Millstream Oktoberfest - Millstream Brewing Company

beagle75

Iowa

3.7/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a tulip pint glass.

A: Slightly hazy, light amber color with less than one finger of diminishing white foam head. Scant lacing remains on the glass.

S: Caramel and baking spices are both well-represented, with lesser yeasty bread also present.

T: Begins off-dry, with heavy caramel malt and weizen-style aromatic clove spice. Acidity is restrained but citric into the middle where malt flavored become more refined but less distinct. The third act also features malt behaving in dynamic fashion, turning very bready with a yeasty flair. Mild bitterness is accompanied by dark citrus and fermented plants that blend well with other elements of the flavor profile, rather than standing out.

M: Medium to thick viscosity; smooth, creamy, and slightly acidic on the palate; with moderate carbonation.

D/O: While the smell and flavor represent the style well enough, it is the textures encountered here that really turn heads. Remarkably chewy and viscous for the style, it really demands the respect of the drinker. Other features are predictably malt-focused, but enjoyable. It promises to be an epic cooking beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 00:09:18 | More by beagle75

Pintofbrown

Iowa

4.18/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

App- The beer has a reddish-brown body with golden highlights. The head foamed to a three finger tan cap. There is just a bit of foamy lace sticking to the side of the glass. It is a very good looking beer.

Smell- A good amount of herbal notes that remind me of fall. There might even be clove in there. The hops in here are a bit grassy. Of course, being a Maerzen, there are a nice amount of caramel malts as a backbone.

Taste- The nose is very similar to what's on the taste profile. The herbal notes are more in the finish. The caramel malt and sort of roasted malt flavor are at the front and middle of the drink. The hops are bittering and show up in the middle and last well into the finish.

Mouth feel- It is a really nice medium body. The drink is also incredibly creamy and smooth. It is really great for an Ofest/Maerzen.

Overall- The Millstream take on the Oktoberfest has a pitch perfect mouth feel, great nose, and luckily, a taste that imitates that nose.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2011 20:06:35 | More by Pintofbrown

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.83/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a 1.5cm head made up of medium bubbles. Fairly dense. Collapses in a minute to a ring around the glass with a large island f foam in center. Body is a semi-hazy and dark-brown copper with orange highlights.

Sweet, malt-forward with mixed chocolate scents too. Classic Oktoberfest with a bit of variety. No real hop presence to balance though.

Taste follows scent with a heavy malt sweetness that contains hints of chocolate malt. In the close, there's a hint towards spicy hops. Aftertaste is of some bitter and spicy hops alongside sweet caramel flavors.

Medium to medium-heavy bodied, this is a hearty marzen that is superb with a meal. Carbonation is a bit prickly, could be toned down slightly. Finish is dry.

Overall, a very good Oktoberfest and unique for the stle. One of the better American varieties I've had, a shame they don't get wider distribution.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 04:28:47 | More by falloutsnow

Herky21

Iowa

2.53/5  rDev -35.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A- Great pour, golden, caramel color with a nice head.

Smell: Has some good bitter notes that play off your nose. Caramelized scent is slight, hint of hops too.

Taste: Slight chocolate hint, and the hops are also on the back end. Probably pretty true to what an oktoberfest is supposed to be, but should be slightly maltier in my opinion to get better depth of flavor and a little more body.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, nothing spectacular. Carbonation is alright.

O-- It's a refreshing, average Oktoberfest. I expected it to be a bit better. I'm a Millstream fan usually.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2011 04:19:17 | More by Herky21

burns1066

Iowa

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A good exemplar of the style. Caramel and chocolate flavors are most apparent, carbonation is pleasant. Sweet, medium-bodied... a great early fall beer. Finish is dry, but flavor profile lingers for quite some time. The sweetness/maltiness is a wonderful companion to chili; it's also a nice stand-alone beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 17:21:35 | More by burns1066

rundocrun

Iowa

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

A - Pours the characteristic deep orange of an oktoberfest beer. Thin white head that fades to a film on the surface. Lazy bubbles drift up from the bottom of the glass. Moderate lacing on the glass.

S - Sweet, malty and caramely. There is a distinct biscuit-like aroma amid everything else. Very mild alcoholic notes waft up too. There is a deeply herbal character to the hops in this lager too.

T- Hugely malty and caramely. A dry, toasted bread flavor is prevalent here. Incredibly crisp and clean as an oktoberfest should be. I'm even getting very mild hints of light cocoa. The hops balance out the sugary backbone of this beer with just the right amount of herbal flavors and assertive bitterness. Has a spicy, black pepper-like finish that fades into malty goodness.

M - Has a medium body, prominent carbonation, and has a moderately dry but clean finish.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 02:03:09 | More by rundocrun

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

4.33/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is slightly dark copper/amber. Two and a half fingers of off-white head developed and dissipated quickly to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.

Smell: It reminds me of a Ferrero Rocher chocolate ball with caramel or chocolate mousse inside. There is an immediate cocoa aroma laced with sweet caramel. Very enticing. Also noticeable after the pint warms are scents of toffee, honey, and grassy barnyard malts.

Taste: Reminds me a lot of the Red Trolley Ale I drank at Dodger Stadium. The very smooth cocoa/chocolate mousse shines through in the taste, and the caramel adds a touch of sweetness. However, the tail has a nice bitter edge that leaves the back of the mouth tingling. As it warms the flavor aligns with the later emerging scents: toffee, honey, and grassy barnyard malts.

Drinkability: Solid. From past experience, märzen was just a darker, slightly toasted lager, but Millstream's Oktoberfest completely strays from that norm. It's malty, toasty, slightly spicy, and just a hair heavy. Basically, it's a damn good beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2010 05:10:02 | More by TheQuietMan22

kdpark

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A very solid Oktoberfest, just what an Oktoberfest should be: balanced, not too heavy, great malt flavor, very drinkable.

A: Copper with white head, fades

S: Some toasty malt, much like most Oktoberfests

T: Full, rich, melanoidin character, very balanced

M: Medium body

D: Not overbearing, very drinkable

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2010 22:52:15 | More by kdpark

FreshHawk

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Dark amber color with a large, thick, creamy, fluffy, smooth, sticky off-white head. Good retention with a nice creamy layer of lace.

S - A lot of toasted grain with some toffee malt and a bit of caramel as well. A touch of musty, grassy and floral hops. Touches of bready and cracker taste as well. All this is just a little faint.

T - Tons of toasted grain along with caramel and toffee malt. Some dry bread/cracker taste in the background. Some honey sweetness along with just the faintest hint of grassy and herbal hops. Nice spicy background along with a touch of apple fruitiness. Nice mix of sweet and spicy with grainy and malty flavors dominating but a nice background of other flavors. As it warms some more tea like flavors are coming out.

M - Lighter side of medium body with a nice level of carbonation. Crisp feel with just a slightly drying finish.

D - Very nice mix of flavors and a great mouthfeel really help to make this an easy to drink beer. A little on the sweet side, but not bad or cloying.

Notes: A nice Märzen beer with a great mix of flavors. Plenty of grains and malt upfront as you would expect for the style, but a very nice background of hops, spice, and apple. Nice local fall beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2010 01:36:33 | More by FreshHawk

DesMoinesMike

Iowa

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

As oktoberfests go this is is very nice. It is smooth and has good flavor that doesn't overpower.

It's a nice medium-amber color and perfectly clear. The head is two fingers of eye-candy that disappears after about two minutes. The aroma is earthy with a bit of sweetness. Flavor wise it's well balanced with cinnamon and caramel. The flavor ligers for a long time but it's a light aftertaste that I found rather enjoyable. I would put in the upper range for marzens I've tried. It is just a small step below spectacular. Another winner from Millstream.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2009 21:31:06 | More by DesMoinesMike

steveh

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Another in trade with Corsdad. One of the first Microbreweries whose brew I can remember drinking back in the late 80s.

Label has a notching system -- for bottling, I hope, as this is notched between September & October.

A -- Nice clear, deep amber color with a good, dense off-white head that settles quickly.

S -- DMS & biscuit malt up front with some vague spicy hops back.

T -- Sort of a musty, roasted maltiness up front, biscuit character and some fruitiness coming through, fruitiness lingers into finish and aftertaste with some vague hop bitterness throughout and in the aftertaste.

M -- Medium body with a fairly soft mouthfeel that turns syrupy with warmth.

D -- This is certainly a drinkable beer, but if I were to sample it blind I'd think it was a lightly hopped American Amber Ale, not an Oktoberfest. It's just not clean and malt back-boned enough.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2009 20:41:46 | More by steveh

cdkrenz

Wisconsin

4.43/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A - Deep amber-purple colored body with a pale tan head standing about a half inch tall.

S - Plum, malt, and anise aroma but all are mild. Very unique for an Oktoberfest.

T - There's a malt flavor with sweet accents of brown sugar and raisins. The ending has a hop flavor and the finish, which comes almost 15 seconds later, offers even more hops. I will note the hops are sublte and do not in anyway take away from the malt and sweet flavors.

M - Thick and warm feel to this brew. The feel is the best part of what is a good beer. Impressive!

~ This is a very good beer. I haven't sampled many brews from this Millstream but I can assure you that will change. Thank you Gnomefest 6.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2009 22:51:15 | More by cdkrenz

LittleDon

Texas

4.22/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served at the Amana brewery in a 16 oz plastic cup. Appearance was difficult to judge, as the cup was translucent. Thick off-white head that lasted. Lightly toasted grain aroma with some hops present. Light caramel flavor with a hint of smokiness. Hops are there at the finish. Chewy mouthfeel. I'm not an Oktoberfest drinker, but I found this one very palatable. Lots of flavor and nice balance.

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2009 19:37:39 | More by LittleDon

sauron681

Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a medium ruby red. Excellent head, with slow even carbonation, with pretty good lacing.
Couldnt pick up any specific aroma, mayber a hint of muddiness.
Medium body in the mouth, clean and bold. Very nice.

Heavy roasted caramel malt, with little grain in the beginning for sweetness. Finishes acceptably bitter with a nice hoppy finish. Slight tings of import lager (metal) taste. I get to the amana colonies a couple times a year and i will definetly get this brew again

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2009 00:28:41 | More by sauron681

LordofTime25

Iowa

3.8/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The beer is a dark amber almost orange color with good clarity. There was basically no head, but the head that was there on pour was a creamy white. The beer had very little fizz to it.

Smelled sweet with a earthy floral scent.

The malt is the over powering taste with a sweetness added in. You can slightly taste the quality hops used.

It is watery with a good flavor add a little fizz.

It is definatly a good seasonable beer that I will enjoy over and over.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2008 23:23:12 | More by LordofTime25

daledeee

Iowa

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Always nice to try the local brewery stuff!

This beer pours orange and clear with a nice head. The head leaves good lace throughout the drink.

Nose is fresh but not real strong with any special smell.

Taste is caramel, malt and hop finish. Could be some roastiness in the finish as well. Clean and refreshing. Mouthfeel is very nice with the right amount of bite.
A good example of the lager group.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2008 21:57:16 | More by daledeee

Blakaeris

Iowa

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours clear red-copper with a modest white head that dissipates quickly to a thin ring and a slight soapy sheen.

Aroma is bready caramel malt. Earthy and nutty. Hints of a metallic character.

Taste is toasted, bready caramel malt up front with a sweet edge. Nutty and woody, with mild earthy hop. Finish is hard and metallic.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied.

Overall a drinkable O-fest. Certainly worth a try. I particularly enjoy the earthy woody character. However, there are better O-fest brews out there. Metallic finish comes on a little to strong for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2008 22:02:56 | More by Blakaeris

bashiba

Iowa

3.53/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a perfectly clear ruby/amber color with a very thin light head.

Has the classic toasted malt oktoberfest smell mixing in with a bit of copper.

The flavor has a nice crisp bready malt flavor up front, but then is quickly taken over by an off metallic tinny taste. Not bad, with some nice malty slightly sweet overtones, but the coppery metal flavor makes it seemed slightly flawed.

The mouthfeel is clean and dry with a slight lingering.

Not bad, very close to being good, I just can't quite get past the stale penny flavor in the finish.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2008 21:58:03 | More by bashiba

MTNboy

Missouri

3.7/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance- A dark hazy bronze orange color. Virtually no head but what little head it had it was an off white color. The body is a little fizzy and there is a nice amount of lacing.

Smell- Sweet and earthy floral scents are predominant in this beer.

Taste- There is a little bit of roasty sweetness to this beer. The large amount of malt is evident but there is a little sense quality hop taste to as well.

Mouthfeel- It is watery, thin and mad fizzy.

Drinkability- It I enjoyed this beer and can’t wait to have it again next year.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2008 13:47:48 | More by MTNboy

kimcgolf

Georgia

3.7/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours to a nice autumn-like red-brown-ornage, with a medium off-white had that left okay lacing. Nose was the expected malty nuts, earth and dark fruits, with a hint of toffee, and the mouthfeel full and slightly sweet. Taste was more of the malty fall taste, and the finish wet, but offset by just enough hops to be pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2008 17:26:23 | More by kimcgolf

tgbljb

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a slightly hazy medium copper color with sparse off-white creamy head.
Smell is light with some mild tones of caramel detected.
Taste is nicely malty.Caramel notes prervail with some subtle fruit aspects.
Nice and refreshing finish withn enough sweetness to be enjoyable without going too far.
Very easy drinking. Good job from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2007 00:58:40 | More by tgbljb

uwmgdman

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.5

The beer is brilliantly clear, dark reddish-copper color with a thin white head. Moderate-high malty aroma with moderate-low sweetness. The flavor is very malty, rather toasty, slighty sweet and has a moderate bitterness (high end of style). The finish is slightly dry, with a nice malty linger on the palate. The beer has a medium-full body, mouthfeel is quite smooth and carbonation moderate. Overall a very good example of an Oktoberfest on all fronts!

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2007 02:30:33 | More by uwmgdman

afinepilsner

Iowa

3.93/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz brown bottle

Millstream Oktoberfest was a dark amber color with a light tan head. The head started out fairly small and soon faded to a thin layer. The aroma was nice and malty, a little toasty with a hint of spice. The taste was sweet toasted malt and somewhat fruity with some bitterness to balance towards the dry finish. It was medium bodied with good carbonation. Drinkability was good. This was a pretty good Oktoberfest and the flavor definitely improved as it warmed.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2007 23:27:39 | More by afinepilsner

Dansting

Kansas

3.5/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle. Poured a clear caramel color with a thin white head. Almost not lacing whatsoever. Mouthfeel is nice. Aroma is decent, with sweet and fruity scents. Flavor is typical of most oktoberfest/marzens, as it has a nice caramel malt flavor to it. Aftertaste almost has a apple hint to it. A nice oktoberfest brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2007 03:54:54 | More by Dansting

pmcadamis

Illinois

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - A tight one finger khaki-orange head rises over a deep clear crimson and purple brew with orange tints. After a minute, the head reduces to a persistent collar and wispy haze, but a quick swirl easily brings back a full finger. Quite a bit of lace coats the sides of the glass. The head is unremarkable, but the depth of color and clarity in this dark orange-red-purple brew is mesmerizing.

S - Toasty and roasty! I smell toasted oats and Raisin Bran cereal along with some nice campfire and fireplace notes. Black bread (pumpernickel?), river silt, sand, and dirt are there too. This is one complex smelling brew.

T - The same river silt and dirt flavors are there, and it's very, very toasty! This reminds me of toasted whole-grain black bread. The hops are not present in the nose, but show up here in full force top compliment the smoky and woodsy flavors. Bark, woodsmoke, fireplace, campfire, and a touch of beef jerky. A perfect brew for autumn!

M - Medium bodied and solidly malty with fine carbonation that is very understated, but keeps the maouthfeel firm and taught. The finish is salty and well hopped, and a bitter grassy hop note lingers on after swallowing.

D - A nice take on the oktoberfest style. It almost reminds me of an altbier or old ale in it's smoky barky woody-ness. It really doesn't taste much like an O-fest to me, but that's ok. It's pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2007 23:06:42 | More by pmcadamis