The Final Fall Seasonal Beer Review

So it has been fun, but this is the last of this year's beer reviews. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and hopefully enjoyed a good brew or two!

Left to right - Leinenkugel's, Red Hook,
Blue Point, Paulaner, Blue Moon, Newcastle

Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest

This is a nice, rich German style Octoberfest - nice deep flavor. Those Wisconsin cheese-heads make a good beer. My guest taster says it has life and "a bit of zing." We both vote yes on this one. 

Red Hook Late Harvest
This Seattle brew is pretty good. It's kind of hoppy, but I didn't think it was overwhelming. Personally I found it pretty pleasant, but my guest taster thought the hoppy aftertaste was too much.

Blue Point Pumpkin Ale
This beer out of Patchogue, NY, got good marks from me and from my guest taster. It's light and smooth but not too wimpy - it's flavorful with a hint of spice. This is a very pleasant, drinkable beer.

Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen
This one is a genuine Oktoberfest brew from Munich, Germany. It is lighter than many of its American imitators, but it's still still spicy and tasty. 

Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale
Interesting flavor - you can still taste the wheat from a typical blue moon (which is not my favorite) but the pumpkin is also pretty prominent. As someone who is not typically a fan of wheat beers I like this one better than most. Still not as rich as some of the others. 

Newcastle Werewolf

They bill this one a "blood red ale" that "escaped from Britain." Actually that's about right, it sort of tastes (and looks) like a lighter amber ale meets the usually darker Newcastle. It's pretty tasty and I give the label fun marks for the tag lines and the werewolf claw marks. 

Fall Seasonal Beer Review - Part 3

So I enlisted the help of some guest tasters this week, and while the beer went down easily enough, the commentary was a bit sparse. You may have to use your imagination a bit. Or better yet, take a chance in life and try one a little blind if you're intrigued.

I promise to provide more robust descriptions next time in what will probably be the last post of this series.

Left to Right:

Saranac, Blue Point, Brooklyn, Dominion, Magic Hat, Long Trail

Saranac Octoberfest

This one, from Utica, NY, has lots of carbonation and some spice but it is a little masked. This one is pretty mild and one taster commented that it tasted a little bit like cider.

Blue Point Oktoberfest

This brewery is out on Long Island, appropriate since one of the guest tasters is from New York. Unfortunately this one was not a favorite, with the consensus that it was "pretty weak."

Brooklyn Oktoberfest

This brew was the hoppiest one we tasted that evening. It had a nice smooth taste, was not terribly spicy - it generally went over well. The only caution is that if you like lots of carbonation in your beer you'll miss it here.

Dominion Octoberfest

This one comes from Dover, DE. The comment from one of the tasters was "This doesn't taste like beer." Hmm - I actually think I've had this one before and you know I'm the first to call out a weak beer, but if I remember correctly I think I kind of liked it. Doesn't stick with me as the best beer ever, but let's just say I wouldn't exactly refuse it if someone offered.

Magic Hat Hex Ourtobetfest

This Burlington, VT microbrewery is consistently one of my favorites. I honestly don't think I've ever tried one that I didn't like. This one is no exception - it's pretty spicy and fizzy, just the way I like it.

Harvest Long Trail

This beer from Bridge Water Corners, VT, is billed as a brown ale with maple syrup. Honestly it didn't taste that syrupy to me, more just nutty, but pleasant if you like the browns.