I've missed a few #Beersaturdays but I'm back this week to review a few more Oktober German Style festbiers. Lets jump right in and see how they were shall we? Here we go!
Festbier Oktoberfest Lager
Brewery: Sons of kent Brewing Co
Origin: Chatham ON Canada
Style: German inspired Lager
Abv: 5.5%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown
Marketing: Its a pretty simple can with a baby blue and white diamond checker pattern wrap around. There is a shield or crest style image and not a lot of information about the beer listed. I like the design and think that it has a traditional look to it and that it stands out on a shelf, but I wish there was a bit more information on it. Good marketing overall.
Color: The beer poured a coppery color with a tinted orange/rose head of foam on top.
Nose: I smelled bread and mild fruity notes, maybe apricot or pear? It had a pleasant aroma.
Taste: The beer had a nice malty taste to it without a lot of hops flavors. It was mildly sweet, quite tangy, and had a quick and mild bitter finish. It was fairly well balanced overall in my opinion. It was a very flavorful beer, especially for a lager. It drank more like a malty ale to me. I got bread and bread dough flavors and some fruity pear as well. It was very fresh tasting, which is what I want in a beer.
Texture: Nicely carbonated. Silky mouthfeel underneath the bubbles. Medium bodied.
Impression: This was a great beer overall. I enjoyed it a lot. It didn't taste German to me, but was very tasty nonetheless. I'm glad I found it and would drink it again. I wish that my photos were better to do it more justice.
Midnight in Munich
Brewery: Wellington Brewing Co
Origin: Guelph ON Canada
Style: German Inspired Marzen Amber Ale
Abv: 5.4
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown
Marketing: The can has a very traditional look to it with an orange and forest green color scheme and the city of Munich imagery.
I like the can and think that it suits the style that its aiming for. Good job overall.
Color: The beer poured a nice coppery orange color with a decent head that had a slight orange tint to it. The liquid was quite clear and likely filtered.
Nose: The aroma was sweet with fruity and floral notes. I got some pear in the bouquet as well.
Taste: The beer was fairly sweet but had a nice amount of bitterness to balance it out. It was flavorful and fresh tasting. I picked up some pear flavors also. Pear was a theme for these beers it seems.
Texture: Very carbonated with a nice mouthfeel.
Impression: I don't usually like Marzen beers here in North America but this one was enjoyable. To be honest I don't know what makes a beer a Marzen. I'm not really familiar with the style. If you know much about them feel free to enlighten me in the comments. I cooked with the beer to make a stew so I only had a small glass to drink but enjoyed it overall. I usually use a stout beer when making stews but this one worked well also, and was a good accompaniement for my dinner.
Liberty's Farm to Glass Pilsner
Brewery: Something in the Water Brewing Co
Origin: Toronto ON Canada
Style: Light Pilsner
Abv: 4.5%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown
Large Can 568ml
Marketing: The can is red and white with navy blue and bronze colored accents. there is an image of a farm in the forefront of the can with a Toronto cityscape in the background. The brewery's gentleman fish logo is also displayed.
A blub on the back talks about sourcing fresh local ingredients to brew the beer, which is a positive in my opinion. I like the can a lot and think that the logo mascot is fun.
Color: The beer poured a pale yellow color with a white head of foam, what you would expect from a pilsner. The liquid was also clear and filtered, which was also to be expected.
Nose: This beer had a great aroma with notes of grass, pine, and maybe a hint of lemon in the background.
Taste: It was hop forward in the taste department with grassy flavors, pine and very mild citrus - similar to the nose. It was also super fresh tasting, which was great.
Texture: Sharp angry bubbles over a light bodied mouthfeel.
Impression: This was an excellent beer, mainly because of its fresh clean taste. It had a lot of flavor without it being overpowering. This is the type of beer that you could drink a few of in one sitting, both without getting bored by it and without it becoming too much. I would buy this again no doubt. I might have tried this one before but I'm not certain. I'll be adding it to my short list of beers to look out for. The extra tall can is a win as well.
