:
Five hops and four malts make HOPTOBER Golden Ale a veritable cornucopia of the earth. Pale and wheat malt are mashed with rye and oats to create a medium bodied ale with a cream mouth feel. Centennial, Cascade, Sterling, Willamette, and Clacier hops form a bonfire of citrus notes, fruity cheers and a bold finale.
I can't really argue with any of that. This is an excellent beer at 40 IBU and 6.0% ABV. My bitch with this beer is simply that it ain't what I was lookin' for. I only wish they had named this beer something else. Any beer name that contains, alludes to, or summons the idea of the month of October in its name must contain caramel and toasted malt notes with medium to heavy body and an amber to orange hue and minimal hop notes ;) I think New Belgium's offering could very appropriately be named "Harvest Ale" or something along those lines...
Maybe I'm just getting to be old enough that change isn't something I can deal with as easily :)
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...
Wacko Summer Seasonal
Wrapping up my current batch of summer brews is Magic Hat Brewing Company's Wacko Summer Seasonal. This is definitely one of the more uniquely colored beers I have had in a while. It poured with a nice thick head and an interesting reddish color in the glass. Wacko is brewed in the style of an English Ale and fermented with an addition of beet sugar to produce the color and unique sweetness of this hot day thirst quencher. At 4.5% ABV and only 15 IBUs, this sweet malty brew makes a great choice in the heat of late July and early August. It's a very light bodied thirst quencher that I highly recommend giving a try. From the website:
Crisp like the morning, cool like the evening and quenching all day long. It's the beer that dances to the beat of summer. Pop the top and set your summer loose. Wacko is the song of summer.
The availability of this beer may make it difficult to find... Grab a sixer if you see one sitting in a beer cooler somewhere :)
Skinny Dip
I went up to Gail's Hops and Grapes this afternoon to pick up a couple sixers to cover me for the weekend since my homebrew stash is getting rather low. I decided to try out a couple new summer seasonals beginning with New Belgium Brewing's Skinny Dip Beer.
As I was reading the label on the Skinny Dip, I saw something that really struck me as being odd in the beer world. This beer is labeled as a summer seasonal brew which traditionally means you have a lighter bodied beer that is a little lower than normal in alcohol and normally seasoned with a hint of fruit. This beer, however, plainly stated "full-bodied." That comment made me curious, so I decided to give it a try.
Skinny Dip pours with a rich golden color and a nice foamy head that sticks around in a thinner form for the entire glass. This is a sweet malty beer with some noticeable hop presence, but the kaffir lime comes through in the aroma a little more than in the flavor, but it does show a presence. My opinion of the body of this brew is not quite "full" but a little more on the medium side. At 4.2% ABV, this beer is what I like to call a summer quaffer or even a lawnmower beer. You can work this brew all afternoon without getting too sloshed to do anything else ;)
I'm still looking forward to brewing my own 'summer quaffer' on Sunday afternoon...
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