Karl Strauss Oktoberfest Beer - Karl Strauss Brewing Company

DennisD

California

4.72/5  rDev +37.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: amber/orange hue, clear with a nice head
Smell: toasty, dried fruit
Taste: bready, malty, caramel
Mouthfeel: medium and nicely carbonated
Drinkability: Awesome. This was a great beer. I will be having more. Very nice representation.

Serving type: 12 oz bottle

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2010 18:32:36 | More by DennisD

jjh19

California

4.28/5  rDev +24.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: I tasted this from a 12oz bottle - bright in appearance and really nice carbonation.

Smell: I got some toasted malts in the aroma.

Taste: I initially got a good amount of malts on my first sip, but then got a fair share of crispness in the finish. Exactly what I'd expect from an Oktoberfest beer.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, nothing out of the norm here.

Drinkability: A very drinkable, clean Oktoberfest beer. I love that this is a locally brewed Oktoberfest that tastes really true to the actual style, not like a dated import from Germany. I'm a fan of this and would totally recommend it to a friend.

Odds and Ends: Cool bottle label. Not your father's Oktoberfest design.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2010 06:08:05 | More by jjh19

jcdiflorio

West Virginia

4.22/5  rDev +23%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz brown bottle,twist-off cap,served in a nonic glass. Sent to me by my brother-in-law,aka BA deekster

Clear,amber with a generous light tan head that's dense and creamy,with very good retention slowing falling into a pillowy layer. Decent carbinaton with some extra tiny bubbles staggering to the surface.

Very sweet malty aromas,complex,burnt/nutty/toasty with a honey touch, a slight buttery note with flowery/perfumy hop notes. very pleasing aroma.

Clean taste with honeyied carmell,complex maltiness,execellent balance,with a nice,pleasing, bitterness.leaves some fruity tartness lingering.

Medium to light mouthfeel,very smooth. Very good O-fest,has everything that I like and expect from an O-fest. A very sessionable O-fest. Wish this beer was avalible in my area. Would definatly seek this one out.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2007 02:39:36 | More by jcdiflorio

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.05/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Cheers to my buddy Eric for hauling this from Cali to here!

Pours an effervescent amber with 2 fingers of cream colored head. Average head retention & lacing

S: Caramel, leafy hops & breadyness

T: Breadyness, some crackery notes, & a bit of toffee up front. More of the same, plus dryness as this warms. Finishes dry with some caramel & crackery notes, almost pulled a 4.5

MF: Medium bodied with low carbonation & good balance

Drinks very easy, pretty nice take on the style

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2008 03:55:15 | More by russpowell

Armand

California

4/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

SERVING TYPE: Bottel

A: Clear, light amber color. Nice white head
S: A little sweet, caramel

T: Very mild, earthy, and crisp. Served too cold, but no flavor came out in the end. Very traditional common beer.

M: Medium bodied.

D: Had this years ago during Oktober fest. Went down okay.

O: Good summer brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 23:06:28 | More by Armand

IntriqKen

California

3.98/5  rDev +16%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a clear golden amber with a massively craggy off white head that slowly melted to some very sticky lacing.

Aromas of toasted amber malts, buttery caramel, and brown sugar.

Taste is not as sweet as it smells. Toasted amber malt, light caramel, light hops to dry the finish. Lots of smooth malt comes through especially as it warms.

Aftertaste seems clean with just a bit of the caramel and hops lingering.

I have a feeling this one grows on you and will enjoy the rest of my sixer.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2007 01:52:41 | More by IntriqKen

Sleestak

California

3.88/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 4.5

The only other Karl Strauss beer I've had before was their Red Trolley Ale and thought it was ok. Saw this one on display with all the other fall seasonals at the local BevMo. Looks a nice copper color, but not much of a head even with a hard pour. Smells lightly like toasted caramel, inviting. Some sweet toasty caramel, little bitterness, not very strong on the flavor overall. Too much prickly carbonation imo. I think this is good as a starter Oktoberfest beer for someone just getting into the fall seasonals.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2007 21:01:54 | More by Sleestak

Jason

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz brown bottle.

Bubbly brassy brew, decent sized crown of head. Bready caramel aroma with some grassy hops. Crispness pops under the moderate sized body to bring on a refreshing smoothness. Grassy, biscuity, bready, animal feed, faint caramel ... Dry maltiness. Hopping is there with a slightly sharp edge and herbal flavor. Clean malty finish.

A good run at the style, very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2010 02:32:03 | More by Jason

mactrail

California

3.85/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Great nose of biscuity malt is the nice feature. Thin body and highly drinkable. Modest caramel flavors. Looks great in the tall pilsner glass, pale orange amber color. Nice balance of delicate malt and just a kiss of hops. Watery mouthfeel but enough carbonation.

More innocent pleasure in this example than lots of other alleged Oktoberfests. On tap at the La Jolla Karl Strauss.

Serving type: on-tap

10-28-2011 03:44:11 | More by mactrail

Offa

California

3.8/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

This is a simple but good oktoberfest.

Amber, bubly it has a medium, off-white head soon thinning to a foamy ring and wisps, with only a tiny bit of weak lace.

The aroma is toasty, fruity grain, dry bread crust, light mineral wisp of caramel.

Taste is light, crisp, mineral and toasty, faintly caramelly grain, light lemon, grass, hint of spiciness. The finish briefly leans faintly to the bitter side, with spiciness, and is mostly crips before a light toasty-caramelly aftertaste heavily dominated by the taste of cooked barley.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2009 00:50:29 | More by Offa

crvcac

California

3.78/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Figured this would be a good beer to review being that it's the 200th anniversary.

Appearance: Beer has a nice golden amber hue with decent moderate head retention an moderate lacing

Smell: pretty standard. Nice toasted malt taste, subtle hints of spice, little to no hop aroma

Taste: toasted malt flavors with spicy notes

Drink ability: very drinkable. Moderate abv and smooth taste make for a great session beer

Overall: a solid mock up of a truly traditional style. I'd much rather drink this than spaten out of a green bottle.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2010 15:13:38 | More by crvcac

Chelsea1905

Washington

3.7/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a medium Amber, with little effervescence and small amount of head retention and lacing. lacing very spotty.

Caramel and malt permeate the nasal presence.

Tastes a little like it smells but the aftertaste isn't very lasting, and actually has a little bit of an aftertaste of soap suds!!!

Medium bodied, minimal effervescence, but it's not all bad. Drinks fine, but very much a medium effort

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2009 04:13:18 | More by Chelsea1905

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

3.68/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Poured a crystal clear, deep amber. Two fingers of thick, faintly tan head developed and dissipated slowly to a thin lacing and a thick ring around the edge.

Smell: Chocolate and toffee up front. Very surprising for a märzen, but also very pleasing. There's also a deep, rich caramel aroma. It's like fresh baked chocolate bread let to cool in a kitchen where a pot of coffee is brewing.

Taste: Not so much chocolate, but the sweet caramel dominates. The toffee comes through, too. There is also a fig-like presence, though it's not prominent. It's malty all the way through, without a hint of hop bitterness at the end.

Drinkability: Superb. It's not true to style, at least the traditional style, but it'll do. Oktoberfest is a very tasty brew, and a good variation of the märzen style.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2009 06:58:17 | More by TheQuietMan22

HalfFull

California

3.63/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle served into a pint glass. Karl's Oktoberfest pours clear and somewhat light in color, a deep straw with a bit of an orange/caramel hue. A thin head dissipates quickly and not much is offered as for carbonation.

Smell is bready and slightly toasted with a bit of over roasted malts. Malt notes are light and biscuity. Hop notes are thin as well. Notably dry for the style.

Taste follows the nose with a light bready texture and a moderate sweetness. Light caramel in nature along with a return of the roasted biscuit flavor. Not bad but a bit too one dimensional in nature.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2010 05:23:27 | More by HalfFull

Zorro

California

3.6/5  rDev +5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Clear copper colored beer with a small white head that doesn't last.

Smells bready and malty with a strong floral hop scent. Little bit of tea and fig in the smell also. Very slight bread dough smell too.

Starts out malty with a strong tea soaked in toast flavor. Slight lemon flavor here, but mostly this is neural in flavor.

Mouthfeel is light.

Super easy to drink beer. Just like an Oktoberfest should be, easy to drink first then flavorful.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2009 22:31:54 | More by Zorro

theghost3

Louisiana

3.58/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I tried this at the brewpub in downtown San Diego.

Pours a translucent amber with a 1-finger light yellow head. Minimal lacing.

The smell is very subtle--just toasty malts and caramel. The taste is bready with caramel, roasted malts, yeast, and a slight sourness. Mouthfeel is smooth, medium-bodied.

This is a drinkable Oktoberfest--malty and bread-like.

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2010 03:45:07 | More by theghost3

jwc215

New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Thanks to jcwattsrugger for bringing this one back for me from California...

Pours copperish orangish amber with an off-white head that becomes patchy.

The smell is of lightly carmelized malt with spicy, biscuity, earthy background.

The taste is of carmelized graininess with balancing spicy, earthy hops. Not quite as malt-accented as typical of style, though hops don't quite stand out either. Overall flavor - decent but mild...

The carbonation is a bit forward, but smooth overall. Lighter side of medium-bodied.

A decent O-fest - easy to drink, but nothing especially noteworthy - nor anything particularly off" - a decent/mediocre/typical American interpretation of an O-fest.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2008 15:06:44 | More by jwc215

opwog

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Now listening to: Calexico - Victor Jara's Hands

A- dark gold/copper color, white head
S- nice malty nose, but not much beyond that
T- Solid as a common US Oktoberfest beer. Toasty malt, some light toffee.
M- Very nice mouthfeel I am sure that this will vary by location and/or serving type, but carbonation and medium/light body were perfect in the glass that I had.
D- Easy drinking. A good brewpub pour.

Serving type: on-tap

09-05-2008 09:35:13 | More by opwog

NCSUdo

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle, thanks to IntriqKen.

A: Clear amber/copper. Pretty standard sized head. OK retention, no lacing.

S: Good candyish caramel smell with some malt mixed in.

T: Surprisingly lacking on the taste front. Some maltiness but not in a large quantity at all. A fair amount of bitterness in the finish. Slight caramel.

M/D: Body is a little heavier then I expected, slightly past medium. Doesn't seem to be a whole lot of carbonation. Drinkability is a strong point of the brew though.

Pretty standard Oktoberfest in my opinion, but one that is entirely drinkable. Twist off top which took me by surprise a little.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2007 01:19:24 | More by NCSUdo

ehammond1

California

3.53/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On Tap

Karl Strauss Brewing Company
Carlsbad, CA

Copper orange with a thin white head. Spots of lacing left down the glass.

As with most Karl Strauss beers, this one smells of toasted malts with a touch of sweetness. Simple and bready, though I'm beginning to sound like a broken record after reviewing all these Karl Strauss beers. So many of them smell and taste so similarly!

More simple graininess in the flavor with a bit of toffee sweetness. Low bitterness.

Relatively full bodied and chewy for an Oktoberfest.

A simple, bready, and drinkable Oktoberfest.

Serving type: on-tap

10-08-2011 06:12:29 | More by ehammond1

OhSoHoppy

California

3.5/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Good beer, honestly more impressed with how it looked than the overall taste. but still a good beer

From bottle to glass
the head was decently moist and held up well,
smell was faintly fuity with toasty malts
taste was there but not attention grabing, malts really came out fairly creamy and soft due to not overcarbonating, which makes this very easy to drink, probably could have sat and consumed a whole grip of theses but taste didnt exactly put me on my knees begging for more,

if you havent tried this beer yet and are tempted to do so, i would have to recomend.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2010 05:42:04 | More by OhSoHoppy

chickencoop

California

3.48/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I've always wanted to like these guys and think they are one of the pioneers in the business, but the beer never really does it for me. Big caramel malty notes on this beer add to it's smooth finish. This is very drinhkabe, and a well-crafted beer, like most of there's, but they just seem run of the mill, nothing stands out, almost entry level, maybe that's why they are at every Ralphs for soccer mom's to pickup for the old man.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2010 06:29:47 | More by chickencoop

notchucknorris

California

3.45/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Copper color with a very thin tan head. Not much visible carbonation.

S: Sweet maltiness and a slight breadiness. Other than that, not a whole lot going on.

T: Follows the smell with the sweet malts taking center stage. Some caramel and a slightly over-roasted malt flavor in the middle. The slightest hint of hops on the finish. Doesn't have that great crisp fall flavor that the best oktoberfests do.

Serving type: on-tap

10-01-2011 17:53:01 | More by notchucknorris

UCLABrewN84

California

3.43/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Pours a clear medium orange color with a 1 inch head that fades to nothing. No lacing.

S - Smells of sweet malts and dark fruits.

T - Tastes of sweet and slightly sour roasted grains and dark fruits. Very slight bitterness towards the end.

M - A little bit flat but pretty smooth drinking.

D - This is a pretty good beer. I got this one in a Fall sampler pack that I got on clearance. One of the best ones out of the pack so far. I would look for this one again in the Oktoberfest season.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 04:40:45 | More by UCLABrewN84

MiScusi

California

3.35/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at T. Phillips in La Verne, CA. Not a whole lot to say about this beer. Looked good on the pour, a nice orangish brown clear color... looks inviting.... standard lager head that dwindles pretty fast. The taste has a bit of a watery character to it, but also some sweet malt flavor to it. There is no real hoppiness in this, or bitterness, it comes across as sweet and watery. Mouthfeel is light and spritzy but not too abrasive... overall not one of the better oktoberfests out there but there isn't anything offensive about it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-08-2007 07:03:46 | More by MiScusi