Left Hand Oktoberfest - Left Hand Brewing Company

metter98

New York

3.58/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is crystal clear copper in color and has a light to moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high dense off white head that quickly died down but left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and webs of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of caramel malts and spices in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell but a little more complex with flavors of caramel and toasted malts as well as hints of spices. Just the slightest hints of bitterness and sweetness are detectable; the finish is both malty and spicy.
M: It feels a bit shy of medium-bodied and quite smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: Although this beer is quite malty, it’s rather easy to drink because the body isn't that heavy.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 02:28:02 | More by metter98

BeerDawgs

Georgia

4.23/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 12 oz bottle bottled on 8/12/12. Wow, this is fresh

A - A clear amber, 1 finger of head. A very tasty looking brew

S - Lots of malts. Biscuit, and a touch of sweetness.

T - Tastes like a slightly sweeter pilsner. Lots of malts, and balanced out with a nice hop finish. Well balanced. Tasty!

M - Sharp and crisp. Well balanced.

O - An awesome octoberfest beer. I am not a big fan of the style, but I think this is great. Well done Oktoberfest. Puts me in the fall spirit.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 00:31:12 | More by BeerDawgs

jera1350

Minnesota

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lighter burnt orange color that is crystal clear. The head is just a mere layer on top, but there is some nice soft lacing.

Lovely rich malty sweetness with caramel and earthy notes as well as a hint of smoke.

Pleasant malt sweetness with a light hop bite at the back end. The caramel and almost fruity malt profile is really enjoyable and makes this a top notch Oktoberfest.

Crisp and clean with a medium feel and terrific carbonation softness.

This is a wonderful beer for the style. Dare I say it's one of the best I've had in the style. What a nice little discovery.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 02:30:23 | More by jera1350

Bung

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz. Clear orange/brown pour. Minimal white bubbles on top.

Aroma, potent bready malt. Toffee, an earthy hop note, barely.

Taste, toasted toffee and malt. Some buttery caramel. Dry earthiness, a nice faintly bitter hop, keeps the sweet in check nicely.

More carbonation than I was expecting. Really nice light-mid body. Just coating, easy to drink.
I prefer a Marzen to a pumpkin, would try this fall brew again.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 02:01:41 | More by Bung

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Kind of bubbly with a thin layer of head that settles to a mild lace ring. Color is a nice clear amber brown with again great carbonation.

S - Munich malts, touch of caramel, pilsner like malts and some bread.

T - Taste is mildly skunky with a hoppy finish. Bread and caramel highlight typical for the style but the harsh grains are kind of distracting.

M - Light to medium.

Overall not bad and really nothing I would seek out again. A side note very sick cover art a wolf with fire breathing dragons? WOW!

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 00:17:04 | More by DrDemento456

kemoarps

Washington

3.58/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer itself is a beautiful rich copper colour. Quite appealing. However the lack of head knocks it down a bit for me.

It smells crisp and grassy with a little bit of a crystalline sweetness.

Smoothe and drinkable, appropriate carbonation. Decent balance, but that pilsener-esque, what I think of as munich malts (I could be misapplying the profile) are not ones that I particularly enjoy.

Overall a decent beer, just not one that I particularly go for.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 23:00:42 | More by kemoarps

Gigantis

Michigan

3.88/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

They must have gotten a new logo on their bottle; the one I got was blue and appeared to have a wild cat of some sort on it. Doesn't really scream Oktoberfest but then again I selected it based on appearance at a beer store and chose it over many more common-looking bottles based on appearance alone. So, good job there Left Hand.

Anyway, it pours a good-lookin' reddish color with a decent head, though I could have used a little more in that department. The deep copper hues definitely looked appetizing though.

The scent is toasty caramel and hints of herb. I could have used a little more here, just a bit.

It has a nice malt profile; it hits the tongue with a bready sweetness (you get just a hint of alcohol) and it finishes off cinnamon and the faintest hint of herbs. The hop balance is perfect.

The mouthfeel is flawless, really. It has a semi-dryness to it that goes perfectly with the taste and medium body.

This is a very well-balanced beer and one of the better Oktoberfests I've had.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 21:58:36 | More by Gigantis

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Clear dark amber/copper. Head is a thin off white head. Retention is so-so.
S- Aroma is caramel, a bit of butterscotch and toffee and a light fruityness.
T- Very malt forward at the beginning. Caramel, toast, brown sugar. When it gets near the finish it has this odd white-grape like flavor.
M- Medium body for the style. Noticably overcarbed.
O- It's an ok, slightly-above-average octoberfest.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 02:41:13 | More by jsprain1

Warman73

3.13/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Beer poured red amber in color. Head was light and did not hold on long. Smelled malty and lightly bready. Taste was good for someone to start out with that is not familiar with the marzen style. A good beginner beer. taste was lightly malty, I thought, with small amount of noble hop presence some caramel and nutty notes. Pretty well rounded and balanced. Hence the good starter beer label. I would drink it again. Not sure if I would go out of my way to buy it though. Mouthfeel was clean with decent medium body.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 14:27:10 | More by Warman73

denver10

Colorado

2.58/5  rDev -30.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours a cranberry red fused with a touch of amber. A quick living greyish white head that leaves rather quickly leaving behind a sampling of it around the edges. A sweet and spicy aroma, malt forward 110% of the way. Bready, caramel, nutty and cloves, cloves, and a little more cloves. Flavor is strong on the clove, the nuttiness, caramel and bread is definitely right there with it too though. A crisp medium to full body to this. Overall, meh. Not too familiar with the style but I do believe Great Divide's Hoss is a similar style, but with rye malt included, and I prefer that to this for sure. Glad I only bought a single of this...though not even sure I care to finish this one bottle of it.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 22:30:09 | More by denver10

scratch69

Missouri

4.03/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I poured a bottle into a mug.

Appearance- Deep amber color with two fingers worth of light tan head. Fair amount of sticky lacing.

Smell- Faint aroma of toasted malt and bread.

Taste- Bready with a caramel malt flavor. Notes of nuttiness and a slight hint of spicy hops.

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied and slightly creamy. Nice amount of carbonation with a dry finish.

Overall- Pretty good oktoberfest. Worth having again.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 21:39:07 | More by scratch69

steveh

Illinois

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

Found some of this year's Okto after being pretty absent around here for the last couple years. Little update.

12 ounce brown longneck with the new, somewhat odd, label. A white tiger for Oktoberfest? No freshness date or ABV. LH web states 6.6%!

A -- Clear, deep copper-amber with a creamy, light tan head that settles rather quickly.

S -- Light nutty, bready nose with some light astringency from alcohol.

T -- Light bitterness and spicy pepperiness up front with mild breadiness in the middle and an alcohol pepperiness in the finish.

M -- Medium body with a very dry mouthfeel overall.

O -- A rather dry Oktoberfest -- Imperial Märzen? While the bready flavors are good, they're overshadowed by the mouthfeel. Looking at my previous review I found it very similar.

****
2009 - Review
2009 Offering (I hope, bottled-on box is empty).

A -- Deep and clear orange-amber color with a thick, off-white head (much darker color than the beer pictured in the Maßkruge on the label!).

S -- Mild DMS and bready/yeasty malts. Vague touch of spicy hops. Peppery alcohol becomes more apparent with warmth.

T -- Fleetingly sweet, bready malts with a nuttiness back that turns very dry in the finish. Result of the 6% ABV, I'm sure - a bit high for the style. Some lingering hop spiciness in the aftertaste, even some vague dark fruitiness, but not distracting.

M -- Medium body with a smooth & crisp mouthfeel.

D -- While a tasty beer, drinkability is a bit daunting as it would be difficult to drink a few of these in an evening without the dryness becoming fatiguing.

Serving type: bottle

4 - 3 - 3.5 - 3.5 - 3 -- 3.33

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 20:57:13 | More by steveh

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

4.33/5  rDev +17%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a standard pint glass.

The beer is the purest of deep, rich copper. A cream colored head recedes to a thick film with pretty decent lacing.

Smells of malts, caramel, and a faint bitterness.

Tastes so rich and in the marzen fashion. A great malty presence where the caramel sweetness isn't too much. There's a clever hint of spices and cinnamon in the end. The hops even everything out with a nice crisp bite.

Mouthfeel is sharp and dry, medium body.

Overall, just a great marzen. Very drinkable and balanced.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 15:49:11 | More by JuicesFlowing

kojevergas

California

2.78/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a true imperial pint glass in high altitude Denver, Colorado. Reviewed live. Expectations are moderately high.

A: Pours a two finger head of good cream and thickness, and good retention. Colour is a semitransparent amber.

Sm: Nuts, caramel, cream, and heavy toasted malt. A mild strength aroma.

T: Toasted malt, badly balanced caramel, and light cream. In classic bad Marzen fashion, it's simple and boring. Maybe some light candied sugar. Strangely balanced and badly built.

Mf: Smooth and wet, suiting the flavour generally. Nothing special here.

Dr: Very drinkable, like most Marzens, but also simple, boring, and scattershot on the balance. It's alright but I certainly wouldn't have it again. Meh.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 07:06:54 | More by kojevergas

claytong

Vermont

3.48/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

this is a good classic oktoberfest with nothing special about it.

appearance - hazy pale orange. white one inch head. not very good retention but good lacing.

smell - bread, grass, sweet malts, minor hops

taste - follow the nose. hard to pinpoint everything

mouthfeel - good carbonation, medium body to thick bodied for style. very very drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2011 01:42:22 | More by claytong

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

pours a beautiful deep copper with a frothy head indicative of the style. the nose is biscuity, definitely malty. vibrant mouthfeel, malty but not sweet. extremely palatable but not a standout amongst the autumn offerings. better on drinkability than most as well, ill enjoy the other 5 tonight.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 00:32:46 | More by StonedTrippin

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.4/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from Beertopia in Omaha, NE.

Poured into a US pint glass.

Pours a 1cm head that decreases to a ring around the glass with an island of fizz in the center. Lacing sinks slowly back into the ring after each sip. Transparent copper-brown color, not much visible carbonation.

Aroma is fairly bland, but I'm picking up a bit of butternut squash (roasted or baked), caramelized sugars, and malted barley.

Upfront flavors of sweet-ish bread with a bit of hop spiciness, leading to stronger hop presence - not bitter, but spicy - with malt backbone behind, then finishing with a biscuity maltiness with lingering hop presence. Aftertaste of malt sweetness.

Medium bodied with adequate carbonation. Dry finish.

A fair representation of the style, not particularly exciting, refreshing, or inviting to me. I don't think I'd buy this again, but would drink if gifted.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 18:06:23 | More by falloutsnow

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This brew poured out as a nice orange brown color, perfect for the time of year it's released in. The head was white and a fizzy. There really isn't much lacing here. The smell of the beer has some nice earthy spice notes on the nose. The taste of the beer has a little more of a hoppiness that I wasn't expecting. The mouthfeel of the beer was decent, had a nice balance and everything but just wasn't overly impressed by it. Overall this beer isn't a bad one for the style. I'd drink it again if I saw it around.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 21:00:12 | More by Knapp85

MTNboy

Missouri

3.93/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Not a bad American tribute to a Bavarian classic. It pours a nice red color with an orange hue. There is some light tan head and lace that is a bit sticky with about average retention. There is a good malty aroma. The flavor is very sweet and grainy. There is a bitter finish that is very refreshing. The body is medium and true to the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2011 15:39:26 | More by MTNboy

happygnome

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Reviewing from notes

A: Pours a orange and amber color with an eigth inch of head that disappears quickly leaving a thin layer of spotty lacing on the glass and top of the beer. Carbonation bubbles can be seen rising to the top.

S: Bready and caramel malts, some hop bitterness to balance but the aroma is malt heavy

T: Bready and caramel sweetness, hop bitterness to balance. The taste is more sweet than bitter

M: Medium bodied beer with good carbonation

Overall, this is a pretty good beer, not my favorite Oktoberfest, but very solid

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2011 14:16:35 | More by happygnome

htomsirveaux

Texas

3.6/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle tried 25 Sep 2010. Poured in the Seabright 20th Anniversary mug.

Large spongy orange head. Medium carbonation. Clear dark caramel color. Aroma is sweet, lightly toasted, nutty, a bit astringent. Malty and nutty to start. Some notes of lactose (according to A). Light mineral finish. Some almond skin bitterness in the aftertaste. Medium creamy body, moderate ethanol.

Decent example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2011 02:20:51 | More by htomsirveaux

ngeunit1

California

4.22/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a slightly hazy copper-orange color with a finger of frothy off-white head. The head faded down to a thin ring leaving behind some spots of lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of sweet caramel malts and some floral hops. Touch of dark fruit and some spices in there as well.

T - Starts off with sweet caramel malt and some background honey sweetness. There is just a touch of floral hops and some nuttiness. Through the middle, some stronger hops and a touch of bready malts come through. The finish is a mix of sweet caramel malts and floral hops with some fruit flavor mixed in that lingers nicely.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels really smooth and crisp. The finish has a touch of lingering sweetness.

D - Very drinkable. The flavors are nice and there is a bit of variation on the normal marzen style. The hop presence and fruity additions were very welcomed.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2011 00:21:50 | More by ngeunit1

CuriousMonk

Virginia

3.9/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle into dimpled glass. One of my top oktoberfest biers. Pours brilliant copper with a solid stand of off-white head. Aroma is fairly sweet with lightly toasted malts and some noble hops (especially on the pour) imparting some nice cherry and oaky notes. Flavor is mild and pleasant with a soft, clean lightly toasted maltiness. Moderately dry throughout, but moreso in the finish. Body is rather light, but the mouthfeel is smooth with medium light carbonation. This is a really easy drinker and pretty solid style-wise.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 15:47:34 | More by CuriousMonk

Samp01

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours clear dark amber with a small offwhite head. Aroma of sweet malts, caramel, some fruitiness. Taste is same as aroma with some light hops. Palate is medium body, good carbonation. Finish is sweet bready malts, caramel, some light bitterness. Overall an easy drinking brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2010 17:09:03 | More by Samp01

secondtooth

Indiana

4.2/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This attractive and arty beer (with complex and creative bottle renderings) pours a deep amber with an average head. The olfactories reveal an odor of fruit and yeast. Quite appealing already! The taste is crisp and even sweet up front, followed by a slight hop zing in the followthrough. Seems stronger and heartier than most lagers, and this one was a pleasure to finish.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2010 00:50:03 | More by secondtooth