Staghorn Octoberfest - New Glarus Brewing Company

deebo

Minnesota

3.38/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A-An agressive pour into a pint glass gave a healthy 2 fingers of white pillowy head that quickly breaks down into a film. Plenty of CO2 bubbles. Perfectly clear. Color is golden/amber.

S-Marzenish. With the toasted malts being most noticed, there is also a note of that adjunct corn that I get out of most lagers. Very faint aroma of grassy hops. As it warms some alcohol aroma.

T-Nice, although a bit weak, flavors of slightly toasted malt. Clean lager flavor with a weak bitter finish.

M-A bit weak in body. At 6.5% the alcohol is well hidden. Moderate to high carbonation that works well given the clean lager flavor.

O-I tend to sway towards a more malty sweet version of this style. However this beer is well made and I'd have no problem knocking these back on a crisp fall day. Just a bit boring with a weak malt backbone.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 02:34:42 | More by deebo

BeardedBoffin

Minnesota

4.6/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a a dark amber, almost copper color, with a big cap of creamy foam that stayed around throughout. A rich malty aroma fills the nose. The medium bodied beer is incredibly smooth and creamy with just the right amount of carbonation. A big dose of grain continues on the palate. Its not too sweet, a little bready and just a hint of caramel. It exclaims the bounty of a fall harvest-- keeping the grain center stage. The finish has just a hint of bitterness. This is a clean brew with a nice fall flavor. The folks at New Glarus followed their own path when developing this Oktoberfest and it stands above many other fall seasonals.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 00:54:21 | More by BeardedBoffin

scriabin

Massachusetts

4.85/5  rDev +22.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Beautiful dark amber color with a lovely head. The smell is sweetly complex, with overtones of clove. But the flavor is what makes this one so great. It's a richly complex beer, smooth but not overwhelming. One of the best I've had in quite some time.

Serving type: on-tap

08-22-2012 01:10:13 | More by scriabin

Florida9

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: A darker shade of amber, close to copper, but not quite that dark. Clear. Forms a small fizzy white head that fizzes away within a minute. No lacing.

S: The mild aroma of sweet malt, a touch of caramel, and a restrained bit of grassy hops.

T: Very clean tasting. Sweet, yet light, caramel malts and a some lighter bready notes. A touch of toast. Then a light blend of earthy and grassy hops.

M: Medium body and malty with lower carbonation gives this one a slick mouthfeel. Mild bitterness.

O: A very clean, easy drinking version of the style. Many of the typical Oktoberfest beers tend to be far to malty for my likings, but this one is fairly nice.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 00:04:23 | More by Florida9

scones

Wisconsin

4.8/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a copper red with a finger of head.

Smells grassy and malty. Almost some mineral, like an alt or something

Taste is bready, sweet. Kind of grassy. A good fall beer.

Mouthfeel is medium, carbonated well and easy drinking, but with enough fullness to make you feel like you're drinking a real beer.

Overall I really like this beer. Very drinkable, very tasty. It has just enough of everything and keeps with the style, won't bore but doesn't step out the bounds. I really like it and will continue to be excited for it every fall.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 04:59:14 | More by scones

Zachtheporter

Wisconsin

3.03/5  rDev -23.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pinto glass.

A- Poursa a deep dark orangish gold. Has a light fizzy head that dissipates right away. Nice and Clear with ample light penetration.

S- Light caramel malt notes with a slightly skunky hoppy finish. Overall though the smell is rather sweet. More malty than skunky for sure.

T- Slightly sweet with hints of caramel and some bready notes. Ends on some what of a watery tasteless finish.

M- Very light and smooth with a medium body. Low carbonation. Really coats the inside of your mouth after each sip.

O- This beer was good and definitely drinkable however the low carbonation made it seem very off. The scent was rather poor although it smelled alright. Kind of a swing and a miss for new Glarus. First of their beers I have ever tried and felt this way about. Hoping this bottle was defective but I'm not so sure. May try again at some point if I get the chance but this was really a rather bland marzen.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 04:50:39 | More by Zachtheporter

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to BeerFMAndy for getting a box of New Glarus out to me. Served in a New Glarus taster glass.

Pours a clear deep amber/copper color with a nice white head and some spotty lacing on the way down. The nose has a good bit of amber and bready malt with a touch of caramel sweetness. Some earthy hops lingering in the background. The flavor is quite malty with a bit of hops cutting through the finish. Medium body. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 10:04:42 | More by Thorpe429

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared by Thorpe429. Thanks Mike.

The beer is light golden colored with a white head. The aroma is mildly fruity, light malt. Smooth feel. Nice flavor, with a lingering lager malt and fruity aftertaste. A touch of dryness in the finish. Light bodied, this one goes down easily. A solid example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 21:52:52 | More by Huhzubendah

brystmar

New York

3.38/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Golden orange pour, beady lace. Strong bready aroma, fruity too, very Marzen-esque. The nose really shines here.

Taste is straight up malts and kinda watery. Mild hop profile as it descends. Body is far too light & weak. Lack of flavor makes this one quite sessionable.

Great aroma, the rest disappoints.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 03:46:08 | More by brystmar

tvv375ia

Iowa

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into pint glass

A- pale orange with less than a finger of head

S-bready malt at first and then a hint of some oranges

T- sweet malt start then fades to a little citrus finish

M-fairly light bodied but not thin and watery

O-not bad but maybe not my favorite from New Glarus

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2012 02:03:16 | More by tvv375ia

beagle75

Iowa

4.47/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a becker glass.

A: Very clear, light amber color with one finger of off-white foam head that diminishes to a large and persistent pad. Heavy lacing remains on the glass and an occasional solitary bubble rises in the column.

S: Bready Munich malt is well developed, uplifted by and integrated with the breath of baker's yeast. Caramel is present in trace quantity, as is carbon dioxide.

T: Begins barely off-dry, with malt that is dynamically bready, both husky and refined. The hop contribution is minimal, just keeping flavors fresh with a nod toward balance. Acidity is kept under tight control, helping but never detracting. The greatest contribution from the acidity is a mellow mixed citrus quality that constitutes the only fruit component present. The middle sees a parade of more refined Munich and crystal malt flavors, followed by a finish that is soft, bready, and very forgiving.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, balanced and refreshing on the palate, with low carbonation.

D/O: This beer is a genuine pace-setter among American-brewed amber lagers. There may be no better choice to show off the potential of New Glarus to brew a traditional and delicious German-style beer. It is deliciously malty and very palate-friendly--truly compelling.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 03:03:57 | More by beagle75

vande

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours what I would imagine the color created when there are drops of red, orange and yellow bled together...nice active appearance with a very thin lacing of head

S: Grainy, somewhat sweet...but very "beer" on the nose if that makes sense...

T: definite splashes of sweetness washed across this grainy-corny-malty beer... for a Oktoberfest, pretty good

M: Light to Medium in body..somewhat creamy. But easy to drink.

O: I realize I'm late in the season, but this is one of my favorite Oktoberfests out there.. had it before, I'm sure I'll have it again-

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 06:58:29 | More by vande

GeezLynn

Minnesota

4.4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A: A bright shade of bronze with nice clarity and a modest white head that is well retained.
S: Toasted bready malt, lager yeast and slight vegetal character.
T: Rich toasted bready malts with a hint of sweetness. Toasted malt is light but not thin. Finish is clean and dry with just a bit of citric bitterness at the end.
M: Light body with crisp carbonation.
This is a top tier lager. A very clean and precise Oktoberfest that compares well with any US-brewed versions of the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 04:53:44 | More by GeezLynn

syrupjoe

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into pint glass.

Pours a deep gold with almost-white head and a little bit of lacing.
Small, almost unnoticeable particulates.

Nose gives off the fruity, metallic, grain flavor typical to lighter Oktoberfest beers.

Taste is sweet, grainy, with a decent hop bitterness to balance it out.

Mouthfeel is medium to light bodied and slightly syrupy, but finishes clean.

Overall a tasty and clean beer. I'm somewhat off-put by the syrupy mouthfeel, but quickly disappears so as not to detract from the total experience of the beer. Would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 03:50:42 | More by syrupjoe

birchstick

Missouri

4.03/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - pours a light caramel color, almost dark orange, with a really attractive head on it

S - smells of grain malts with some spicy hops

T - taste follows the nose to a T. Loads of cereal and grain malts are first up. These are followed by some lightly floral and spicy hops. Very clean throughout.

M - full and creamy

D - this is a really solid Marzen style brew. Pretty straightforward, but this style usually isn't the deepest in flavors. But what is there is really good and flavorful. Definitely enjoyed this offering!

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 00:41:48 | More by birchstick

jegross2

Illinois

2.48/5  rDev -37.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Drinking this one out of a very large tasting glass from Goose Island. I only bought this exclusively to cook brats in, but decided to ciphon some for tryin'. Full disclosure, I tend to dislike lagers, and have not found a marzen that I like not made by Paulaner. On to the review

Appearance: a light translucent amber color, more yellow with a hint of brown than red. The beer has no head other than the fizzy carbonation.

Smell: Has a sweet corn and bread smell that reminds me of miller lite. Vague spices also seem to float around in the aroma too.

Taste: A diluted malt-and-spice flavor that has way too much "corn" and "grain" taste. There is a very faint finish.

Mouthfeel: a low bodied, watery beer with fizzy carbonation. Very clean, crisp and refreshing

Overall: This beer is very drinkable, but it's hard to distinguish this as anything other than a slightly spicer, more expensive miller lite. Again, I do not like the style, but even for a Marzen this one fell flat for me. It DOES make a great brat marinade, however.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 01:30:52 | More by jegross2

ChopperSmith

Minnesota

3.33/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a long neck brown 12 oz. bottle into a standard clear pint glass.

Appearance: Clear light amber color with barely one finger of off-white foam. Foam faded quick and left no lacing behind and no cap.

Smell: Sweet corn and bread-like malt. Little to no hops present. A bit sweeter and perfume-like than a typical Marzen Oktoberfest style.

Taste: Watered down sweet malt and some corn flavor. A lot sweeter and thinner than most good Oktoberfest beers, and not malty enough. Could also stand a little more earthy hops presence to balance all that thin sweetness out.

Mouth feel: Light body with typical carbonation. Pretty typical.

Overall: I like a lot of the beers from New Glarus, but this isn't one of my favorites. Way too sweet for a Marzen Oktoberfest style and way too thin and watery. There are too many good Oktoberfest beers out there to have any reason to seek this one out again.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 23:45:26 | More by ChopperSmith

homebrew311

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: pours a brilliant clear orange with bone white head, decent retention, some lacing

S: the nose is loaded with caramel and bready malts, also picking up some fall spices, some hints at a pumpkin ale, notes of graham cracker...very unique for the style... I like

T: starts off with malty sweetness, notes of molasses, brown sugar, this is followed up by dry bready malts, again a big presence of graham cracker on the finish. This is an excellent Marzen!

MF: medium to high carbonation, relatively light body

O: Of all of the Octoberfest/Marzen style brews I have tried, this is the most memorable. It has the nice lager flavors that go along with the style, but also has it's own unique spin. Well done New Glarus.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 06:57:28 | More by homebrew311

WoodBrew

Illinois

3/5  rDev -24.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I was able to try Staghorn last night at an Oktoberfest party. The beer poured clear, amber orange with a sudsy, off white head that settles pretty quickly. Not much lace to speak of. The scent for the most part was typical grain and slight alcohol. The taste was dissapointing to me, the beer was slightly sweet and a mild spicy hop character that balances well in the finish. There's a vague fruitiness in the aftertaste with warmth as well. The mouthfeel is ok...the body was fine I dont think I can have more than one though. Overall it is ok worth a try ...sure....more than that....eh.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 20:51:51 | More by WoodBrew

Nachojon

Illinois

4.22/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at Champs in Lake Geneva into pint glass.

A- Pours clear amber with thin white head that grips the sides of glass.

S- Great fall smell. Spices, warmth and hops on nose.

T- Nice fall spice and barley to start, clean and robust with hints of corn. Fruity almost sour finish of berries.

M- Clean, crisp mouthfeel, not sticky at all.

O- Refreshing,pleasant Octoberfest that I could drink year around, very good bordering on great beer. New Glarus never disappoints.

Serving type: on-tap

10-20-2011 14:37:47 | More by Nachojon

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

poured into New Glarus Stien.

Appearance: A Golden Orange bodied beer with 2 fingers of bone white head and really good lacing!

Smell: Moderately sweet malts. Malt profile of buiscuits and some caramel. Even smell a little honey even though I dont think that this beer was brewed with any honey. Little spiciness from the yeast as well.

Taste: Really nice malty profile that follows how it smells! Bready, biscuity and caramel malts flavors upfront with a mild spicy finish. Still tastes really fresh to me even though this beer was released in August.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation. Carbonation is lively and prickely. Very well carbonated. Clean finish yet robust malty profile for a lager!

Overall: My favorite Octoberfest beer. I love this beer Dan Carey does a fantastic job with this style! It falls... and this beer is the beer I love during this season!

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 23:22:05 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

schoolboy

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I don't usually like Marzen if they are too flavorful or thick. This one is a little light tasting, and that is to my liking. It's very pretty in the glass and has a faint but clean aroma. The taste is crisp and refreshing.

Normally I don't want another marzen but I would make an exception for this. Unfortunately, this is the only one left from my Wisconsin trip. I found these old Wisconsin microbreweries to be much better than I had given them credit for. They make a lot of micro-miller, but they also make bolder styles.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2011 23:33:23 | More by schoolboy

dhannes

Wisconsin

2.65/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Revisited on 10/25/12: Dark golden color...nice, but too light and not enough red vs. other "märzens." Faint aroma...sweet taste, maybe some bourbon. I stand by all my thoughts below...raised the appearance to 3.5 (from 3.0), taste to 2.5 (from 2.0) and overall to 3.0 (from 2.0)...a good beer, but more like a good lager, not a märzen nor an amber.

Poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint:

A=Very pale straw yellow; too yellow for a märzen, but a rich, 4 finger white head brings it up to an Average.

S=Hint of sweet corn and wheat, plus a sweetness.

T=Not at all like a märzen--corn presence is overwhelming...this is very close to their Spotted Cow. Enjoyable, just not a good example of what an Octoberfest should taste like.

M=Drinkable, but a bit too sweet and not enough body.

O=Huge disappointment. Okay to sell this, just don't call it an Octoberfest.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 02:43:03 | More by dhannes

kawilliams81

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served in a pint glass.

A- Light golden with off-white 2 finger head, and a ton of lacing that remains on the glass.

S- Sweet caramel and amber malts.

T- Sweet amber and crystal malts. No noticeable hop finish.

M- Thin and a bit watery. Very easy drinking though.

O- Meh. Just ok. It would be a good beer if your planning on drinking a 6 pack or tailgating, but just to plain for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 01:52:07 | More by kawilliams81

ahq514

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12 oz bottle into shaker pint glass.

Pours a bright copper color with a light head that diminishes to a film atop the beer. Appears to have a moderate-high level of carbonation.

Nice level of malt in the aroma. Malt is toasty and biscuity. This is nicely balanced by a clean and crisp german-ness present in most German style lagers.

Definitely a German style marzen. Malt is lighter than many of the American style counterparts. Otherwise this matches the aroma fairly well. Toasty, biscuity malt is present, but not overly dominant. I would have liked some more malt in this beer. Very clean and crisp.

Mouthfeel is on par for the style. A little higher than moderate carbonation. Light-medium body.

Overall, this is a good german style marzen. I guess I tend to prefer the more americanized versions of them, which are heavier on the malt, but this is still a good one. I love New Glarus.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 04:22:14 | More by ahq514