The month of October has passed but I'm still going strong with the Oktoberfest beers. I only drink 2-3 beers per week so I can really make a batch last a long time.
For this #Beersaturday I'll be reviewing two more German inspired Oktoberfest beers. So without further ado, let's get into them. Here we go!
Festbier
Brewery: Dominion City Brewing Co
Origin: Ottawa ON Canada
Style: German Style Lager
Abv: 5.5%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown
Hops: Hersbrucker and Hallertau Mittelfrüh
Marketing: The can was a blue and off white cokor scheme in a checker board pattern. It had an old world style text font which must be German because all of the Beers in the genre used it.
There was no imagery on this can but it still caught the eye with its traditional look about it. No additional information about the beer listed on the back but overall I like it.
Color: The color of the beer was a golden yellow with a frothy white foam on top. I tried to get my Black Forest German cuckoo clock in the photos as you can see. I feel like its on theme. I'm always looking for new and interesting ways of taking pictures of the beers I drink for this blog.
Nose: The beer was nice and fresh smelling with notes of bread and fruit. It had a pleasant aroma overall.
Taste: Some sweetness and tartness in the begining but it was immediately overpowered by a strong bitterness that was long lasting. The taste was not very balanced and leaned more on the bitter side of the spectrum for sure. Very hoppy Taste overall with notes of pine.
Texture: It was well carbonated with smaller sharp bubbles and had a light to medium mouthfeel underneath.
Impression: This beer was okay to me. It was one of my least favorite Festbier that I tried recently I'd say. I just found the bitterness to be a little too pronounced and a little overpowering. I'd choose other festbiers before this one I think.
Oktober Fresh
Brewery: Mascot Brewery Co
Origin: Toronto ON Canada
Style: German Style Marzen (Amber Lager)
Abv: 5.0%
IBU: Unknown
SRM: Unknown
Hops: Saphir
Marketing: The can is a baby blue color which has proven to be a theme for these Oktoberfest beers. Maybe that is a very German color or Bavarian specifically? Let me know in the comments if you know mire about that particular color. The text was bold black and white and in an old world European style again. The image was of an enthusiastic cheers taking place with beer splashing from the steins. There is a written blurb on the back as well.
Overall its a fine can. The only part that I don't like is the choice of white used with the baby blue and the white header at the top of the can. I can't pinpoint why I don't like that other than its not esthetically pleasing to me.
Color: The beer poured a deep amber color with a billowy head of tan colored foam that was hearty enough to stick around for quite some time. The liquid was clear and filtered which is what I would expect from a lager.
Nose: Sweet malty aroma with notes of plum, candied fruit and bread dough. A sweet and pleasant smell to this beer.
Taste: Much like the smell the beer was quite sweet upfront with some tanginess in the middle and a nice amount of bitterness to round it out. The finish was long lasting. Sweet plum in the flavor profile and maybe some toasted notes.
Texture: Nicely carbonated with sharp bubbles and a silkiness underneath them. Medium bodied.
Impression: This was a pretty decent beer. It was a little on the sweet side but I thought that the bitterness balanced it out so it wasn't overpowering. I certainly wouldn't avoid the beer but I didn't like it as much as some of the other Oktober fest beers that I had this fall, so I probably won't go out of my way to buy it again.
