Atwater Bloktoberfest - Atwater Block Brewery

superspak

Michigan

3.38/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled in Sept 2012. Pours lightly hazy copper color with a 1 finger fairly dense off white head with very good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Good soapy lacing clings down the glass. Aromas of apple, pear, caramel, toast, biscuit, raisin, nuttiness, molasses, and herbal spiciness. Ok aromas with decent balance; but they are far too fruity and phenolic. Taste of caramel, toast, biscuit, pear, apple, nuttiness, molasses, earth, and herbal spiciness. Lingering notes of toast, caramel, biscuit, nuttiness, earth, and herbal spiciness on the finish for a good bit. Very solid balance of flavors with a fairly robust feel; minimal cloying after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy, slick, and crisp mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very solid oktoberfest. Some good flavor balance and robustness; quite easy and smooth to drink. This was pretty enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 03:01:17 | More by superspak

andrewjraab

Michigan

2.9/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Burnt Sienna brown with little to no head retention.

S - Bread, yeasty, sweet, malts, caramel.

T - Malty, caramel, rich and robust. Not much balance with it and it just drinks too heavy. Something not quite right with this.

O - Decent not great. I really wouldn't recommend this considering all the great options available for this style.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 03:39:12 | More by andrewjraab

divineaudio

Michigan

3/5  rDev -11%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz into my atwater pint glass. best before date clearly marked.

a - pours copper in color, totally transparent, with a thin cap of coarse, off white head. leaves a few thin legs of lacing in the glass.

s - carmel, cookie dough, faint hop spice.

t - carmel malt with a little spiciness on the middle of the tongue. notes of diacetyl and just enough earthy bitterness keeps things balanced. not much going on here.

m - medium body, buttery, coarse co2 profile and not quite enough carbonation.

o - easily drinkable i guess but just average as far as the style goes. would have been better without the diacetyl and with a just little more hops. with so many other great marzen/oktoberfest beers out there i don't see myself returning to this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 00:35:25 | More by divineaudio

Alextricity

Michigan

3.65/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours with a head that doesn't last long. The color of the beer is just what you'd expect from the usual Oktoberfest -- perfectly like Autumn. Looks nice, but lacking overall.

Smell: Meh. Sweet, caramel-like, and malty. Again, average.

Taste/feel: I wonder if these other reviews got a skunked bottle or theirs just wasn't fresh ... I'm getting an above average taste here. The first sip is INCREDIBLY bready tasting. Honestly, almost TOO much so. After that though, you get a super tasty malty Oktoberfest with a very nice mouthfeel.

I haven't had many Oktoberfests (Actually, I've only had this and Sam Adams' up to this point), but I like this one quite a bit more than Sam's. The carbonation and texture and the overall taste. I don't know about you other guys, but I enjoy this one a good bit. Would love to try it on tap.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 04:26:18 | More by Alextricity

oberon

North Carolina

2.98/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Sad to say but just another average beer from Atwater,I was hoping this would be a little better.Poured a bottle and a half into a 1/2 liter stein,a lighter copper/bronze with a thinner but well sustained white head atop.Brown sugar and caramel malts in the nose,mainly on the sweeter side with no crispness our dough to it.Thin feel that doesn't help the thinner sweet flavors any,there is a little dryingness to it in the finish buthere just is no complexity.It's average on par with Lenie's and not as good as Sam Adams,sonot very good.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 15:57:31 | More by oberon

nukem5

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a nice dark amber color with a slight head which disappears rapidly.

S: Aroma is of dark sweet malts and some darker fruits raisins dates plums and such. Very little hop essence for the nose.

T: Right up front is the raisins and plum darker fruity taste which slides over to a sweet malty. It has a slightly boozy alcohol taste in the back end.

M: Mouth-feel is a bit thin and watery with an alcohol taste in the back, very little carbonation.

O: Overall I would drink this again but it is not my favorite beer for this style. Great beer still for just sitting around the fire with some friends roasting marshmallows and hot dogs.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 01:22:41 | More by nukem5

WoodBrew

Illinois

2.58/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Tried the Atwater Marzen Bloktoberfest at Boulevard's in J'Town, PA. The beer poured a rich amber with good carbonation that provided a decent head that laced somewhat. The smell included rye notes mixed in with sweet malt. The taste was primarily powered by barley and malt. Yikes, I do not like this beer. The taste includes strong rye that turned to like a sour mash almost. Lots of barely and malt. The mouthfeel was hurt by the pour taste. Best part about this beer was the end. Overall it up to you whether or not to try it...never hurts to tried a beer at least once.

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2011 03:24:29 | More by WoodBrew

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

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

This beer poured out as a pretty good looking amberish orange color with a white foamy head on top. The lacing was minimal and the rentions was a just a little better. The smell of the beer had plenty of sweet caramel aromas and some spice on the nose. The taste of the beer follows the same path as the nose, it gives off a good amount sweet flavors that get mixed with the spices pretty well. The mouthfeel of the beer was smooth and had a medium body to it. Overall not too bad.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 02:15:19 | More by Knapp85

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A - No head to speak of just a weak ring of lace. Color is of a very dark brown which is clear.

S - Smells more of sweetness which is great. Toasted grains and caramel sweetness a plenty.

T - Toasted malts come off a bit aggressive in mid drink with touches of hops and a sweet finish. Almost chalky but not in a disgusting way. Not bad.

M - Light to medium it hides the ABV well.

Overall even though it is sweet its not really that great. And carbonation is lacking since the date is marked "August 2011" I assume I waited too long to drink this one but it's weird to see it almost carbonation-less after a couple of months. It's an OK beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 01:29:56 | More by DrDemento456

GRPunk

Michigan

3.33/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle with a notch on August that I assume is a "bottled on" date, poured into a Siciliano's mug. Cool label that features the Detroit skyline.

A- A normal pour created a 1/2-finger, tan head that diminished to a thin film a little too quickly. The head does re-develop with a gentle swirl. The body was a rich, copper-brown, clean with medium-light carbonation. Decent sticky spots were left on the glass.

S- Nice malt profile was present right in the bottle, toasty and caramel-like. There are some light fruit esters that I wasn't expecting. All-in-all it's pretty good, but could be a little bolder.

T- Good, deep flavors at first sip. Lots of caramel and toasted bread. There was an interesting mix of light fruit esters that were hinted in the aroma. Hops are a little grassy and work to clean up the finish until the caramel sneaks back in. I'd like more of a spicy profile than the grassy hops. Finish becomes something of toasted bread and nearly burnt caramel. Not bad, just different. This is on the verge of a 3.5 for flavor.

M- Good, moderate body fits the style. Maybe a little under-carbonated for me.

O- It's so difficult to stand out in this style. Atwater does an "ok" job putting it in the middle of the pack. I'd drink it again, but wouldn't choose it over some of the imports and better domestic offerings.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 16:46:22 | More by GRPunk

detroiter

Michigan

2.05/5  rDev -39.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I have a love and hate relationship with this brewery. I love i because its about 1.5 miles from my house, I hate it because most of their beer sucks.

This one is no exception.

When I opened the bottle the foam shot out of the top of the bottle. This made pouring a glass of it almost impossible.

It has the right color for an octo but it could definitely be darker.

Don't get much of a nose of this one, only a little caramel and mild hops, I'm guessing noble.

felt it lacks the body of a good octo, i'm hoping the carbonation problem had something to do with this.

Overall I would have to agree with people who said stay away from this beer. If you are looking for a good octo try Bell's.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2011 03:22:19 | More by detroiter

warnerry

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Notes from fall 2010

Pours a nice clear amber color with two fingers of creamy head tha leave a bit of lacing behind. Smell consists primarily of caramel malt, though a bit of hop aroma is also present. Smell is simple but pretty good. Taste starts with some nice caramel malts and some slight hops bitterness. However, an unpleasant iced tea-like dryness comes in on the finish. Overall has decent drinkability. Definitely not in the upper echelon of Oktoberfests, but an interesting take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2011 02:32:46 | More by warnerry

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.03/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Atwater Bloktoberfest has a dark orange body with a big beige head.

The aroma is fruity with some earthy hops and some caramel malt.

The flavor tastes a lot like some sort of fruity jam or jelly, with just a hint of earthy hops in the background. The malt that is there is caramel flavored, which is a little bit strange for an o-fest.

The carbonation is a little bit lazy, but the body is appropriate.

You won't hate this beer, but there's a good chance you will only buy it once. If I tasted it blind I would not think it was an oktoberfest.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2010 21:02:56 | More by Hojaminbag

kellyst

Ohio

2.9/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a nice dark copper with a lasting, pillow offwhite head. Aroma is of grainy malts and fruity esters. Taste is ok, but not what I would expect for an oktoberfest. Sweet grains and caramel with a fruity yeast character. No noticeable bready, munich malt flavors. Not a bad beer, but not a good example of an oktoberfest. This one is low on drinkability for the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2010 20:28:02 | More by kellyst

tubacharlie

Michigan

3.88/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A quick pour produces an off-white foamy head with good creaminess and lacing. The beer is a dark amber color, very clear, with random carbonation rising slowly from the bottom.

Slight spiciness in the nose, with a hint of nutmeg or cardamom, mixed with brown bread aromas. The taste has a rich complexity of dark breads and hints of Bing cherry in the back of the palate. A good dose of spicy hop bitterness is tempered somewhat by the mellow grain bill.

A nice wash for some knockwurst and sauerkraut.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2010 05:18:00 | More by tubacharlie

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

2.48/5  rDev -26.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pours a clean copper/ orange-ish color, with a light tan head. In the aroma, sweet butterscotch and a small earthiness. In the taste, sticky-sweet butterscotch and a sweet earthiness. A smooth and medium to light bodied mouthfeel, with a sticky, dry butterscotch in the aftertaste. Quite sticky with butterscotch, but decent earthiness.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 13:06:27 | More by OWSLEY069

crenegar

New Jersey

2.2/5  rDev -34.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I've seen a few other reviews of this beer talking about a butterscotch taste. Obviously these folks don't know what diacetyl is, hint: it's NOT supposed to be there. Well...maybe trace amounts here and there but it should not be foremost in the nose, what a turn off. I bought a sixtel of Penn's O'fest and one of these only to get home and tap the Block and get the diacetyl hit, yuck. I like the fact these guys do lagers and I've had their dunkel on before, pretty good. Tasted their stuff at GABF just last week but that was around 4pm...everything was starting to merge at that point.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2010 16:25:23 | More by crenegar

Lauthaha

Michigan

2/5  rDev -40.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a beer mug.

Appearance: Rich amber color, with about one finger's worth of head. Light to moderate lacing on the glass with visible carbonation. Doesn't look too bad at all, I'm anxious to give it a smell.

Smell: Pungent, hoppy scent. Definitely not the best beer I have ever smelled, but at least it has an aroma. Sadly, the aroma lingers in the back of my throat quite bitterly. Not impressed. I'm a bit nervous about tasting it.

Taste: It's not horrible; that's the best I can say. There's a gentle sweetness which is undeniably overwhelmed by the bitter, disgusting taste of poorly selected hops. The only place on my tongue which really responds is the "bitter" section, and that's never a good sign. Ugh.

Mouthfeel: Well, it's not good, and it's not bad. Mild, slightly crisp. Not watery, but definitely lighter than I would have expected.

Drinkability: No. Don't do it.

Would not recommend this beer to anybody. Except for a fifty-year smoker, perhaps; one whose taste buds have long since burned away.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2010 00:49:18 | More by Lauthaha

cagocubs

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a nice amber with a 1 finger tan head that recedes and doesn't lace.

S: Can nose in the caramel and hops. Some earthy elements as well.

T: Good malts, hops, and sweetness. Some caramel taste.

M: Smooth, creamy, and coats the mouth nicely. Good carbonation.

D: Easy to drink octoberfest. Not the best example of a marzen, but a good overall beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2010 23:56:54 | More by cagocubs

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.23/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bronzed orange peel with way too many uprushing bubbles. A careful pour produced more foam than beer (and it will take several minutes for proportions to be reversed). The beige colored crown is soft and is uninterested in leaving much lace.

The nose is slightly better than decent. It's underpowered and a tad sourish, but isn't too far out of whack. The toasted and earthy underpinnings of the style can be appreciated more as the beer gains a few degrees.

Will Bloktoberfest be the first Atwater Block beer (out of 11... and counting) that will earn a taste score higher than 3.0? No, it will not. It's at least as 'good' as Cherry Stout, but neither are any better than middle-of-the-road for their respective styles.

Given the style and the ABV, there should be more malt in the house. And the flavor ought to be bolder as well. Specifics include toasted bread covered with apricot jelly, lemon zest and a small handful of chopped nuts. Something seems slightly off, although I'm not sure what. At least it's only slightly off rather than waaay off, like most beer from these guys.

The mouthfeel is pretty okay. It has just enough size and isn't as insanely bubbled as I'd feared. Actually, as is often the case with highly carbonated beer, it passes through the sweet spot quickly and feels lackluster in the bottom half of the bottle.

Given my previous (less than pleasurable) experiences with Atwater Block Brewery beer, Bloktoberfest could almost be considered a success. Almost, but not quite. To be painfully honest, I fully expect to plan a review of an ABB beer one of these days, only to find that the brewery has closed.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2009 13:33:35 | More by BuckeyeNation

justincolts

Indiana

3.48/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a head that evaporates very quickly, to almost nothing. Has a very amber brown look that is impressive. Nothing offensive in the smell, but has a smell that somewhat reminds me of a smell typical of brown ales. Maybe a caramel malt flavor, nothing particularly notable though. Has a smooth feeling and is easily drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2009 22:18:01 | More by justincolts

biggred1

Indiana

4/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Orange amber with a creamy tan head that leaves some fine lace on the glass. The nose is caramel and toasted grain with mild floral hops. This is pretty good tasting beer but the hops taste domestic (not a bad thing), otherwise nice and rich malts with a nice bubblegum quality. Medium bodied and easy drinking. An above average Example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2009 00:38:17 | More by biggred1

plaid75

New York

3.65/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On draft at the Waterfront, Brooklyn.

Poured a medium amber hue with a short lived one finger loosely assembled head. There was decent retention and little lacing.

The smell featured a sweet caramel with a secondary breadiness.

The taste consisted of an earthy caramel and a rather vibrant noble spice. Some breadiness as well.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style.

Overall a good mid level American version.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2009 17:27:30 | More by plaid75

beerman207

Kentucky

4.05/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Pours a nice deep amber with lots of floaties in the brew. Very good.

S- Very sweet malt coming in the nose.

T- Wow, the taste was excellent. Very impressed with the presence of malt, hop, and sweet tones in this ber.

M- carbonation for this brew is perfect. Medium body.

D- I was pleasantly suprised by this beer. I will need to get more

This is probably my favorite oktoberfest to date. Very impressed.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2009 00:03:02 | More by beerman207

throwthechaff

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I first want to say that I am not the biggest fan of most octoberfest brews, but this one just rubbed me right. Its got a nice medium perfect body which makes it so smooth and easy to drink. It also has a nice caramel finish that is subtle enough and not to overpowering. I feel like this is a must try compared to most of the microbrewed octoberfests out there.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2009 07:36:12 | More by throwthechaff