Oktoberfest
Aktienbrauerei Kaufbeuren AG

OktoberfestOktoberfest
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From:
Aktienbrauerei Kaufbeuren AG
 
Germany
Style:
Märzen
ABV:
5.9%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.56 | pDev: 13.48%
Reviews:
34
Ratings:
40
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 29, 2020
Added:
Dec 30, 2002
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by FenwaySquid:
Photo of FenwaySquid
Reviewed by FenwaySquid from Florida

3.17/5  rDev -11%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Presentation: tall brown 16.9 oz. bottle, no dating of any kind, poured into an Oktoberfest mug.

Appearance: Poured a clear pale straw yellow color, carbonation bubbles rising inside. The head formed 1-2 fingers thick and retained nicely.

Aroma: Sweet malts, fairly strong aroma for such a pale color yet very inviting.

Taste: Same as the smell at first, sweet malty flavor with a hint of caramel thrown in there. Some floral hops come through in the middle, and combines with the malts for a sweet yet slightly bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Light-medium bodied, smooth and almost creamy. The carbonation was in good balance.

Overall: I always thought Marzens were supposed to be darker than this, it looked like a helles or pilsner. Either way, it's a fairly good brew, nothing I'm going to seek out but nothing I'm going to turn away either.
Nov 07, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.77 by smi69 from New York

Jun 29, 2020
 
Rated: 5 by OzmanBey from Massachusetts

Oct 24, 2017
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Draft at the Oktoberfest tent at Big-E in MA.

Dark iced tea brown color, clear, light head,

Nose slight sweet Munich malts, brown slight candy, mild juicy lager, little biscuit wheat toffee bock like note.

Taste crisp fruity lager, mild biscuit wheat toffee candy bock like notes, light straw pilsner, little nutty, mild sweet caramel like. Finish brings a touch of grassy hop bitterness, more sticky sweet toffee biscuit lingering.

Mouth med bod, soft crisp lager, nice carb.
Sep 21, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Thunder from Georgia

Feb 08, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by t0rin0 from California

Aug 23, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by Stoffel from Texas

Jan 10, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by cdwil from Texas

Dec 30, 2011
Photo of LongsPeakAveBrew
Reviewed by LongsPeakAveBrew from Colorado

3.74/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 500ml bottle to a tulip glass.

Appearance:
Full, bright white head over crystalline light-amber/dark-straw body. nice head dissipates rather quickly leaving a thin foam across the glass and good lacing.

Nose:
not much here. bread and light hops. maybe some honey?

Taste:
In-line with the aroma. sweet bread and biscuit malt notes. very clean with a floral hop finish. As the beer warms a caramel malt flavor develops.

Mouth feel:
Carbonation and body in balance, and very refreshing without being to light.

Overall: a very drinkable beer. Less malt presence than I would like, but balanced well and makes me wish I had picked up more than one bottle.
Jan 28, 2010
Photo of Monsteruss
Reviewed by Monsteruss from Colorado

3.7/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
The foam was light wheat in color, bubbly and dissapated somewhat quickly. The smell had a hops/pils feel with dry undertone. The color was light gold and pilsener characteristics. It had a light wheat taste with fruity hints and somewhat dry. It also had a semi-bitter aftertaste. Mouthfeel - medium to lightbodied. A good session. Drinkability - It was really good with the exception of the semi-bitter taste.
Apr 28, 2009
Photo of roadhouse
Reviewed by roadhouse from Florida

4.1/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 16.9 oz. bottle into a pilsener glass.

Appears a clear golden color with a one inch thick white head. It falls to a skim that retains well enough and leaves a tiny bit of lacing.

Aroma is of toasty malt, sweet caramel, and some light noble hops that come across as slightly spicy.

Taste presents some sweet and toasty malt flavors up front with the hop character coming in midway through, again slightly spicy with a bit of an herbal character, never becoming bitter in the slightest. A deep sweetness returns in the finish then fades away to leave the hop character in the linger.

Mouthfeel is fairly light bodied with a nice creamy consistency that remains crisp and drinkable.

For one of the golden style Oktoberfests this stuff is damn good. I hesitated to pick this one up during O-fest season since I knew nothing about it but now that it's dry season for this wonderful style I gave it a shot, and glad I did.
Mar 12, 2009
Photo of danadeny
Reviewed by danadeny from Colorado

4.45/5  rDev +25%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
The bottle has the classic German recycling marks, the rings around the top an bottom from the numerous times this bottle has been filled and cleaned and recycled. i wish i could send it back to germany just to keep it's life going. Pours a crystal clear straw body with lots of carbonation and a very bubbly white head. Smell is of soft light malt, a little Cornish smell and a hint of sweet alcohol. Taste is of classic German balance of all flavors, alcohol, malt, and hops. All the subtle flavors can easily be detected, the light malt and since this is an oktoberfest bier the sweet alcohol is prevelent. A bit of a corn husks flavor as I always get from these Oktoberfest beers, it's just the classic german malt flavor. Mouthfeel is watery and smooth. Drinkability is insane. this is a session beer at its best. So an excellently balanced beer, with lots of flavor and you can drink it all night. Perfect.
Nov 27, 2008
Photo of nick76
Reviewed by nick76 from Florida

2.68/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5
The aroma is very much like the style. There is a lightly acidic, sour corn malt and some semblance of herbs. The appearance is yellow gold with a medium head. The flavor is like the aroma with a low bitterness but a high cardboard element. The palate is perfect for the style. You know there are just not that many things to say about this beer. I am not crazy about it at all. Maybe it's not fresh...
Nov 13, 2008
Photo of DoubleJ
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin

3.47/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
On-tap at Hollingshead's, on to the beer:

At first look, I would have guessed this to be a helles lager instead of an O-fest. This beer is a lighter pale gold color, the head is fluffy on top but dissipates quickly. My nose is getting sweetpale malt and a kick of hay. To the taste, it tastes more like a sweet helles than an O-Fest. More sweet pale malt. It's a simple flavor. Grassy notes come out to play before a brush-up of hops are noticed at the end. It's a solid beer, whatever you want to call, and a little sweet too.
Oct 09, 2008
Photo of ccrida
Reviewed by ccrida from Oregon

2.74/5  rDev -23%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5
.5 L bottle poured into my Meantime Snifter, Aktien Oktoberfest is a clear gold with lazy streamers forming a modest white head that is pretty quick to settle and doesn't leave any lace. I am not a fan of the blonde o-fests at all, lame!

Smell is sweeter, grainy and grassy, bready German pils. Also a slight off flavor that I can't describe, not quite skunky or sulfer, but along those lines. Pretty good actually, but not what I look for in the style at all.

Taste is pretty bland, like a German pils with a bit more ABV, dry and crisp, with a lingering grainy aftertaste. Not bad, but not at all what I want when I want a märzen. Less depth then the nose, very generic.

Mouthfeel is pretty smooth, tight bubbled carbonation that is crisp without being sharp.

Drinkability is not good if you want a real o-fest. If you want to guzzle lager then this would probably work fine, but is not a reasonable enough price out here that it would replace the countless other euro lagers at a lower pricepoint. Score would be higher if it was not marketed as an o-fest. I recognize that the big 6 in München have been dumbing down the tent beers and going this route. I don't care for that at all!
Oct 08, 2008
Photo of Haybeerman
Reviewed by Haybeerman from Colorado

3.74/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
A: Pale straw color; slightly clouded. Poured an ample three finger head that dissipated to healthy skim. Even light lacing.

S: Bready, slightly sweet malts. Grass and wet grains.

T: Wet grain and hay with a slightly sweet honer taste followed by some citrus bite. Finishes with honey, bready malts and slightly bittering hops.

M: Medium bodied. Might be a bit low on the carbonation. Finish was fairly clean

D: Have had more full-bodied fest beers with deeper color, better malt/hop balance. All that said, still a very drinkable beer.q1

Drank very easy. A bit off style, but not a bad session beer none the less
Sep 14, 2008
Photo of twiggamortis420
Reviewed by twiggamortis420 from Texas

4.17/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This beer pours a cloudy dark golden hue....very light for an Oktoberfest. Head is normal white with decent retention.

Mmmm...malty whole grain bread scent, earthy. Hints of pumpkin, melons and oranges.

Man, there is not really a bad thing I can say about this beer, besides it being light in color. Awesome malt bomb with a surprisingly noticeable hop bitterness at the end. Earth, leaf piles and pumpkin bread is what this beer brings to mind.

A damn fine brew. A little off for the style, but with that aside, this is one I could drink a full liter or two of. Recommended.
Aug 09, 2008
Photo of MuenchenerKindl
Reviewed by MuenchenerKindl from Germany

3.95/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a .5L bottle to a tall glass mug, the liquid is a pale gold a tad lighter then most marzens with good carbonation. The head is 2 fingers white and leaves good lace.

The smell is big sweet rich malt, like a holiday bread.

The taste is just that quite nice slightly sweet bready, with notes of caramel.

The mouthfeel is very good, good body and nice carbonation.

The taste is good I like this O'fest offering.

Prosit und Zum Wohl. MK
Oct 18, 2007
Photo of russpowell
Reviewed by russpowell from Arkansas

4.1/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours an effervescent straw/golden with 4+ fingers of pearl white head. Great lacing & above average head retention

S: Bready & crackery with some grassy notes

T: Notes of mown hay, grainyness & honey up front. Slight metallic & lemony hops, plus more grainyness. Finishes with honey, breadyness with some herbal hops. I'd rate this higher as a helles

MF: Medium bodied, slick, with low carbonation & great balance (for a Helles)

Drank very easy. A bit off style, but not a bad session beer none the less
Sep 26, 2007
Photo of Atlas1
Reviewed by Atlas1 from Texas

3.55/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
T'is the season for the oktober festbiers. This one is from Aktien in Germany, and comes in a big, 16.9oz bottle with a cool old-school image of drunken Germans and a stout Oktoberfest barmaid holding a dozen steins. Good stuff. Interestingly enough, this bottle label lists the ABV at 5.8%, rather than the BA-listed 5.9%.

Pours a light, crisp-looking pale straw color with a one-finger white foamy head that dissipates quickly but leaves behind some decent lace. Strangely enough, if I had to choose between this and a Miller High Life soley based on looks alone, I don't know if I could tell the difference. Maybe this one has more lace, but otherwise they're the spitting image of each other. But that's where any simliarities end. The nose on this beer is a funky, malty fruit scent. It may not scream out oktoberfest, but it does bear the malt characteristics of the style. Taste is clean and crisp but heavily malted as well. Some faint lemon flavoring. A bit of old leather taste as well. Not bad, but certainly not the best tasting festbier I've had this season. Mouthfeel is smooth and almost chewy, but clean and dry.

I could put a few of these away with little problem, I imagine, but it's not my favorite version of the style that I've had this year. I'd rather reserve this one for a trip to Germany anyhow; things are always so much better in their native lands, eh?
Sep 12, 2007
Oktoberfest from Aktienbrauerei Kaufbeuren AG
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 40 ratings