The Great Octoberfest Recap

After a long weekend of Octoberfest sampling, here are my ratings, from left to right:

A note about the scale. (1) doesn't mean pure crap. It means it is barely an Octoberfest. In this case, all were good beers. Most just massively better than others.

Hacker-Pschorr - (10) excellent aroma, flavor, mouthfeel

Paulaner - (8) great flavor, nice and smooth

Holbrau - (8) massive flavor, less smooth, almost a bit harsh

Ayinger - (7) very well balanced, good flavor

Spaten - (6) good flavor, well balanced, just a tad bland in comparison to above

Sam Adams (3) just bland overall

Spaten Oktoberfest

12 oz.

5.9% abv

A nice Octoberfest. Very smooth and flavorful, but more on the smooth side. Just a hint of "green bottle beer" syndrome too, with a light funk on the aroma. Loads better than the Sam Adams, but rating less than the others I've tried. A good solid 6.

C'

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen

16.9 oz.

no abv given

Yes, another Octoberfest. This time from Ayinger, which happens to be located in Aying, Germany. This is the complete opposite of the last offering, as it is exceptionally smooth throughout. Not as strong as some offerings, but it just stays solid from aroma to aftertaste. A good solid 6-7 on the taste scale, without a hint of roughness.

C'

Holbrau Oktoberfest

11.2 oz.

no abv given

Another Octoberfest to sample. And like the Hacker-Pschorr below, this one has tons of flavor and aroma. It is almost too strong in the middle, with huge amounts of malt and more alcohol warmth than the others. While it is stronger, I think the Hacker-Pschorr is better balanced and smoother. Still extremely good though.

C'

Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest

11.2oz.

5.8% abv

Octoberfest number three in my series, as provided by mamacita-in-law. If the Paulaner was an 8 on the aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel, then this is a 10 on all counts. that doesn't mean it is better, it is just very powerful in scent and flavor. Huge nose, thick meaty mouthfeel, and tons of sweet malt flavor. It really is very good, but it is also "strong" in its Octoberfest flavors. if that makes sense. Almost a bit gritty too, with a real bite to it.

Now that i have a scale, I'll add that the Sam Adams version mentioned below, is a solid 3 or 4. It isn't bad, it is just considerably more bland across the board.

C'

Samuel Adams Octoberfest

12oz.

no abv given

I had actually picked this up a few days ago, as I started to stockpile my Octoberfest selections. All my East Coast beer drinking friends swear by Sam Adams Octoberfest, but much to their dismay last year's offering was universally panned. This years offering is better, but still suffers from the Sam Adams blandness. You could tell this was an Octoberfest, but everything is very muted in comparison to the Paulaner. Much less nose, much less malty sweetness. Also quite thin in mouthfeel.

We'll see how it stacks up against other offerings as the week progresses.

Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen

11.2oz.

5.8% abv

I had hinted to the woman that I was going to try and pick up a selection of Octoberfest style beers to do some sampling. I had only picked up one offering so far, and as luck would have it my favorite mother-in-law did some shopping for me! She dropped off a selection of six brews at Susan's work this afternoon. This was the first offering I tried. And it is yummy. Typical Octoberfest with lots of sweet malts and smooth body.

I'm looking forward to this weekend!

C'