A Year of Craft Beer, Vol. 36, Leinenkugle's Oktoberfest!

This beer is what you would call a Marzen or Octoberfest.  Beer could not be brewed in the summer because of the high temperatures causing bacterial infections so brewing usually ended in March (Marzen) and was stored underground or in another cool location until the party at Octoberfest.  They would be brewed at a higher gravity (more alkeehall) so they would keep better over the long period of time.  They are usually low key hoppy and semi-sweet with a copper color to them.

This beer is no different.

It's a lager and I don't taste any cheap adjuncts like corn, so it's better than Buttweizer!

I don't have a lot of time.  I'm fading after a long day of work and a tasty 6% malty lager.

The bottle sucks,  twist cap.

The beer pours a beautiful full on copper color and extremely clear with a thin head that fades to a ring and a Friar Tuck cap in the center.  Perfect copper color.  First one that I have seen like it in some time.

I'm definitely getting a caramel malty aroma and maybe some straw mixed in there with it.  Earthy, nice.

The beer tastes wickedly caramel malty.  It starts off that way, well carbonated along the sip and finishes the same with the tiniest bit of hop aftertaste.  It's very nice as the sweetness is NOT over the top and that makes it OK that there is little hop profile.

Mouthfeel is sweet and smooth, body average with the tiniest of dry hoppy aftertaste.  Total session beer carried by the medium carbonation.

I don't know.  I like it.  It is probably not a world class beer, but it is sooooooooooo much better than the domestics that I knew about 20 years ago that the rinse glass/pitcher at a beer tasting of it would taste better than those!

Thumbs up Leinenkugle Brewery!  7.5 out of 10.  Maybe 8!

Enjoy your night!

-Wiss Fish (it matters what coast that I am on, then my name should be Fish Wiss)  hmmmmmm