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Tis the season....for Oktoberfest!
So tonight I am going to have a mini-Oktoberfest!
I recently visited my local beer monger and picked up a bunch of new beers to try, as I often do, and four of them were Oktoberfest or Pumpkin beers, perfect for this time of year. And tonight, I am going to be sampling the four of them. Three are the normal 12 oz. bottle variety, one is a big bomber type. Should be amusing.
10:30 pm.
First up, we have Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale. It being a Blue Moon product (in other words, Coors), I am not expecting much, but we’ll see. It pours a beautiful dark amber/light red, with a fairly decent head. The nose is slightly autumnal, with a richness in the background, but nothing really standing out. It’s good, but you can’t put your finger on why it’s good. The first sip reveals a nice medium-bodied fall ale, good for serving to your friends. Not a lot of pumpkin spice flavor—it’s actually more of a red if you ask me—but rather tasty. It would go well with any autumn meal. I give it a 6 as a beer, but a 5 as a pumpkin beer, if that makes sense. It’s a good enough beer that I would apologize to Blue Moon, other than the fact that they promised a pumpkin ale, and merely delivered a tasty ale, with very little pumpkin.
10:52 pm.
Next on my Oktoberfest journey is Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat. I’ve had many wheat beers, and many pumpkin beers, but this will actually be my first pumpkin wheat. Truth be told, I’d never even heard of a pumpkin wheat until I saw this at the beer monger’s. It pours a bit hazy, which is not a bad thing for a wheat beer. It’s color is remarkable: a reddish-orange amber that somehow evokes pumpkins without actually being pumpkin-colored. (Remember, folks, all of my beer reviews are completely subjective and based upon my own personal impressions. Your individual alcoholic mileage may vary.) The nose actually caused me to gasp aloud. Yes, really. I can quite clearly smell the spice, those warm brown spices like cinnamon and nutmeg that are the quintessential pumpkin spices. (For those keeping score at home, this is the first time I’ve used the word “quintessential” in any of my reviews.) Basically, the nose screams autumn. But, what about the taste.
[pause]
Wow.
[pause]
Seriously, WOW.
[pause]
Excuse me, I have to taste this again.
Oh, the spices just jump right off the palate. Cinnamon, nutmeg, perhaps a bit of cloves. THIS is what pumpkin beer is about. Not a hint of pumpkin spices, but a smack in the face with them. In a very good way. And it is a bit wheaty, with the wheatiness being an undertone rather than the major star, but it adds to the tastiness of it all. The beer itself is a bit thinner than I would like, but Shock Top did not have a light hand with the spices. Serve this at Thanksgiving, and anyone with any taste whatsoever (i.e., not Bud Light drinkers) will thank you. Yes, I know that Shock Top, like Blue Moon, is made by an American megabrewer (Anheuser-Busch), but I don’t care. This is good stuff. Score: 7.5.
11:36 pm.
From Highland Brewing Company, we have Clawhammer Oktoberfest Lager. (And no, Highland is not based in Scotland, but in North Carolina.) This beer pours rather thin, with a slightly amber hue, but otherwise looks like the typical macrobrew megabrewer stuff. Not a good start. Like the Blue Moon, not a real noticeable nose, but there are some autumnal spice notes. So far, I am singularly unimpressed. But hey, let’s taste it, huh?
Hmm.
Well then.
Honestly, this is not a bad beer, but neither it is a good beer. It’s decent, with a hint of Oktoberfest, but honestly, to put that word on the label of this beer is bordering on insulting to the concept of Oktoberfest style beers, which are Marzens. This is NOT a Marzen. This is a lager that is waving a Marzen handkerchief out the window, without a clue what a Marzen is all about. Not all that different from Fat Tire calling itself an amber when clearly it is not even close to being such. In the end, this is an okay beer, drinkable, that I will gladly forget when I am done, and that does not belong on your shopping list when you are out for good Oktoberfest or autumn beers. Very disappointing. Final score: 4. And I’m being generous.
1:20 am. (after a break during which I had a sandwich and got engrossed in a movie)
This next one I am very excited about. Not because it’s the big bomber of the four, since if it’s not good, that just means more crappy beer. No, it’s because I’ve had their B.O.R.I.S. the Crusher Oatmeal-Russian Imperial Stout, which is absolutely killer. Seriously an amazing dark beer. So I’m curious to see what they do with an autumn beer. So, my friends, from Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Company (Akron, Ohio), this is Frog’s Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale. According to the label, this is “ale brewed with pumpkin and spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and clove).” Awfully refreshing of a beer company to actually say what they’re putting in a beer, don’t ya think?
This pours lighter and thinner than I expected, but still has a nice red-tinged amber color to it. Virtually no head. The nose….oh, the nose. THIS smells like an autumnal beer. THIS smells like a pumpkin beer. The spices are all readily apparent, as if I had just grated them myself into a glass.
Yes, I’m serious. Hell, it practically smells like what you would expect from a good hot mulled cider. Now, what says autumn more than that? I only hope the taste lives up to this heavenly nose.
And….it doesn’t….quite. The spices are all there, in abundance, but the beer itself is a bit thin. A bit light. A bit….not what I had hoped for. It’s the equivalent of a fantastic paint job on a good but not great car. The disappointment is large, as I expected so much from this beer. Of course, at 8.4% ABV, this beer is no slouch, and thus will make you happy, and not just from the taste.
That being said, it is still pretty damn good, and I have to give it a 7. Damn shame, as I expected well above 8 for this. *sigh* Just more proof that you never know what you’re gonna get.
So tonight I am going to have a mini-Oktoberfest!
I recently visited my local beer monger and picked up a bunch of new beers to try, as I often do, and four of them were Oktoberfest or Pumpkin beers, perfect for this time of year. And tonight, I am going to be sampling the four of them. Three are the normal 12 oz. bottle variety, one is a big bomber type. Should be amusing.
10:30 pm.
First up, we have Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale. It being a Blue Moon product (in other words, Coors), I am not expecting much, but we’ll see. It pours a beautiful dark amber/light red, with a fairly decent head. The nose is slightly autumnal, with a richness in the background, but nothing really standing out. It’s good, but you can’t put your finger on why it’s good. The first sip reveals a nice medium-bodied fall ale, good for serving to your friends. Not a lot of pumpkin spice flavor—it’s actually more of a red if you ask me—but rather tasty. It would go well with any autumn meal. I give it a 6 as a beer, but a 5 as a pumpkin beer, if that makes sense. It’s a good enough beer that I would apologize to Blue Moon, other than the fact that they promised a pumpkin ale, and merely delivered a tasty ale, with very little pumpkin.
10:52 pm.
Next on my Oktoberfest journey is Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat. I’ve had many wheat beers, and many pumpkin beers, but this will actually be my first pumpkin wheat. Truth be told, I’d never even heard of a pumpkin wheat until I saw this at the beer monger’s. It pours a bit hazy, which is not a bad thing for a wheat beer. It’s color is remarkable: a reddish-orange amber that somehow evokes pumpkins without actually being pumpkin-colored. (Remember, folks, all of my beer reviews are completely subjective and based upon my own personal impressions. Your individual alcoholic mileage may vary.) The nose actually caused me to gasp aloud. Yes, really. I can quite clearly smell the spice, those warm brown spices like cinnamon and nutmeg that are the quintessential pumpkin spices. (For those keeping score at home, this is the first time I’ve used the word “quintessential” in any of my reviews.) Basically, the nose screams autumn. But, what about the taste.
[pause]
Wow.
[pause]
Seriously, WOW.
[pause]
Excuse me, I have to taste this again.
Oh, the spices just jump right off the palate. Cinnamon, nutmeg, perhaps a bit of cloves. THIS is what pumpkin beer is about. Not a hint of pumpkin spices, but a smack in the face with them. In a very good way. And it is a bit wheaty, with the wheatiness being an undertone rather than the major star, but it adds to the tastiness of it all. The beer itself is a bit thinner than I would like, but Shock Top did not have a light hand with the spices. Serve this at Thanksgiving, and anyone with any taste whatsoever (i.e., not Bud Light drinkers) will thank you. Yes, I know that Shock Top, like Blue Moon, is made by an American megabrewer (Anheuser-Busch), but I don’t care. This is good stuff. Score: 7.5.
11:36 pm.
From Highland Brewing Company, we have Clawhammer Oktoberfest Lager. (And no, Highland is not based in Scotland, but in North Carolina.) This beer pours rather thin, with a slightly amber hue, but otherwise looks like the typical macrobrew megabrewer stuff. Not a good start. Like the Blue Moon, not a real noticeable nose, but there are some autumnal spice notes. So far, I am singularly unimpressed. But hey, let’s taste it, huh?
Hmm.
Well then.
Honestly, this is not a bad beer, but neither it is a good beer. It’s decent, with a hint of Oktoberfest, but honestly, to put that word on the label of this beer is bordering on insulting to the concept of Oktoberfest style beers, which are Marzens. This is NOT a Marzen. This is a lager that is waving a Marzen handkerchief out the window, without a clue what a Marzen is all about. Not all that different from Fat Tire calling itself an amber when clearly it is not even close to being such. In the end, this is an okay beer, drinkable, that I will gladly forget when I am done, and that does not belong on your shopping list when you are out for good Oktoberfest or autumn beers. Very disappointing. Final score: 4. And I’m being generous.
1:20 am. (after a break during which I had a sandwich and got engrossed in a movie)
This next one I am very excited about. Not because it’s the big bomber of the four, since if it’s not good, that just means more crappy beer. No, it’s because I’ve had their B.O.R.I.S. the Crusher Oatmeal-Russian Imperial Stout, which is absolutely killer. Seriously an amazing dark beer. So I’m curious to see what they do with an autumn beer. So, my friends, from Hoppin’ Frog Brewing Company (Akron, Ohio), this is Frog’s Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale. According to the label, this is “ale brewed with pumpkin and spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and clove).” Awfully refreshing of a beer company to actually say what they’re putting in a beer, don’t ya think?
This pours lighter and thinner than I expected, but still has a nice red-tinged amber color to it. Virtually no head. The nose….oh, the nose. THIS smells like an autumnal beer. THIS smells like a pumpkin beer. The spices are all readily apparent, as if I had just grated them myself into a glass.
Yes, I’m serious. Hell, it practically smells like what you would expect from a good hot mulled cider. Now, what says autumn more than that? I only hope the taste lives up to this heavenly nose.
And….it doesn’t….quite. The spices are all there, in abundance, but the beer itself is a bit thin. A bit light. A bit….not what I had hoped for. It’s the equivalent of a fantastic paint job on a good but not great car. The disappointment is large, as I expected so much from this beer. Of course, at 8.4% ABV, this beer is no slouch, and thus will make you happy, and not just from the taste.
That being said, it is still pretty damn good, and I have to give it a 7. Damn shame, as I expected well above 8 for this. *sigh* Just more proof that you never know what you’re gonna get.
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