Oktoberfest
Great River Brewery

OktoberfestOktoberfest
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From:
Great River Brewery
 
Iowa, United States
Style:
Märzen
ABV:
5.9%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.41 | pDev: 23.46%
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
25
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 15, 2019
Added:
Sep 20, 2011
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by indiapaleale:
Photo of indiapaleale
Reviewed by indiapaleale from Maine

3.76/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
POUR: dark amber in color with some ruby red hues along with a thin white head made up of soda-like bubbles. Clean in appearance with lots of little orbs streaming upwards. Great looking pour for the style.

AROMA: faint hints of cereal grains and caramel. Some very subtle hints of brown sugar and corn syrup. The aroma of this beer is very muted.

TASTE: one sip and this is definitely going to please the malt lovers. I get toasted brown bread, brown sugar, molasses, soggy bran flakes and an overal very generous grain bill packed into each mouthful. The finish is clean and crisp which really rounds things out nicely.

OVERALL: once it hits the tongue this beer takes off. With little aroma and a nice appearance you're sort of left wondering what is going to make this beer special. The malt forward flavor profile of this well crafted lager and that smooth, crisp finish really make this a winner. Well done, wish we had more of it! Another fine beer from Great River.
Oct 20, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From old, undated notes. Poured from the can.

Dark piss color; see-through.

Huge off-white head which dissipates; minimal lacing.

Smells of pale malts; fresh bread comes to mind.

Rich oats and honey in the flavor; corn on the back end. Honey Nut Cheerios?! Not bad.

Oktoberfest beers make me think I need to sample more German brews. (Rauchbier's are next.) An argument for lagers; nice to see an American brewery pull this off.
Jun 15, 2019
Photo of BigDaddyWarbuxx
Reviewed by BigDaddyWarbuxx from Iowa

3.67/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
A little bit of a wheat flavor to it, and it's the most potent flavor in it. The Oktoberfest flavor really just hangs out in the back and never makes much of an impression. A nice buttery texture, though.
Aug 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by jzlyo from Iowa

Dec 13, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by jsh420 from Illinois

Oct 11, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by dradair from Missouri

Sep 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.2 by skubas86 from Illinois

Sep 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Callan911 from Nebraska

Sep 08, 2014
Photo of alphagnome
Reviewed by alphagnome from Iowa

1.18/5  rDev -65.4%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1
Appearance:
Hazy, deep orange body. Nothing for a head - not even a slight ring around the glass. Light, fine carbonation and very little trails of carbonation.

Aroma:
Very sweet and unusual aroma. Coppertone sunblock comes to mind. Notes of light caramel malts and nutmeg are here. Not very pleasing the the nose.

Taste:
Unfortunately, this isn't pleasing to the taste buds either. And by not very pleasing, I mean it's horrible. After reading reviews here, I can't help but wonder if I got a can from a bad shipment because this isn't drinkable. I get brown sugar, hints of banana, and... river water. A bit of orange zest hits at the end.

Mouthfeel:
Thin and watery. No noticable carbonation.

Overall:
After reading a few reviews here, I decided to give this one a chance. I'm picky when it comes to this style, but will give everything a fair chance. That said, what we have here is in my opinion the worst Oktoberfest I've ever had and quite possibly the worst beer in general. I have only dumped out 2 beers in my life, this is number 2. I can only hope that I got a bad can but even so, I can't recommend this to anyone.
Feb 09, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Cramerican from North Dakota

Dec 23, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by Allurex from Kansas

Nov 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by schoon from Iowa

Oct 13, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Josievan from Iowa

Sep 24, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by MADJACK05 from Illinois

May 03, 2013
Photo of morimech
Reviewed by morimech from Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Pours a clear, dark amber color with a thin head that settled to a thin film. Just a few specks of lacing is left down the glass.

Malty aroma that is bready with a caramel twist. Possbile toast as well. Just the lightest whiff of spicy hops.

Clean malt flavor that is not too sweet. A little toast adds some interest. The marzens I really find enjoyable have a moderate hop presence, unfortunately this beer lacks that aspect. Very little hop flavor and low bitterness.

A somewhat hefty body for a sub 6% ABV beer. Nicely carbonated that lends a nice texture. A little more carbonated than its German counterparts.

I would buy this beer again although it would not be my first choice. Its clean malt flavor being its most interesting aspect.
Oct 31, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by Packman4IL from Illinois

Oct 31, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by NateMac13 from Illinois

Oct 24, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by Bpierso1 from Illinois

Sep 21, 2012
Photo of mynie
Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

3.47/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a bit redder than what I look for in a marzen. Still, pretty.

Smells of the same kind of rounded toffee nodes that you find in a good oktoberfest, but these are buffeted by a weedy tang. It's not bad, really, nor even offputting, but it just don't complement the rounded malt too well.

And it tastes almost exactly like it smells: nice malty started, weird (but not really *bad*) weedy finish. It don't quite jibe up. And that's a shame, because the up front malt has some very promising nodes of cocoa and brown sugar, but then the back end just gets all creepy and weird.
Nov 27, 2011
 
Rated: 1 by spoonhawk from Iowa

Nov 23, 2011
Oktoberfest from Great River Brewery
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 25 ratings