Oktoberfest - Spaten Oktoberfest

Since the calendar has now turned to October, it is time for the biggest beer festival in the world, Oktoberfest in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The 16-day festival lasts from late September to the first weekend in October. Since I am not able to attend, I figured the next best thing would be to profile one of the beers featured there. I am wearing the traditional Bavarian lederhosen as I type. If you believe that, I have a bridge I would like to sell you.

The beer in question is named, appropriately enough, Spaten Oktoberfest.

Appearance: Beer poured a clear copper color with a finger of fluffy white head. The head left dissipated to a nice foamy ring on the top of the glass (I used this mug, which is the closest thing I had to a traditional stein). Good carbonation present and nice lacing.

Smell: I mainly noticed a musty aroma. Take away the darker color and I would have confused this one for a Heineken based on the smell.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Like the smell, the beer has a musty flavor to start with a lingering earthy funk like a Heineken, but with a drier finish. The beer does mellow as it warms to a more sweet flavor and less funk.

Overall: This one was a good but not great beer. It is authentic, but not exactly hitting my sweet spot as it was a little too earthy for my taste. I will apologize for being so ethnocentric, but I liked the Sam Adams Oktoberfest seasonal beer better.

Even though I can't be there, I still enjoyed seeing the sights from Oktoberfest. For some shots from the festival, see Oktoberfest.

Cheers!