Beck's Oktoberfest - Brauerei Beck & Co.

justinbednar

Pennsylvania

1.35/5  rDev -60.4%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Poured copper color with very little head. Smelled a bit stale (most likely was expired). Thin mouthfeel that coated the tongue with an unpleasant bitterness. It could have been more carbonated. Heavy maltiness with an offputing sour hop flavor. Tasted far from balanced.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 00:55:05 | More by justinbednar

Bfarr

Washington

1.6/5  rDev -53.1%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

I picked this up in $1 discount bin at the store because I haven't had one in a long time. It was still fresh (good until 6/10) according to the bottle.

It pours an almost completely transparent copper with a medium tan head with large bubbles. The aroma is a very light hop at first with a nose hair curling sharpness. The taste is weak hops and mostly grain. It is also very watery with a thin, high carbonated mouthfeel. This has the most horrid aftertaste.

I don't know what else to say. I just can't drink a beer like this. The taste isn't horrible but the aftertaste and feel just kills it.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2010 00:44:38 | More by Bfarr

callmeclemens

New Jersey

1.7/5  rDev -50.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Had this on tap at a local bar. Very small head, perhaps half an inch, no lacing.

Smelled like Carmel for the most part. Tasted like a mix of Chemical flavours if you ask me, overly sweet caramel and spices, slightly malted, but after the initil impact of the flavour the malt just made my mouth feel sour. IMHO this is one of the poorer oktoberfests I've had to date.

Serving type: on-tap

11-06-2010 22:14:07 | More by callmeclemens

Vendetta

New Jersey

1.78/5  rDev -47.8%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 1

Original Rating Date:
October 2, 2008

I will never understand why brewers bottle in green. That being said, I was lucky enough to get a closed case of this so the skunkitude wasn't too too bad. The aroma is hampered by skunk, instantly noticible, and it destroys what would have been a fabulous brown sugary maltiness. The beer looks fabulous, dark copper with a mushy white head that leaves a decent lacing. The taste... jesus, skunk ruined this beer. There is some decent caramel sweetness and some bready malt, but it's completely overshadowed by nasty skunkiness and what I think is some weak corn flavor. Palate is actually very good, fuzzy carbonation with a bit of a bitter aftertaste and a grainy, sticky texture. Overall though, this was a waste of time, I'm frustrated that I didn't pick up the Hofbrau instead. The worst thing about this beer is that the potential shines through the cloud of skunk, but unfortunately the potential is just that and this beer fails to impress me.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2008 18:50:52 | More by Vendetta

albern

Massachusetts

1.83/5  rDev -46.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Yuk! I haven't had a Becks beer in 20+ years, with good reason, but when I saw their Octoberfest I thought I would approach this with an open mind. The beer pours an amber color with a decent head that dissipates quickly, some lacing, some retention. And that's the best part. The smell is a nutty, chemically, lousy malt smell, and the taste is worse. There is a slight chestnut or almond malt taste to this beer, but it isn't particularly good. This is a pretty bad beer, and I don't know which is worse, the fact that this is German and should be better, or that anyone would actually pay money for this stuff given the 100s of great local beers out there, not to mention imports. If you want bad beer, drink a Budweiser on the cheap, why pay imported prices for something so poor. The mouthfeel is a little bit creamy, mostly watery, and largely inoffensive. The taste and drinkability are just not there for me. This is a one and done, and I'm pouring the remainder down the drain. I'll wait another 20+ years before I give this beer another looksie.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2007 17:57:10 | More by albern

TastyTaste

Minnesota

1.88/5  rDev -44.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Typical Oktoberfest coloring, dark/medium copper color, small off whitish head. Smell is diacetyl and slight grassy malt. I check the label, best before 06/06 (that is a very long shelf life for an O-Fest, I wonder how they justify it). Taste is a little weak, not a lot of malt action, or any kind of action. Very watered down, pretty lackluster. OK mouthfeel, but this is a bad oktoberfest in any sense of the word.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2005 02:14:52 | More by TastyTaste

Tilley4

Tennessee

1.9/5  rDev -44.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

What is it with these green bottles???

Pours out looking great.. Nice dark amber with a tremendous head... And then I smell the skunk....not bad, but enough to let me know that this probably aint gonna be great... I'm right... It tastes rather like a regular Becks except skunked...

Go figure..

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2008 01:08:15 | More by Tilley4

GuinnessSmurf

Missouri

2.05/5  rDev -39.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Sorry to the fans of Beck's beer, but this is a very lack-luster Oktoberfest.

Starts off with a nice clear brown/copper color with a medium head that dies off immediately.

Smell is skunky/wheaty. Nothing terribly strong or offsetting, but doesn't really have a lager/marzen smell.

Taste is very flat and uninteresting. It reminds me of low quality white bread with nothing on it to hide its taste. Its just sort of grainy and lifeless.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2004 03:59:34 | More by GuinnessSmurf

KarlHungus

Minnesota

2.05/5  rDev -39.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

This beer pours a clear bronze color. The head is half an inch in height, and recedes quickly into sparse lacing. The aroma is of pretty much nothing. There is some extremely faint malt, but it is really hard to detect. The taste is similar to the aroma. The mouthfeel is light bodied with high carbonation, and a watery texture. Overall, this is a bad beer that I will not drink again.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 23:51:56 | More by KarlHungus

zander4dawin

Texas

2.15/5  rDev -37%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Appearance - A darker amber body than I'd expect from an Oktoberfest. Fizzy head.
Smell - Sweet, malty. Not over-baring.
Taste - A little watery and cheap tasting. Not a whole lot here to work with. Catching some malts with slight caramel, raisin flavors.
Mouthfeel - Feels too light. Has a sharp crispiness that almost stings the tongue.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2011 16:32:08 | More by zander4dawin

WVbeergeek

Ohio

2.2/5  rDev -35.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Appears amber brown with af thin tan head, not a bad appearance at all leaves light patches of lacing. Aroma slightly metallic with sweet mild faint toasted malts and a decent hop profile. Flavor has the toasted malts balanced by a sharp bitterness not too bad drinkable but I like more body from an Oktoberfest beer not to bad will make sure I try as many O-fests this year as possilble.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2003 04:14:04 | More by WVbeergeek

KeefD

Minnesota

2.2/5  rDev -35.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured from a 12oz bottle, expiration date of June 2008..

Dark amber in color, very little head, slight lacing. The nice color was the last good thing about it. Not much to smell in this beer. Slight nuttiness but no hop aroma at all.

Taste and body is light with moderate carbonation. Slight pumpkin and apple taste. Lightly roasted malts, little to no hops. Almost like a watered-down brown ale.

Not the best Oktoberfest, but maybe it's just the wrong time of year to be drinking it.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2008 23:10:21 | More by KeefD

jackndan

Illinois

2.3/5  rDev -32.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Beck’s O-Fest: Its been done! A skunked out euro-lager with a handful of “oktoberfest” spices. Really disappointed in this beer. It looked just fine, but c’mon, its just bad. It had the underlying taste of beck’s, bad and skunked, with a very limited level of O-fest malts thrown in the mix. Worst O-fest ever.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2002 20:05:16 | More by jackndan

JoeBloe

New York

2.3/5  rDev -32.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

when the bartender recommended this one i replied 'as long as it doesn't taste like a beck's with some octoberfest on it " but that's just what it tastes like - maybe it's me but beck's beer always tastes skunked - maybe that's beck's - the octoberfest is a little buttery, creamy, malty - but there's still that underlying beck's skunkation - looks good on the pour, and i hoped on-tap would relieve me of the beck's 'skunkation', with the green glass bottle out of the equation, but no, i smelt it , tasted it ,and drank it, but i wouldn't order another - the bartender claimed this to be the top seller since it came in this week - not for me...

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2009 02:54:31 | More by JoeBloe

philbertk

Washington

2.3/5  rDev -32.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Beck's For Oktoberfest--Yellow 2000-A 12 oz. Bottle. 5.00% ABV. (3.25 / 5.0) Clear rich copper bronze color. Light roasted malty Bavarian hop nose. Hint of green bottle stank. Smooth light biscuit body is chalky with touch of caramel fruit sweetness. Malty end is light and clean. Sampled 8/18/2000.

Beck's Oktoberfest--BlueLabel--2000-B 12 oz. Green Bottle. 5.20% ABV. (4.0 / 5.0) Clear rich bright copper red color. Rich toasted malty front. Smooth mildly spicy malty sweet toasted cherry biscuit Oktoberfest body. Finishes sweet and malty. Best Beck's to date. Sampled 1/15/2001.

Beck's Oktoberfest--Blue Label 2001 12 oz. Green Bottle. 5.20% ABV. (4.0 / 5.0 ) Clear rich bright copper amber color. Big rich lacy head. Mild crisp malty front. Smooth crisp rich malt sweet light caramel body. Finishes smooth and malty. Quite nice. Sampled 9/23/2001.

Beck's Oktoberfest--Yellow Label 2001 12 oz. Green Bottle. 5.20% ABV. (3.25 / 5.0) Light sediment Slightly hazy rich amber color. Light stank to mild fruit malt front. Malty smooth crisp medium amber lager body. Mild caramel malt flavor. Clean mild end. Crisp but bland. Sampled 4/3/2002.

Beck's Oktoberfest--Blue Label 2002 12 oz. Bottle. 5.20% ABV. (3.75 / 5.0) Clear thin bright amber color. Light lacy head. Bavarian malt mild hop front. Smooth crisp thin tangy mild malt body with light toasted biscuit fruit notes. Dry smooth malt spice mild hop end. Mild. Sampled 10/28/2002.

Beck's Oktoberfest--2003 12 oz. Bottle. 5.20% ABV. (4.25 / 5.0) Clear rich bright thin amber red color. Light lace head. Light tangy toasted malty mild hop front. Crisp mild citrus toasted malty thin sweet caramel biscuit body. Mild malt citrus hop end. Tangy Fest. Sampled 10/21/2003.

Beck's Oktoberfest--2004 12 oz. Bottle. 5.00% ABV. 20 IBU's? (4.25 / 5.0) Tight mild lace head. Bright thin pretty copper red color. Mild hop malty front. Crisp CO2 malty mild sweet toasted smooth crusty caramel biscuit body. Cloying mildly tangy mild hop end. Best so far 2004. Sampled 9/25/2004.

2005 12 oz. Bottle. 5.00% ABV. 15 IBU's? (4.0 / 5.0) Foamy mild lace head. Clear thin amber red color. Mild toasted malt hop front. Crisp dry sweet toasted crusty thin smooth caramel body. Clean dry mild tangy mild hop end. Thin but tasty & malty. Stank hint. Sampled 9/7/2005.

2006 12 oz. Bottle. 5.20% ABV. 20 IBU's? (3.75 / 5.0) Mild lacy head. Clear fizzy thin bright copper amber color. Mild hop malty front. Crisp clean mellow toasted caramel mild green bottle stank fest body. Easy smooth mild hop end. Easy good mild Fest. Sampled 9/26/2006.

2007 12 oz. Green Bottle. 5.20% ABV. 20 IBU's? (3.75 / 5.0) Foamy lacy copper head. Clear thin bright ruby color. Mild hop malt front. Thin smooth mild tangy toasted caramel toffee mild sweet Fest body. Clean mild malt spice crisp easy fresh end. Mild Fest. No Stank. Sampled 9/11/2007.

2008 12 oz. Green Bottle. 5.20% ABV. 20 IBU's? (3.5 / 5.0) Slow developing rich lacy off white head. Clear bright amber red color. Mild stank toasted malt mild hop front. Crisp CO2 tangy dry sweet toasted toffee mild fruit thin malty Fest body. Mild tingly malt spice hop stank hint clean dry end. Thin. Slightly stanky. Sampled 9/2/2008. 6-Pack $7.49.

Beck & Company Brauerei--Beck's Oktoberfest--2009 12 oz. Green Bottle 5.20% ABV. 10 IBU'S? (2.0 / 5.0) Mild lace thin off white head. Enticing clear bright thin amber red color. Green bottle aged stank hint mild hop light toasted fruit malt front. Thin mild sweet toasted caramel stanky mild fruit smooth Fest body. Clean weak Fest end. Aged true & weak. Sampled 9/11/2010. 6-Pack-$7.79.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2010 05:47:22 | More by philbertk

Thrasher

Oregon

2.35/5  rDev -31.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Not a Beck's fan to begin with, although this is probably their best beer. They brilliantly decided to use clear bottles this year (with a faint green tinge) but are selling them in enclosed 12 packs. Skunky aroma which fortunately vacated when dumped into mug. Some good head & coloration but a bit too artificially fizzy to be truly handsome. Very cold, this beer had some good caramel sweetness in the attack but everything else is a wash. As the beer warmed to the appropriate temperature, the bad flavors became more obvious. Too much regular Beck's flavor, which I find disgusting. Also an offensive metallic aftertaste, much the same effect as sucking on a quarter that you picked up off the street. Will have to recruit some friends to finish this 12 pack for me. Should have known what to expect from Beck's.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2002 13:57:26 | More by Thrasher

marcpal

New Jersey

2.4/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Least favorite Octoberfest of the 07 season. Very let down. This was on tap poured into pint glass.

A: Light coloring for a fest beer and the head was thin and lifeless.

S: The aroma was there and had the piney smell that seemed promising.

T: Awfully bitter for this type of beer- really nothing to it. Lacked the flavor that was promised in the smell. Did not notice any real sweetness that I was looking for.

M: Some carbonation but again, too thin.

D: Too bland and thinned out - tough to finish the pint.

May have to try again as this may have been a one-off bad experience on tap because others seem to think worthwhile.

Serving type: on-tap

10-27-2007 12:47:12 | More by marcpal

beertaster13

Washington

2.42/5  rDev -29%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

The long trip must have did this beer bad. The pour was a nice orange amber with a decent head, lacing was nice. The smell was sweet but lacking definition, picked up slight spice, but no real standout. The taste seemed very caramelly and sweet but with no real added pizazz, a little to syrupy for my liking, in the end it smoothed out like a lager, different.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2004 23:15:59 | More by beertaster13

merlin48

Kentucky

2.45/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

The Beck's pours an attractive, red amber body with a small, beige head that vanishes in the blink of the eye. Very minimal lacing.
Aroma feautures a caramel malt dominance. Hops presence is restrained, thankfully, as the minor hops aroma is sulfuric.
Mouthfeel is highly carbonated, and has a light to medium body.
The taste gets diminished by the high carbonation, initially, before some acridly, bitter tastes kick in. Caramel maltiness attempts to emerge, but is overwhelmed by a sickingly, bitter hops/yeast charcter. The taste is unpleasant, with an astringent, sickly bitterness that suggests a bad bottle.
Drinkability is low, due to the high carbonation burps, and the skunky bitterness. Very disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2004 05:34:05 | More by merlin48

DevilDogBeer

Pennsylvania

2.45/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Beck's Oktoberfest started out with some promise, it poured a clean amber color and had a white head that sat well on the glass. The head, however, dissolved rapidly becoming a thin layer of foam that did not alce well in the glass. The smell was less caramel like than I would have expected and had a pronounced hop nose; an off characteristic for this beer style. The taste was very bitter with an earthy tone to it. THere was little malt character to this beverage and was carried on the back of the hop additions. The mouthfeel for such a robust beer proved to be on the light side for this Oktoberfest. Overall drinkability of this beer is average, it would make a good party beer if you are looking to have a fall themed party and not worried about savoring the brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2005 20:02:14 | More by DevilDogBeer

Oxymoron

Colorado

2.5/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Seasonal Octoberfest of Becks. Interesting. Pours a lighter amber color with some lighter orange hues. A decent head that quickly dissipated to the edges and eventually disappeared altogether. Limited lacing.

The nose is spice with some malt characteristic. A definite Becks smell from the yeast strain. Kind of plain after that.

The taste has that lager taste that is familiar with Becks. Kind of a like a European skunked pilsner taste. Though the beer had good spice flavor and some malty and limited bready zest to it No real taste that would indicate an Octoberfest. A limited bite from the hops but blends nicely with the yeast, which gives it a zing aftertaste.

The body is light to medium. A interesting taste but overall limited taste.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2005 19:51:59 | More by Oxymoron

mattyblazer

Pennsylvania

2.53/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

It was a poor offering from a decent company, malty, & metallic,orange, and disappointing.
I am kind of broke due to the economy, and I went for a few extra bucks when I saw this, thinking that it would be decent, after all its Becks...
Not bad just not good, if I was going to drink something I tolerate, it might as well have Bud

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2010 23:22:33 | More by mattyblazer

SmithwicksNut

Missouri

2.58/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a light thin layer of head that fizzles ever so quickly. No lace at all. Color is a nice mahagony red/orange.

Definately smells like a Beck's. This one was skunky. A very light smell of slightly roasted malts and a hint of hops. Taste has a distinct carmel flavor to it. After it lingers enough, alcohol becomes present. Very little hop flavor tasted.

Carbonation level is very low. Mouthfeel is pretty smooth, but just a touch of bitterness is there.

Overall, not my favorite beer. Something I probably won't buy again. There are other Oktoberfests out there that appeal to me more.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2009 22:19:30 | More by SmithwicksNut

Dodt

Pennsylvania

2.6/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

picked up a six pack of this beer today poured from the bottle in to a mug
appearance orange color with a tan head
smell faint aroma of toasted malts
taste dry but malty sort of reminds me of becks dark
this is my second time is my with the beers from becks so far i've found to be average at best if i was at a oktoberfest this would be my third choice to go for.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2010 01:48:35 | More by Dodt

ThreePistols

Florida

2.65/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Deep copper color, short lived off-white frothy head, spicy, malt nose, spicy, lemon rind bitterness, hoppy flavor, with a semi-dry, caramel sweetness finish.

The finish to me is the best part of this beer. Not a real Beck fan and this is a Beck.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2002 05:57:11 | More by ThreePistols