Octoberfest Lager - Sweetwater Tavern & Brewery

garthwaite

Virginia

3.45/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Sampled on tap at the brewpub. Bright, relatively clear copper with minimal head, actually just a few pockets of large bubbles. Muted toasted aroma with some German malts present, but not as rich as I'd hoped for. Sweet malt complimented by low levels of hop bitterness & a hint of spicy hop flavor. Gently toasted malts throughout, with some complexity. Medium to thin in the mouth. Hints of caramel in the finish, which is on the dry side. While this is certainly an inoffensive, drinkable version, my favorite Oktoberfests are rich & complex in malt flavor & deliciously creamy in the mouth - this beer really did not excel in these areas.

Serving type: on-tap

10-22-2004 20:14:31 | More by garthwaite

jackpritchard

Hawaii

4/5  rDev +5%

11-20-2011 19:38:41 | More by jackpritchard

CuriousMonk

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From notes at the brewery: Bartender laced rim of pint glass with pumpkin flavorings. Deep amber coloured body with a thinnish off-white head. Aroma of pumpkin pie spice, malt and a bit of spice. Light to Medium-bodied; Lightish spicey flavour with some pumpkin tastes and more malt. Aftertaste has some caramel sweetness and a bit more spice, but nothing outlandish. Overall, a nice marzen beer with some good spices and a bit of a malty kick - even stronger than usual.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2011 19:40:41 | More by CuriousMonk

jdmorgan

Virginia

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

I picked up a growler of this while at a restaurant. I was in a festive mood, and I'll admit that I love Oktoberfest beers. It poured an amber color with a white head.

The smell had sweet malt and slight hop aromas to it. The taste was full of caramel malt with a medium/light hop body to it. The body was nice and full with a bit of sweetness to it. The hop profile was secondary to the malt for sure. Flavors were blended quite well too. Carbonation was medium and consistency was medium as well.

I found this to be a very drinkable beer. Although most beers from this brew-pub are average, I thought this was a good Oktoberfest beer and very enjoybale as a session beer. It's a great thirst-quencher in autumn and I'll look forward to it again next year.

Serving type: growler

12-01-2008 03:16:58 | More by jdmorgan

meathookjones

Virginia

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

Had this on tap at the Sterling Virginia Sweetwater Tavern. This appeared very clean amber color with about a fingers worth of off white foam. Some lacing was left decorating the glass as this was consumed. The aroma had a nice roasted scent about it that was backed by notes of doughy and sweet malt. Taste was very similar in that a toasted flavor was apparent all throughout and lingered a bit in the after taste. It had a very slight sweetness and a bit of a bitter bite to it. The body was about medium with a good carbonated mouthfeel to it. This went down pretty smoothly and I could easily drink a few of these in a session. I’m not to big on the style but this was pretty good.

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2004 15:10:31 | More by meathookjones