Oktoberfest Lager - Rivertown Brewing Co.

Tilley4

Tennessee

3.03/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Picked up a sixer on the recommendation of a buddy..

Very sweet boozy malt aromas dominate here with no bread or honey or noble hops anywhere to be found... very sweet aromas

Butterscotch candy flavorings with a tinge of booze and not much else... super sweet and rich... not a very good example of the style...

Sort of an average brew here...

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 22:51:56 | More by Tilley4

TheHoppiest

Ohio

3.13/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a squat 12 oz bottle into a mug. Pours a faint orange yellow color, with a 1/2" white head that reduces to a lid fed with active carbonation.

Has a sweet malty aroma, with hints of toffee.

Taste is unremarkable, with a sweet malt, wort-like taste, underlaid with a bit of a spice. Slightly hoppy to end, this has an oddly metallic taste that lingers.

Medium bodied, the active carbonation gives this a harsh feel.

Overall, rather meh. Not terribly tasty, and not paricularly fragrant this just doesn't have a lot going for it, particularly given the wide availability of quality Oktoberfests from Germany. Even Ohio, between Thirsty Dog's Barktoberfest, to Great Lakes' Oktoberfest, has better Oktoberfest offerings. Too bad, particularly given Cinci's German heritage.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2011 02:12:30 | More by TheHoppiest

Ryan011235

Ohio

2.63/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a Founders mug on 10/30/11

Sunburnt amber, faded and pale. Pretty well clear. Poofy two finger head condenses to about 1/3rd inch cap of foam. A few decently proportioned trails of lace run about.

Timid aroma, sure, but it smells fine. Subtle aromas of bread, toasted grain, earthiness and a smattering of yeast way in the back. Simple flavors, too, but not as good. Toasted bread and faint suggestion of a caramel something. Finishes with a metallic hop twinge, meh. Mouthfeel is on the watery side of medium. Carbonation dials in around a shade higher than moderate. Less than pleasant coating finish.

Overall impression - this needs a few tweaks to be a contender.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 16:19:44 | More by Ryan011235

BEERchitect

Kentucky

2.58/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

An unusual Oktoberfestbier with a few characteristics that reaffirm the style, while some artistic liberties are taken. All shaping an identity for the beer and brewer.

A pour of bright golden color reveals good clarity with only the faintest sign of haze. Creamy white foam sits atop the beer with a very fluid structure. Light lace is evident on the glass but in a very modest tone. Fairly standard look of all Oktoberfestbiers.

Aromas are rich and profound with the scent of butter and corn, giving the impression of movie popcorn. A faint matly/grainy scent sits beyond and hardly rivals attention. No the most appealing scent unless you are a fan of the butterscotch aroma.

Flavors also exhibit the buttery taste, but also with a part-malt, part-grain taste to add sweetness and rawness to the flavor of butter and cream corn. Lightly herbal in the hop character, a tea-like flavor morphs to smooth bitterness in finish for a full and balanced session.

Full and somewhat 'fatty' on the palate, the beer carries a slight oiliness from the butter taste and causes the beer to linger on the mouth much more than is typical for the style. Less crisp, clean, or refreshing than the style perscribes.

Obvious diacetyl-butter influence from the yeast handcuff the beer to a great deal. And maybe a dms-corn flavor reinforces the flaw. But with a grainy taste that's not malt-balanced further exacerbates the problems with the beer and makes it hard to celebrate the light malt character or pleasant hop complements.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 17:53:49 | More by BEERchitect

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle, $1.59 for a single bottle of this. Served in a mug, the beer pours a hazy orange/amber color with about a half inch off-white head. Pretty much no lacing at all. Aroma is bready and toasted malt, and some herbs. The taste is pretty much the same as the aroma, but with some slight hops noticable too. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it feels a little bit slick with moderate carbonation. I think it's an OK brew, but it's not one of the better Oktoberfest beers I've had. I'll have to try this again when it comes out next year, it's worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 21:34:55 | More by bluejacket74

PDXHops

South Carolina

2.5/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12 ounce bottle from Ryan011235, poured into a shaker pint. A lighter hue than expected, golden amber with a modest off-white head and even more modest lacing.

Light grainy nose with a touch of corn sweetness and touch of herbal. Kinda bland smelling, but the flavor's more lively. Leafy hops bring the goods. A bit toasty, a bit nutty, but there seems to be an adjunct quality to the malt profile. Almost like a bit of corny adjunct lager blended with a more appropriately robust oktoberfest. Medium bodied with abundant carboantion. Lingering toast and cereal grains with a rather coating residual sweetness. Decent brew, could use a few tweaks.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2011 01:59:07 | More by PDXHops

sixerofelixir

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle. There is a code on the bottom of the bottle. Classy-looking orange label.

Pours a pretty amber-gold. Many carb trailers, and a decent cream ring that laces the glass. Smell is crisp, of rich cereal grains. Taste has the familiar toasted marzen backbone, but with a decent amount of bitters and an uptwist of almost-fruity flavors. Finishes tart and hoppy. Feel is lively and carbonated. A very nice beer here, with some definite character. Worthy of a few glasses.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 04:35:51 | More by sixerofelixir

StrangeBrew1

Kentucky

4.75/5  rDev +43.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a beautiful orange color with a nice head. Leaves a full lace on the glass.
Taste is a nice toasty bread with a slight dry finish beckoning another sip. Not overly sweet like most malty beers of this kind but not hoppy either. A good balance. Very true to the style.
This is my favorite Oktoberfest beer I look forward to every year next to Sam Adams. Many craft breweries mess this up trying to make it something it isn't. Usually too malty or overly carbonated and light. Rivertown hits the style just right, better than HofBrau. If you were to cover up the bottle most people would believe its from Germany. It tastes very traditional with German yeast and malts mixed with of course with Zinzinnati water.
In case you are wondering what to hold in the other hand along with this beer I recommend pairing it with a brat and sauerkraut, or a pretzel for a real treat!
Give this a try this fall and you will be finding yourself yelling "O zapft is!"

Serving type: on-tap

09-07-2011 01:14:27 | More by StrangeBrew1

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I've never seen any of these Rivertown bottles in my parts, this fall seasonal is labeled Oktoberfest a decent orange label with the river boat on their symbol. A short stubby bottle with a twist off cap that I was unable to get off. Appears a pale copper hue almost orange tinted, a look that definitely screams fall. Fine light khaki head forms with specks of scattered lacing coming down the sides of my mug. Aroma has a light cereal caramel grain tones with light herbal hops coming through so far. A bit of sulfur or clean carbonation smells like a bready neutral lager yeast. Semi sweet rolling malts build up in the initial sip, light caramel presence drying nuttiness with highlighted herbal hop finish. Carbonation actually seems to have an effect on flavor, very sturdy almost oversaturated in carbonation. Mouthfeel is medium to light bodied besides a couple rough hop burps from the carbonation this was a smooth quaffing O fest the way it should be. Overall not a horrible beer, but could use some tweaking, nice to see another Ohio brewed bottle showing up on shelves.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 20:07:10 | More by WVbeergeek

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

3.8/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - murky reddish brown, some sediment floating around. Starts with a decent head and fades back to a thin but solid cover.

Aroma - fruity and malty sweet on the nose, maybe a little doughy.

Taste - malty, a bit raisiny almost, mostly just a sugary flavor with a little grainy abv kick. A mild almost bock-like spiciness. Finishes with a little flash of toastiness and abv warmth in the throat.

Mouthfeel - smooth, mild to medium carbonation, good solid body.

Drinkability - enjoyed a few of these on Halloween. Very easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2010 02:59:16 | More by brewdlyhooked13

Landfill21

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +35%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

So far I have loved every Rivertown beer, so whe I was at Octoberfest and saw this on tap, I had to try it.

Has a nice amber color that has a one finger head that dances down your glass as you drink it.

Has a smell that has traces of caramel and druit and a hint of nutmeg

Has a medium mouthfeel and the perfect amount of carbonation.

This beer has a great drinkability and I would purchase it if I could find a place that sells it.

Great fall beer!

Serving type: on-tap

09-27-2010 00:24:48 | More by Landfill21