Brewtopia Events
Oktoberfests 2000
Tasting Comments
Owen Ogletree (director of Brewtopia Events) gathered together some of his fellow beer lovers at Athens' Burntstone Brewhouse to sample and comment on several Oktoberfest beers available in Georgia in the fall of 2000.  This beer sampling was done as a blind tasting where no one was aware of the brand that was being served each time.  Beers were informally judged and ranked according to American Homebrewers Association (AHA) style guidelines.  This sampling was conducted in October, 2000.  Drop Owen an email to share your comments and opinions.

Beers provided by ABC Package, 2303 W. Broad St., Athens, GA 706-549-1686.
ABC has one of Athens' best selections of beer and wine!

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Commercial Beers -- Blind Tasting Comments...

More beer destinations on our Brewtopia Events webpage...

  
Wow!  This beer reviewing is hard work, but someone has to do it.
(L to R): Tommy Hall (in diaper), Dan Hall, Owen Ogletree, Marilyn Hall, Dean Graves, and Mike Hope.  We'd like to thank Burntstone Brewhouse for hosting us!

Each beer was ranked with an informal score of 1-10.
(10 - a fresh, perfect beer for its style / 1 - a beer that is completely not to style)

Style Description

Marzen/Oktoberfest -- These lagers are characterized by a medium body and broad range of color.  Oktoberfests can range from golden to reddish brown.  Sweet or toasty maltiness should dominate slightly over a clean hop bitterness.  Malt character should be toasted rather than strongly caramel.  Hop aroma and flavor should be low but notable.  Fruity esters are minimal, if perceived at all.  Diacetyl (butterscotch flavors) and chill haze should not be perceived.

Beck's
Score: 4.  Aroma:  slight Munich malt, light aroma, a bit light-struck (skunky).
Color:  light copper.
Flavor:  metallic, low hops, not very malty, low caramel, low toast, a tiny bit fruity?  Drinkable, but not extremely impressive.

Dogwood Oktoberfest
Score: 5.  Aroma:  yeasty and a bit fruity.
Color:  dark end of Oktoberfest scale, clear, beautiful color.
Flavor:  woody, oaky, malty, slightly fruity, a bit ale-like, roasted malt hints, could be a bit cleaner.  A delicious beer, but not perfect for style.

Hacker-Pschorr
Score: 7. Aroma:  German/noble hops, malt, rich, floral.
Color:  dark copper.
Flavor:  caramel, tastes like it smells, tea-like, good malt/hops balance, rich, flavorful.

Harpoon Oktoberfest
Score: 5.  Aroma:  light toast, maybe a bit of corn.
Color:  copper, beautiful.
Flavor:  bitterness is apparent, a bit too dry, body is light, a touch of corn in the flavor, a little thin, but very drinkable.

Paulaner
Score: 8.  Aroma:  smooth, toast, malt, caramel, wonderful.
Color:  amber.
Flavor:  caramel and toast, hops are well balanced with the malt, malty, medium body, close to perfect.

Sam Adams Oktoberfest
Score: 4.  Aroma:  sweet, malty, butterscotch?, prune, a bit of fruit, banana?
Color:  dark amber, nice.
Flavor:  tasty, but not quite to style, too fruity, too complex, too malty, hops are hidden, banana ester is strange, tastes almost Belgian, alcohol flavor, earthy, may be an old bottle, strong with a fuller body.

Spaten
Score: 6.  Aroma:  malt, a bit light-struck (skunky?).
Color:  dark gold, light amber.
Flavor:  a little sweet, slightly bitter, good malt, toasty, a bit metallic, dry bitterness is there in the finish, not bad at all.

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