Dominion Octoberfest Maerzen - Old Dominion Brewing Company

klewis

Ohio

2.03/5  rDev -43.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Bottled 8/2/06
Listed at 5.4% ABV

A: Pours a dark golden with a small fizzy head that quickly settles and disappears without leaving a wisp or hint of its brief existence.

S: Slightly malty with a corn-like vegetal smell.

T: Like the smell, but a bit more amplified. Sweet up front and quickly followed by a dull garden vegetable taste.

M: Light in body and slick with moderate-high carbonation.

D: This is not a good beer. Don't buy this.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2006 02:28:51 | More by klewis

Clydesdale

District of Columbia

3.5/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a perfectly clear copper-bronze color. A tall, foamy, tan head bubbles up. Retention is pretty nice, with patchy but widespread lacing.

S: Mostly straightforward toasted malt. Some caramel hints. Hops are spicy and leafy, with fleeting but fresh floral notes.

T: Nicely toasted graininess up front adds some sweetness. Mild caramel hints are fairly subdued. Rather hoppy for the style. Spicy floral and leafy flavors are quite prevalent. Bitterness is firm for an octoberfest.

M: Medium bodied. Carbonation is moderate. Rather dry overall, especially into the finish.

D: This is a pretty good lager, but as a true octoberfest it leaves something to be desired. It's a decidedly American version of the style - very hoppy without the sweet maltiness you'd expect. That knocks the score down a bit, but it's still not bad.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2009 22:34:55 | More by Clydesdale

Mosstrooper

California

3.73/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into Macado's branded hurricane glass.

Appearance: Pours a brown, slightly amber color with a small beige head that doesn't stay for very long and only leaves a bit of lace.

Smell: Very deep malt smell. Has hints of grain and slight flowery hop notes.

Taste: Starts very sweet and finishes with the same sweetness. Notes of apple and maybe a bit of grape.

Mouthfeel: Not a very heavy body, with balanced carbonation. Dry finish, which is different from most malty styles. I like that.

Drinkability: I like it and I'd definitely have it again. Not necessarily the best Octoberfest I have had, but it has a distinct flavor that sets it apart from others of the style. Definitely worth the try.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2009 01:35:58 | More by Mosstrooper

JISurfer

South Carolina

3.65/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This was a strange Oktoberfest. I thought it was a little too hoppy for me. It's taste was initially hoppy, but then faded into a malty taste, which was good. It didn't have that feel to it that most Oktoberfest brews had. I can;t really explain it, but if you drink a Sam Adams Oktoberfest, you'll know what I am talkin about. It was bubbly in the mouth and a coated the throat. All in all, not a bad brew, but not the best.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2003 17:19:45 | More by JISurfer

Minkybut

Virginia

3/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I poured this very average beer into my tumbler at 45 degrees. The beer was cloudy but poured a pretty average head. The smell was nothing special, kinda smelled like beer.The taste however was really sweet and fact it was too sweet for me. I will not buy again.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2010 18:40:46 | More by Minkybut

GPHarris

Alabama

3.58/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

a - poured a razor thin white head into a tumbler that was gone almost immediately. the body was reddish-amber.
s - lightly spiced with a hint grain.
t - caramel, nutty with that tastes of sweet bread.
m - medium thickness.
d - decent beer, had better and had worse.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2009 20:19:28 | More by GPHarris

Risser09

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle into a pilsner - fridge - no bottling date - probably fall 2009

Appearance: Transparent, copper colored, with a fleeting off-white head. Plenty of rising bubbles and no lacing left behind.

Smell: Lager yeast, tutti frutti, melange of malts, and no hop aroma.

Taste: Sweet with sugar, cereal, cherry, strawberry and some lager yeast. A noble hop aftertaste balances the beer well.

Mouthfeel: Sweet, medium bodied, some alcohol and hops in the finish. A solid beer.

Drinkability: A little sweet for me, but it is great for a festbier of which can usually be quite mild. I will drink another!

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2010 03:04:25 | More by Risser09

dedrinker

Kansas

3.65/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Don't worry, timtim IS a rookie! No burnt anything in this one. Believe me, if you spent all your life shotgunning Dale's Pale Ale, Green Flash IPA, and 90 minute, then the first actual taste of malt just may blow you away as it did to poor old timtim. I've seen the guy in action, so take it from me. This beer is medium bodied, round and smooth with a lush malt character that yet somehow lacks depth or complexity. Here's a word to take the mystique out of Octoberfest beer: Amber Lager. Sam Adams regular Boston Lager shows more breadth and depth than your average Bavarian fest beer these days. Are you a D.C. metro area local? Than by all means buy a sixer of this stuff, and grill up some sausages already. That's what I did, and don't invite timtim over, because he will punch you.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2007 06:30:16 | More by dedrinker

Arithmeticus

Maryland

2.78/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: seems dead: little head, no beads; copper color
S: thin, sweet malty smell
T: spiced, hoppy, hay flavor; not pronounced; personally, this was not exactly to my taste
M: a tad bit watery, but ok otherwise
D: not all that inviting for repeats

Of the regionally distributed October beers I've had this year, the Sam Adams has had most appeal.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2010 14:17:06 | More by Arithmeticus

timtim

District of Columbia

3.08/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

poured from a 2007 batch bottled on 8/20/07. poured darker than expected. almost brown with orangy highlights. little head. little lace. maybe i'm a rookie, but the malt smell is overpowering and it seems like the malt is roasted to burnt. hops in the background. the cooked malt does give it a kind of interesting coffee tinge. descent body but i'm just not fond of the malt used in this one, which makes it a hard drink for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2007 23:53:28 | More by timtim

superdedooperboy

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev +14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The 2009 München Oktoberfest continues here in my home, tonight with a mug full of Old Dominion's take on the style.

Pours a brilliantly clear deep amber hue, raising a rather pathetic half-finger of off-white foam that shows poor retention and fails to leave any lacework on the glass.

The nose is at first whiff full of fragrant herbal-spicy hop notes, but is quickly followed by a toasty, mildly nutty malt aroma.

Body and mouthfeel are well-balanced, with a medium-full body being restrained in boldness by a prickly carbonation. Hops are not so restrained in this Oktoberfestbier: A quick introduction by slightly sweet, toasty malt moves swiftly into a very dry, bitter middle of grassy, herbal hops that carries itself through all the way into the long, dry finish, with just a bit of lightly sweet bready malt finding its way in underneath it all.

A bit of a departure from the traditional, but certainly fitting in with its brethren, though perhaps on the fringes. The dryness lends a bit more drinkability than some of the maltier variants, and that's a bit of a plus. Something like this might do well in Maß sessions like that going on in Munich.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2009 04:08:21 | More by superdedooperboy

Kadonny

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from tap into a mug.

A: A medium to dark copper with a two finger white head.

S: Sweet caramel malts with some grainy bready notes.

T: Malts take the show here giving off a very sweet bready, caramel malt flavor. Some toffee and even some sugar sweetness. Slight grassy notes but not hop bitterness. I expected a bit more. Finish remains sweet and coating.

M: Coating but sticky sweet. No alcohol detected.

D: For me it was low, it needed some more balance.

Overall not a great Ofest in my opinion. In fact, OD had not produced any beer that has been memorable for me. Sorry.

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2009 20:43:24 | More by Kadonny

Dithyramb

Maryland

4.08/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Sampled on tap at Mahaffey's in Baltimore.

Pours a slightly hazy penny colo with a creamy light tan head. Dropped down to a nice spotty lacing.

Roast toasty malts and spicy malts on the nose,

Has a gentle sweet malt flavor, like thick chewy German bread. It has a slight bitterness in the spicy hops that combines very well. Both flavors mingle well in the mouth for the aftertaste.

Medium bodied and medium carbonated. Very creamy and pleasing. Worth having quite a few.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2004 13:40:50 | More by Dithyramb

droomyster

Virginia

3.63/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear, reddish copper with one and a half fingers of craggy, light tan foam. Toasted lager aromas are a bit more subdued than those of many of its kin; a touch of earthiness walks in the background. The taste, on the other hand, is solidly consistent with the style. Tons of toastiness dominate the front palate, with a bit of woody hops entering the middle. Notes of whole wheat bread are quite strong. The finish resembles the taste of artificial coffee sweeteners, but is not so overpowering that it ruins the flavor. The overall impression of that of an interestingly toasty but overly sweet beer that needs more IBUs to find its balance.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2010 04:08:41 | More by droomyster

matty

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Anber colored beer with a rapidly fading head.Aroma is faint caramel.Taste is sweet caramel and toasty malts.Overall a decent beer that I would drink again but not actively seek out.I think this is worth at least one try.Like I've said before there are way too many other beers to try!!

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2008 05:24:30 | More by matty

Fish113d

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a copper color into my glass with a sustaining 2-fingers thick of head that is white to a light tan in color. Body is somewhat hazy as well.

Aroma reminds me a lot of butterscotch as well as a white grapes or maybe even slight apple aroma. IT actually reminds me a bit of cider.

Flavors of caramel along with a crisp earthy hops hit my palate. Some slight fruit also comes out of this one, but rather bland honestly.

Very crisp and carbonation tingles my tongue a lot up front. Slight oily finish though.

Overall drinkability would be higher if a little less sweet I think. I really like Dominion brews, but this one misses the mark a little in my opinion. It'd make a solid session brew for a crisp autumn night though.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2008 23:49:43 | More by Fish113d

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass. Reviewed alongside Flying Fish OktoberFish.

A: Slightly hazy amber with particles and three-finger, off-white, creamy head that lasted a few minutes or more. Okay lacing.

S: Malt. Bread. A bit grassy. Mild overall.

T: Light sweetness and subtle bitterness. Toasted and caramel malt. Grassy hops, but mild. Matches the nose.

M: Medium bodied with a sort of bite. Medium carbonation. Not bad.

O: Overall, this was pretty good. It's as shame the aroma and taste were a bit mild. I liked the Flying Fish better.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 23:50:34 | More by SolipsismalCat

ManekiNeko

Virginia

3.53/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured chilled from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Bottled on date of August 28, 2003. ABV listed on label (5.4%) differs from the one listed in the database

Appearance: Dark, burnished copper color. Very clear with a nice beige head with little retention.

Smell: Not very aromatic. Very faint floral hop smell. Not much of a malt presence at all.

Taste: Toasted and caramel malt sweetness. Slight amount of bitterness from the hops.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and crisp. Very little aftertaste or astringency.

Drinkability: More character than SA's O-fest (and local for me). Quite potable. I only wish I had some bratwurst handy.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2003 03:23:43 | More by ManekiNeko

jackorain

Pennsylvania

2.68/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A-Amber/brown and slightly hazy. 1/2 inch head from a semi-aggressive pour fell to a thin ring and coat in no time. Had a little lacing that followed the beer back down the glas after a swirl.

S-This is this beers best quaility. malts, coffee, caramel, yeast, bread, quite interesting.

T&M-buiscuit malts, a littel yeast, maybe a little hop but not much. Acidic finish and a little sour. Way to fizzy carbonation and watery light body

D-I really couldn't have more than two of these bad boys and I certainly wouldn't persue it for purchase.

Overall-A beer club selection for the season. I am not too familair with this style. I hope I did not bash the beer too hard if it is true to style.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2006 17:32:01 | More by jackorain

wahhmaster

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a nonic imperial pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a light brown/amber color. It has a thin, fizzy head that dissipates quickly leaving almost no lacing.

Smell: Smells really malty with a hint of hoppiness. A bit of grassiness comes out as well.

Taste: An interesting take on the Oktoberfest style. Has a sweet maltiness to it that brings to mind apple or grape juice. A bit of hoppy bitterness in the background as well.

Mouthfeel: A little thin with slightly too much carbonation.

Drinkability: Certainly an interesting Oktoberfest. This one doesn't really taste like others of the style but it's still worth tasting.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2009 14:16:53 | More by wahhmaster

arguemaniac

Virginia

3.83/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This year’s version features a much more heavily toasted malt character than in past vintages. In fact, the palate has almost smokey character. Sure there are nice hints of caramel and grain, but the slightly smokey, deeply toasted malt is the real star of this brew.

Dominion always manages to produce an above-average and enjoyably drinkable Octoberfest, and with the mild but unexpected smokiness, this year’s version is no exception.

Recommended…

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2007 04:02:44 | More by arguemaniac

kshankar

District of Columbia

3.38/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Copper pour with a white head, decent retention

Aroma is of malts...not much else going for it. Rather mild

Taste is malty with little else going on. It has a slightly hoppy finish, but not enough..the malts end up being the major part of the already mild flavor profile

Mouthfeel is medium with decent carbonation

Well its drinkable..its not the best marzen out there, but I could easily have another one. And really, it isn't all that bad. I've just had better.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2009 08:25:43 | More by kshankar

pentathlete

Virginia

3.6/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Slightly dark amber, small head that disappears quickly. Bland nose with little malty or hoppy notes...similar to other styles by OD, this one has hints of butter beneath the water odor. Lagerish taste, malt and hops are blended well, but nothing exciting is happening here. Then again, nothing bad is happening either. There is a bit of roughness at the edges and toward the end of the taste. The butteriness makes it presence known without being overly assertive. Mouthfeel is thin. Despite these shortcomings, it isn't unpleasant and is an easy to quaff brew. But why?

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2005 19:58:54 | More by pentathlete

Atlas1

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Honestly, I'm becoming a little marzened out. It's shameful, I know, because it's only October 3rd, but I've already saturated my palate with so many Octoberfest beers this season that I've simply begun to lose interest. Still, I have a few left in the fridge that need a proper write-up. So here goes....

This one pours a bright copper color with a thin, one-finger, slightly off-white head that dissipates quickly but does leave behind trace elements of a hazy lace. The nose is standard issue malty marzen scented. Nice, but nothing spectacular. I get some spices in the aroma as well, although everything is muted just enough to remain undiscernable. It tastes good, but again nothing extraordinary here. Malty and spicy, with some nutmeg and faint orange peel. This flavor is actually the highlight of the beer, which I suppose is a good thing. Mouthfeel is firm, but a tad watery at times.

On the whole the folks at Old Dominion have produced another fine craft brewed beer. It's not great, and there is nothing about this Octoberfest beer that would stand out in a crowd, but it's solid and holds its own. I'd put back a couple of these at the bar if it were on tap, but I won't likely run out next year looking to find it.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2007 23:20:54 | More by Atlas1

sweethome

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

One of 4 mid-atlantic fest beer tasting. (with Victory, Flying Dog and Starr Hill)

Pours a light copper color. Nice lacing. Beautiful marzen nose of sweet malts. Nutty. Nice smooth entry. Very traditional taste of rich malts and just the slightest hint of spicy noble hops. Mouthfeel is soft, but rounded. Fills out the palate nicely.

So easily drinkable. A really nice fest beer that would serve well for a fall evening session beer. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2010 00:32:53 | More by sweethome