Saint Arnold Oktoberfest Review

Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing Co. | Beer: Oktoberfest
Style: Märzen/Oktoberfest | ABV: 6.0% | IBUs: 24
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

First brewed back in 1997, Saint Arnold's Oktoberfest is the company's popular fall offering. While a somewhat traditional Oktoberfest beer, it has a bit of a trick up its sleeve. Initially planned to be a lager (standard for the style), a test batched brewed with the company's proprietary ale yeast was such a hit that the recipe was switched to an ale.

As for the rest of the ingredients, the backbone is built from three types of Munich malt, while Czech Saaz and Hallertauer hop varieties provide flavor and bitterness. Here's the brewery's description of the finished product:

A full bodied, malty, slightly sweet beer celebrating the Autumn harvest. This rich beer has a round malt flavor and an above average alcohol content perfect for a cool fall evening.

Believe it or not, but this is the last remaining Saint Arnold year-round or seasonal beer to be reviewed here on PintLog. Until they release something new, the only Saint Arnold reviews left to post are Divine Reserve releases. Let's see if they can go out on a high note.

Appearance: A barely hazy, reddish-orange body capped by a little less than a finger of bubbly and tannish head that recedes quickly and leaves little lacing.

Aroma: Lots of rich caramel malt accompanied by fruit, mild spice, nuts, and a hint of smoke.

Taste: A mix of dark fruit, mildly bitter and earthy hops, nuttiness, and just a hint of dark chocolate over a solid caramel malt backbone. The aftertaste features rich cereal grains and a hint of earthy hops.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with good carbonation and a dry finish.

Drinkability: Very drinkable, this would be a great choice for the dinner table or the beer garden.

Verdict: A solid Märzen, Saint Arnold's Oktoberfest is a tasty and drinkable taste of fall. Something to look forward to each year, like most of this brewery's seasonal releases.

Grade: B+

Flying Dog Dogtoberfest Review

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery | Beer: Dogtoberfest
Style: Märzen/Oktoberfest | ABV: 5.3%
Serving Method: 12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass

Continuing in the vein of autumnal beers from brewers with the word dog in their name, this time we turn to Flying Dog's Dogtoberfest. Flying Dog was started as a brewpub in 1990 in Aspen by two ranchers, George Stranahan and Richard McIntyre. The brewery is quite proud of its connections to gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Each of their labels is illustrated by none other than the good doctor's legendary illustrator, Ralph Steadman, and marketing materials prominently feature Thompson quotes. Some of their beers are even dedicated to and inspired by the man. As a huge HST fan, I think I might love this brewery already.

Dogtoberfest is a Märzen, or Oktoberfest, style beer. In the days before refrigeration, beer was not brewed during the summer. The last batch, brewed in March (German for March is Märzen), was allowed to slowly ferment over the summer months until late September. Oktoberfest (calling it Septemberfest would have been too obvious) marks the end of the off-season and is fueled by the now ready Märzen. Typically, these beers are malty, copper in color, and have a medium alcohol content.

Appearance: Light copper body with amazing orange highlights and great clarity. The head pours about one and a half fingers high and is a brilliant creamy off-white. Eventually the head settles into a ring around the edge of the glass that leaves only soapy lacing that quickly recedes back onto the surface.

Aroma: Caramel sweetness with a toasted malt body and a slight hint of hops. Somewhat thinner than I would have imagined.

Taste: Balance of sweet toasted malt and floral hop bitterness with the caramel sweetness and some nuttiness in the back. Like the nose, the taste is a lot thinner than I was anticipating. The flavors themselves are nice, although perhaps a little too bitter at times, but the problem is I'm just not getting enough of them.

Mouthfeel: Somewhat watery body with a good amount of carbonation. The aftertaste is pleasantly dry and bitter and certainly more intense than the rest of the beer would lead you to expect.

Drinkability: With the thin body, this beer is quite drinkable, though perhaps a bit boring.

Verdict: While the fundamentals of this beer seem strong (I got this line from John McCain), it's just too thin to really inspire me. If they really cranked up the malt on this beer, closer to what you'd expect in a Märzen, I think this beer would be a real winner. However, with the body as thin as it is this beer is simply an average Oktoberfest offering.

Grade: C