Winter is finally here, but before we delve too deeply into the season of snow and Barleywines, I would like to recap the seasonal beers that I have sampled this autumn. I have divided them into three categories: Octberfests/Marzens, Pumpkin Style, and Other Fall Seasonals.
Before I get into my reviews, I would like to let you know that I have been inspired to do more than just recommend the good beers I taste. It is not fair to the beer world if we only recognize what is good. It is important that we also recognize what is not so good, so unsuspecting individuals can steer clear of the uninspired beer and spare their taste buds. It would be too easy to slam macro brewers, so I will usually stay away from them and bring to light lesser known, yet still lower quality beers. Clearly not all brews are created equally, so maybe I can spare you from trying some distasteful suds.
Cheers and careful drinking!
Jason Arakelian Editor and Reviewer
Beers Reviewed in this Issue
Octoberfests/Marzens
Burgerbrau Wies' N Marzen (Germany) Harpoon Octoberfest (USA) Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen (Germany) Saranac Octoberfest (USA) Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Marzen (Germany) Triumph Marzen (USA)
Pumpkin Style Ales
Boston Beer Works Pumpkinhead Ale (USA) Dogfish Head Punkin Ale (USA) Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale (USA) Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale (USA) Triumph Pumpkin Ale (USA)
Other Fall Seasonals
Triumph Roggenbock (USA) Victory Moonglow Weizenbock (USA)
Octoberfests/Marzens
Burgerbrau Weis' N Marzen
This maybe my least favorite fall seasonal of the year. It had little carbonation, a thin body, and was not malty enough. The hop profile was not bad, which is the one positive I found. I could tell it was a marzen, but did not enjoy it like I have enjoyed others of the same style.
Harpoon Octoberfest
There is little hop taste in this beer just like there should be with a traditonal Octoberfest. The body tastes of caramel and slightly toasted malts. It finishes clean and crisp making it hard to stop with just one.
Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen
A copper colored beer with a a malty taste and a noble hop finish. It is more bitter than traditional Octoberfests, but it was quite enjoyable and had enough of a light toasted maltiness to compensate.
Saranac Octoberfest
This clear, light golden lager has a sweet aroma with an initial bitterness. It has an oily body and a lingering sweetness. Not quite an Octoberfest because it is too sweet, but not a bad beer to drink.
Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Marzen
This is one of the best that I tried. The light brown beer gave rise to a slightly malty aroma. The body was smooth and creamy and there was a lingering after taste reminiscent of wintergreen or root beer. This has the perfect maltiness that is not too sweet and just the right amount of bitterness with no hop flavors, which makes this the beer that is closest to the ideal Octoberfest in the bunch.
Triumph Marzen
This was a good beer but definitely not much of an Octoberfest. It had a grassy hop taste that is not characteristic of the style.
Pumpkin Style Ales
Boston Beer Works Pumpkinhead Ale
This beer has a great pumpkin pie aroma and is well balanced with the sweetness and the added spices. You can almost taste the crust, yet you still know you are drinking beer because it has the right amount of bitterness to finish.
Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
Dogfish Head brews some interesting beers and this was the first time I tried this particular one. It was warming for those cool fall nights and had a pumpkin spice aroma. The taste was of nutmeg and cinnamon finishing off with brown sugar. The alcohol content was too overwhelming. The spices were not well balanced with the maltiness. The aftertaste was great, but the beer itself was just okay.
Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale
I am not sure that there was actually any pumpkin in this beer, but it does not matter. The light orange color gave way to tastes of cinnamon and nutmeg. The malty body was enough to compliment the spices. This is a good beer if you do not like to be overwhelmed with spices, but want to enjoy a different flavor.
Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale
The aromas are of pumpkin and cinnamon almost like a freshly baked pumpkin pie. The malty body was complemented well with a spiced finish. This dark orange beer would be great with Thanksgiving dinner.
Triumph Pumpkin Ale
This sweet pumpkin ale finishes with cinnamon and nutmeg. The spices play well off of the maltiness, though it could be a little bit more bitter to make it more well rounded.
Other Fall Seasonals
Triumph Roggenbock
This cask conditioned rye bock was a real treat. If you have never had a cask conditioned beer, it is served warmer than you are used to, and the carbonation is lower, but the taste of the beer is more evident. This is the way many traditional English Ales are served. This beer is not a traditional English ale, as the English do not usually use rye in their beers. Its maltiness is accented by the spicy rye and the addition of caraway. If you close your eyes after finishing a pint, you will think you were just eating rye bread.
Victory Moonglow Weizenbock
This is one of my favorites of the fall. This reddish brown beer has a healthy head compliments of the wheat. The oily body starts off fruity with suggestions of cherry and turns to slight clove and subtle banana. It is warming due to its high alcohol, but is not harsh. The maltiness is fairly complex and rich making this a real treat while watching your favorite gridiron warriors on Sunday.
Fall Recommendations
Hands down the best Octoberfest/Marzen that I had this fall was from Spaten and the worst was from Burgerbrau. All of them have the ability to be session beers except the Burgerbrau, which I had trouble even finishing one. Pumpkin spiced ales may not be to everyone's liking, but there were some very good beers in this style. Boston Beer Works' Pumpkinhead was my favorite, but since they do not bottle their beers (as far as I know), you do need to go to Boston to actually sample this one. The Shipyard's and Smuttynose's interpretations were good enough to warrant another purchase next year, but I will probably stay away from Dogfish head's Punkin Ale, even though I have enjoyed many of their other beers in the past. The last two beers I had to throw in because I know the brewers only brew them in the fall and they are worth mentioning. Triumph's Roggenbock was a comforting beer and Victory's Moonglow is amazing. Hopefully you will be better informed come next fall, though most brewers start to release these beers in late August/early September.
World Brew Review Staff Jason Arakelian: Editor/Reviewer Emily Grant: Graphic Design/Editorial Consultant
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