Found a couple of Oktoberfests on the shelves a little early. Apparently the Wisconsin calendar is a month ahead??
Both were just ok. I had high hopes for the Central Waters (love their barrel-aged stout…) but it drank like a Bell’s Amber Lite. Not a bad thing I suppose, but not what I want for the style. The Capital had some punchy malt sweetness up front, then lacked spice or interest–blocky, meh.
Still, I’m excited for Marzen time.
phil, if the oktoberfest beers come in a month, then they’ll have missed the start of oktoberfest 
Sometime last week …
Fuller’s – “Black Cab” Stout
– tasted non-blind from a tulip glass –
– crown-capped 500 mL bottle –
NOSE: roasted chocolate; coffee bean; a touch sweet.
BODY: thin, foamy, grayish head; black color; medium bodied.
TASTE: roasted; dark flavor profile; nice pipe tobacco note; dry; earthy; at 4.5% abv., this might be more appropriately called a Porter. As a Porter: 8.5/10. As a Stout: 6.5 – 7.0/10.
**Thwaite’s – “Tavern” Porter**
-- tasted non-blind from a tulip glass --
-- crown-capped 500 mL bottle --
NOSE: slightly roasty; sweet malt; inexpressive to moderately expressive; simple.
BODY: loose head is grey/brown, and dissipates somewhat quickly; medium bodied
TASTE: roasted bitterness; pretty dry; straightforward; solid, but not great --- would like more depth; proper porter weight and mouthfeel; 4.7% alc. not noticeable. 5.5 - 6.0/10.
Not sure but the lack of a bright hoppy nose might very well suggest last years model.
Yet, a check of the neck label shows it is a 2012 harvest beer. ![[cry.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/853b6e76c6e8406be77a6727c2a27ad1672678b3.gif "cry"){kind=small}
found some old TN’s I never posted:
Acorn Brewery – Gorlovka Imperial Stout (Barnsley, Yorkshire, England)
Foamy, thin, light-brown head. Nose is moderately expressive, slightly sweet (molasses) and lightly roasted. Medium to medium-full bodied (lighter than I expect from a Stout). Palate is bitter with a somewhat earthy roast; hint of bacon. 6% alc. not noticeable. Good to very good as a Stout, simply too light to be considered a proper Imperial Stout, imo.
As a Stout: 7.0/10. As an Imperial Stout: 3.0 – 3.5/10.
The Kernel Brewery – “Citra” IPA (London, England)
Hazy copper-orange color. Thin white head. Persistent carbonation. Lots of yeast sediment in the bottle. Delicious-smelling citrus nose of orange and white grapefruit. I don’t even want to drink this because that means it will be closer to gone. Medium bodied. Palate is actually pretty light on its feet. Nice citrus hops, but not overly bitter. 6.5% abv. not noticeable. Classy American-style IPA. As an IPA: 8.0-8.5/10
Black Sheep – Imperial Russian Stout (Masham, North Yorkshire, England)
Black color. Thin, foamy tan head. Nose is expressive: sweet vanilla with a bourbon tone in the background. On the palate: ohhhhh yeah, baby! Da-yang! Thick, slightly sweet, molasses tones. Sweet rum barrel scotch whisky. Admittedly, this is much sweeter than I normally prefer my Stouts, but this is stunning. 8.5% comes through on the Nose more than the palate; really, the alcohol is very well-integrated. Sweet, sticky finish. Lip-smackingly good. As an Imperial Russian Stout: 9.0/10.
Birra del Borgo – Ke To Reporter (Borgorose, Italy)
– tasted non-blind –
– crown-capped 750mL –
Thin, foamy grey-tan head. Black color. Nose is interesting: plastic smell right away, then a very strong chai tea note thereafter; cocoa. Medium bodied. Frothy mouthfeel, with a thin chocolate milk flavor; slight synthetic/plastic note, too; On the palate, I don’t overtly notice the tobacco leaves this was brewed with, although I do suspect they influenced the chai tea note on the Nose. The plastic notes I’m getting on this beer are the same as those I perceived on another Birra del Borgo brew — I wonder if it’s their water, or the plastic seal on the bottom of the crown-cap … dunno. This beer has only been open for a bout 15 min. now – hopefully these notes will blow-off with some air. After more time: chai tea note comes through on the finish, which is long and of medium-light intensity; pipe tobacco on the front palate; my oh my, I’m really diggin this. Reminds me of the Ballast Point – Sea Monster Stout, but toned-down: if the Sea Monster is at 11, this KeTo Reporter is at a 4. This is a bottle conditioned-beer, non-filtered, and not pasteurized. 5.2% alc. not noticeable. 9.0 – 9.5/10
Odell Brewing Company – “Myrcenary” DIPA (Fort Collins, CO, USA)
Medium orange color. Medium off-white head that dissipates after a few minutes in the glass. Nose is classic DIPA: strong sweet/malty hops — very much akin to RRBC PtE and Avery’s Maharaja. Wow, this is smoooooth on the palate … but, don’t let that lead you to thinking this is weak; it’s not weak. Loads of buttery/grassy/sweet hops; sufficient malt — just the right amount, imo – enough to keep this beer from being pure hops; in fact, I’d be willing to bet that many who normally find DIPA’s too hoppy would like this; 9.3% abv is well-hidden. I’ve avoided Odell’s regular IPA b/c I’ve heard it’s a “balanced” IPA, and I can imagine that indeed being the case if their IPA is merely a scaled-down version of this DIPA. As a DIPA: 8.0/10
I haven’t posted most of the beers I’ve had over the Summer, but this was too good not to.
Stillwater Artisanal Ales- Existent
I’ve liked every Saison that I’ve tried from Stillwater, but this one really shines. Lively carbonated and creamy with an entry of chocolate and roasted malt, but it never overshadows the Saison base. Completely dry and funky finish- this is soooo goood!
Interesting, Joe. I still have yet to try a dark Saison (unless I’ve tried the Bam Noire, and just don’t remember it; I’m pretty sure I haven’t)
Really different than Bam Noire which I didn’t like very much (Bam Biere is much better)
Think great Porter mixed with a funky Saison. Perfectly balanced!
Maybe it’s time to give that Madruga Obscura Dark Dawn Stout that I pussed out on a try.
Hmmm, totally different than Bam Noire; ok. Not that that really means much to me at this point, other than I shouldn’t draw conclusions about one based on the other.
I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on the Madruga Obscura, as it’s the only JP beer I haven’t loved (and actually thought it was nasty).
Keith is right, especially from a retailer standpoint. By early October it becomes hard to sell a Marzen because everyone is looking for darker beers. We’ll release our Bobtoberfest in keg next week and in bottle the following week. It will all (180 cases, 16 kegs) be gone from the Brewery within two weeks and gone from store shelves by early October.
Joe, I agree – the entire Stillwater lineup is fantastic.
Stone Enjoy by 9/21/12 - good but not earth shattering
Revolution Double Fist Double Pale Are - Prefered this to the Stone Enjoy By (Score one for the home town!)
Stone 16th Anniversary IPA brewed with Lemon Verbena & Lemon Oil. Get the Verbena on the nose and a touch of bitter lemon peel on the palate nd that’s about it. Tastes like a Stone IPA
Visiting the family in Texas so I picked up Jester King for later.
Widmer Brothers Okto Festival Ale. My first Oktoberfest beer of the season.
Second up:
Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen
Third up:
Pyramid Oktoberfest Autumn Lager
Firestone - Double Jack
Stone - 16th Anniversary
Southern Tier - Oak aged Unearthly DIPA. Not in your face hoppy. Great citrus aroma. The oak cuts into the sweetness and gives a touch of creaminess to the palate.
Weihenstephaner Vitus- Initially I really liked this with it’s balance but after a while the clove profile became so dominant that it was unpleasant.
I have a hard time reconciling how this could have legitimately been considered “the world’s best beer”
After falling in love with Drakes Aroma Coma this Summer I picked up a six pack of their 1500 APA, nice beer, dry hopped line an IPA, it has serious citrus fruit notes both in nose and flavor profiles and is crisp and clean with a abv at 5.5%. I am enjoying less boozy beers as we slumber through the hot humid dog days of Summer.
Cheers…