Oktoberfest - Sprecher Brewing Company

Emerging1

Wisconsin

4.85/5  rDev +27.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is annually one of the best Oktoberfests you can find in the bottle in the Midwest. It is best when from the the tap.

The beer pours impressively. Medium reddish amber. Nice big off-white head, small, tight, uniform bubbles. Thin permanent top remained throughout the glass. Very nice Belgian remained.

The aroma is raisins and wheat; subtly fruity.

The taste is bright and buttery which intensifies as beer warms toward 45 degrees. Very malty sweetness finish, just the right balance of hops and malt. 15 IBU

Very drinkable, no shame or risk in offering this choice to an oktoberfest newcomer.

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2010 12:10:51 | More by Emerging1

CurtisLoew

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at the three cellars sprecher tasting.

Pours a dark amber/marzen color. Perfect color for an oktoberfest imo. Good start!

Smells very clean. Not much going on. Bready, malts, grainy, caramel, about how you would expect a good oktoberfest to smell.

Taste is great. Malts, slight hops, Extremely clean tasting, no off flavors coming through in this beauty.

Overall, I really enjoyed this beer. It was a great oktoberfest, and rivals staghorn (my favorite okto) imo. I need to start buying more sprecher, the last two beers i have tried have blown me away. Keep up the good work!

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2010 06:19:01 | More by CurtisLoew

tjkurz

Wisconsin

4.65/5  rDev +22%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

There is a golf outing the second Tuesday every September I have this on tap for the first time. Right about the time SE Wisconsin Summer starts relenting. It is a beautiful beer - darker than most Oktoberfests with a rich creamy head. It smells of roasty caramel malt. It's taste is a bit more malty and caramelly and full flavor than most - not as nutty as most. I expect a tad more nuttiness in an Oktoberfest, but I am not dissapointed because I am nut inot the nutty thing. I am so primed after a long summer to malt it up. Nice balance with the hops not over hopped - this is an Oktoberfest - this is exceptionally drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2010 13:40:11 | More by tjkurz

Seanibus

California

4.22/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A robust and satisfying fall beer.

Pours a deep copper with a large dense head that falls to medium lacing. The aroma is sharp, large, and spicy, like cinnamon. The flavor is malty and spicy. A clingy mouthfeel highlights the malt burn down the throat.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2008 00:44:05 | More by Seanibus

granger10

Wisconsin

4.08/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Burnt copperish with nary a head. Not too much lacing either. Maybe the tap was not the best. Smells sweet and nutty. Some spicy clove/banana elements seemed to be in the aroma as well. Taste is dominated by a caramel/toffee maltiness. More of a malty sweet than a sugary sweet which is nice. Solid yeasty flavors of biscuit and clove back this up. A touch of fruit from the hops but really almost nothing. Malts dominate. Rich in flavor. A bit of a raisiny finish lasts long. Fairly smooth but not poundable. I enjoyed this.

Serving type: on-tap

09-28-2006 22:36:36 | More by granger10

DrunkMcDermott

Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Looks like there's a lot more variety in Okto beers than any style definition can contain, especially when American brewers are involved. Sprecher's 2003 brew offers a nice dark complexion with a good roasty malt character. This, in turn, counterbalances the usual sweetness of an Okto, leading it to the promised dry finish. Still, the mouthfeel comes in a little thinner than expected, but a good effort.

Serving type: on-tap

09-15-2003 15:10:17 | More by DrunkMcDermott

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.61/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

I had a Sprecher left over from a Wurstfest party I through back in September....just cracked it open and it is a decent oktoberfest. The beer pours a slightly hazy rich copper with thin head that is leaving a modest lace. The smell and taste are typical of most oktoberfest beers. There is sweet malt esseance that provides both. This is a lighter medium body beer with decent carbonation. Overall its good...would I have it again....yes.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 01:59:15 | More by WoodBrew

superspak

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16 ounce bottle into imperial pint glass, no bottle dating. Pours slightly hazy deep red color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Spotty lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of raisin, caramel, apple, molasses, toast, bread, toffee, pear, light nuttiness, and light herbal. Nice aromas with good strength and balance. Taste of caramel, raisin, toast, biscuit, nuttiness, molasses, toffee, and herbal. Lingering notes of caramel, toast, biscuit, molasses, raisin, toffee, and herbal on the finish for a bit. Very nice flavor balance and robustness; zero cloying flavors on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a creamy and slick mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice Oktoberfest. Well balanced robust flavors, and very smooth to drink. I have a feeling that this was a bottle from last year or older, but it held up nicely. Very enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 04:45:19 | More by superspak

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.85/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

16 oz bottle poured into a Sprecher nonic.
6.0% ABV, 122151007FL on shoulder.

A - Sprecher Oktoberfest pours a crystal clear ruby-highlighted copper color that's virtually inactive. The beer's dense tan head slowly dropped to a thin skim of tiny bubbles and left very little lacing to speak of.

S - When the head disappears the aroma becomes unpronounced, filled mostly by lightly toasted Vienna malts and accented by some caramel sweetness. Biscuit follows with very little hop aroma save for a touch of dirty earthiness. Upon a swirl, faint nutty and very lightly fruity aspects surface.

T - Initially sweet with Munich and caramel gooey-ness Sprecher Oktoberfest changes directions fairly quickly getting hoppier and more dry with a bit of an earthy, almost herbal kick. Dry toast and biscuit linger on the palate through the finish of this beer.

M - Sprecher Oktoberfest is a crisp yet medium-bodied lager that begins smooth and finishes a touch dry with a mild bitterness and moderate carbonation. Despite it's bitter maltiness, the balance that comes through in the flavor passing on to feel, really makes this a nice and easy-to-drink Oktoberfest!

O - Mild fruity carbonation is a hindrance to this lager, a style which should impart no yeast influence through and through, but damn if it doesn't continue to go down nicely! Sprecher Oktoberfest is a crisp and easy-drinking version of the German classic. While there are steps to take to really elevate this to something bigger, it does score with a nicely malty base and hop follow-through in the feel.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 23:58:33 | More by BeerFMAndy

theargonian

Nebraska

3.83/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- copper colored with maybe one finger of head. what head there is, though stays for quite a while

S- vienna malt, grains and a hint of all-spice

T- copious amounts of malt, vienna malt in particular. just a tiny bit of hops which add a little spice towards the middle. toasted malts make a late appearance, but mingle for a while

O- a great marzen. could have been close to perfection had there been a tad more hops to break up the malt a little

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 02:49:07 | More by theargonian

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.9/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from session notes.

A. Reddish coppery-amber in color, clear, with a two finger off-white head that lasts for about a minute, minimal lacing left behind.

S. Breaded sweet morning buns. Lots of lightly toasted malt and brown sugar going on at once. Perhaps even a light touch of creamy nougat aroma.

T. Very similar to how the nose presents. The only main difference is that the mid-palate contains some nuttiness on the toasted elements.

M. Lands on the heavier side of medium body, lightly carbonated.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 01:58:30 | More by WastingFreetime

Lemke10

Wisconsin

4.18/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I bought a single bottle of this from Woodman's in Janesville, WI for $1.79 in Fall 2011.

Pours a medium brown color with slight head. Scent is malty with some spices in the mix. Taste has a lot of spices like cinnamon, clove, and other roasted spices. The texture is fantastic with a clean finish that leaves the tasty spices lingering. A great brew!

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 03:52:25 | More by Lemke10

mralphabet

Virginia

3.38/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

16 Oz bottle poured into Pint Glass

A: Poured a deep copper color with less than a fingers worth of head that settled to nothing with no lacing.

S: First thing I'm getting is bread, caramel, nuts and sweet malt.

T: Toasted bread and sweet malt dominate the flavors here... There is a slight caramel and nuttiness floating around as well at the back of the palette. Finish is clean with a touch of hops that I did not smell.. very little aftertaste.

M: Medium bodied not much carbonation mixed in.

D: Pretty plain Marzen... ABV is pretty good at 6% but there is really nothing to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2011 04:18:59 | More by mralphabet

Tschnab

New York

3.99/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- a dark copper hue, a tad darker than on the style, active stream of carbonation, off white finger of head with tight bubbles, no lace.

S- very grainy, kiss of carmel, malty backbone, toffee, biscuit.

T- the grains and malt come through with a touch of bready sweetness on the finish. Quite dry, light spice and toasted flavor. Full bodied for a marzen.

O- Honestly one of the best marzens I've had. Really surprised by this, simple execution done right.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 02:35:04 | More by Tschnab

DesMoinesMike

Iowa

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Up until a year ago I thought Sprecher only made root beer.

This brew seems more like a pumpkin beer than a marzen. It has a medium amber color and low carbonation. The aroma has some sweet malt and caramel. The taste is rather sweet, caramel, toffee, and a touch of nutmeg and pumpkin. This actually seems more like a pumpkin ale because of the taste. The body seems just a hair thin and is nicely smooth. I'd have it again.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 00:10:37 | More by DesMoinesMike

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass. Reviewed alongside Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest-Märzen.

A: Slightly hazy amber with one-finger, white head that lasted about a minute. Not much lacing.

S: Caramel malt and some hops. Very nice.

T: Moderate sweetness and light hop bitterness. Caramel and fruit flavors. Nice toasted finish. Clean, but not too mild.

M: Medium bodied with fizzy carbonation. Slightly dry and very smooth.

O: This beer didn't look like much when I poured it, but the nose was good, and the taste was very clean and delicious. Very drinkable. I liked this better than the Hacker-Pschorr.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 01:02:23 | More by SolipsismalCat

brewmudgeon

Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

sprecher oktoberfest

a 4 color of a dark amber marzen. short head but actually fades to a persistent collar and leaves a little lace!

s 4.5 caramalized malts and an undercurrent of noble hops. just the right amount of toast, very well balanced.

t 4-4.5 the caramel and hops are present and a very nice ratio, with some lemon coming in at the end to keep things interesting. this is good stuff. the finish is surprisingly long.

m 3.5-4 medium-light, a bit spritzy, nothing too remarkable but nothing offensive. for this style, it's probably about right and may deserve the 4.

o 4.5 they really nailed this. will have to have a lot to be sure, but possibly my favorite of the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 03:28:28 | More by brewmudgeon

cagocubs

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked up a four pack of 16 oz bottles. Poured from bottle into pint glass.

A: Dark copper with a fizzy beiege head that dissipates, but sticks before capping.

S: Real sweet and buttery. Caramel, biscuit, some dark fruit, and brown sugar. Hops are spicey and welcoming.

T: Big, sweet, and aromatic. The sweetness is of caramel, toffee, brown sugar. Buttery tastes of biscuit and nut. Roasted malt and some slight hop bitterness. Interesting and exciting.

M: The sweetness and buttery tastes make this a chewy marzen. Crisp and creamy with great coating.

O: This is one of my favorite marzens as I like the thick and chewy styles. A great mixture to form a real sweet and inviting marzen for the season.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 22:49:28 | More by cagocubs

djohnse

Iowa

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Finally finishing my four pack of Sprecher pints of Oktoberfest poured into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Really do love the copper amber appearance of the beer after poured, beautiful color held up to the light.

Smell: Pretty good smell, concur with others in that it has a bread like smell eminating from it but still with something I can't quite place yet.

Taste: Definite caramel taste that goes with the appearance of the beer.

Mouthfeel: To me the mouthfeel was kind of thin for what I was expecting. It was incredibly smooth on my tongue and palate but personally like a little bit more body.

Overall: Although I'm not a huge fan of the style I was able to enjoy the slightly sweeter side of beer as a break from the heavier/hoppier selections I've had lately. I'll keep a look out for it again next year when this time comes around to celebrate the great German tradition of beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 01:11:05 | More by djohnse

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.45/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 16 oz. bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass.

Appearance: Deep brownish amber orange with lots of rising bubbles. Big five finger lightly tan head with good retention. Lots of sticky lacing.

Smell: Very bready and sweet. Lots of caramel malts and biscuit with a fruity presence that smells like apple cider. Hints of figs and brown sugar. Also some nuts and hints of spicy hops.

Taste: Big flavor of caramel malts and toffee. Lots of biscuit throughout. Hints of apple, fig, and brown sugar. Has some roasty, nutty characteristics. Hops are subtle but do add a little bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation. Crisp, chewy, and creamy.

Overall: A very solid take on the Marzen style. The fruity qualities make it seem somewhat like an English ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 04:12:02 | More by MattyG85

tvv375ia

Iowa

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

poured from 16oz bottle into imperial pint glass

A-nice mahogany color with almost no head that faded completely away

S-lots of carmel and sweet fruit smells almost like a carmel apple

T-carmel shows up first with a little dark fruit maybe plums

M-not much carbonation and seems to be on the thin side

O-pretty good beer to start off the fall season

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2011 22:14:51 | More by tvv375ia

Herky21

Iowa

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark, rusted copper. A cloudy, malt colored beer. Seems the same color as malt syrup.

Smell: Tantalizingly sweet, heavy on the caramel. Barely any hops discernable, but it does have a slight bitter smell on the end.

Taste: A pretty complex Oktoberfest. The malt comes through as the most prominent flavor. It's slightly fruity, but barely. The caramel color shows up in flavor too, really a tastey beer.

Mouthfeel: Soft, light feel. Feels a lot like a bitter. Less carbonated, a little thicker.

Overall: It's a good beer. Some Oktoberfests are too light. This one hits the caramelly malt notes well. Wish it wasn't a twist off so I could reuse the 16 oz. bottle. Would probably help seal the beer in better for storage too. Really, one of the best oktoberfests I've had this year.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 02:42:39 | More by Herky21

falloutsnow

Illinois

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

Bottle purchased from Beertopia in Omaha, NE.
No noticeable bottled on date.
Poured into an Ayinger 0.5L glass.

Pours a tall, very light tan head composed of small bubbles lending the head a creamy look. Head descends fairly rapidly, in a minute or two, but leaves modest lacing along sides of glass. Ends up reducing to a ring of foam that breaks and a few islands. Body itself is a dark bronze copper, with orange highlights, and transparent.

Nice caramel malt in the nose, with other scents of of dried figs (slightly), mild fruity esters, a bit of black pepper, and caramelized sugars (most present).

Main presence is malt, giving it caramel and rich bread flavors. Sweet, with noticeable fruity esters, some spice such as cinnamon and very slight pepper. Slight toast flavor and hop bitterness towards the end, for a satisfying close. Aftertaste of lingering caramel malt sweetness.

Medium to medium-heavy bodied with moderate carbonation that's just right for the beer. The effect is a fairly creamy mouthfeel, very full, not watery. Finish is semi-dry.

Enjoyable, true to style with some complexity, and sessionable. One of the better representations of the style from a US brewery that I know of.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 19:34:02 | More by falloutsnow

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.55/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pretty cool orange and amber appearance, reminiscient of the season related to the beer. Aroma is woody, malty, bready.

Taste is not boring, a common reaction I have with the style, it comes off a lot like the doughiness of a biere de garde, complex, slight spice edge to it as if brewed with pepper or rye, ever so miniscule.

A fraction of sweetness and hops, the beer reeks of fall.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 18:42:32 | More by Beerandraiderfan

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sprecher Brewing Company, one of the best U.S. breweries at German styles. Oktoberfest, stubby bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: A dark brown in color, inpenetrable by light. Small tan head forms and leaves behind some lacing.

Smell: Light on the nose, just some faint bready malt notes. Sweet caramel as the beer warms.

Taste: Initially greeted with a big sugary maltyness with a toasted edge. Raw cocoa, brown sugar and fig all chime in at times, nice rich malty flavor. Tea like hops keep the beer from becoming too sweet. This is a malt bomb and a pretty kickass oktoberfest.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, chalky finish. Smooth and easy drinking.

Overall: Another impressive brew from Sprecher. I guess I'll have to order a case of this when it once again becomes available.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 18:36:17 | More by Stinkypuss