Octoberfest - Free State Brewing Co.

tronester

Oklahoma

3.75/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear orange in color,with a medium tan head. Smells of solid Munich malt. Taste is bready, syrupy flavors, followed by a grassy, lemony hop bitterness. The aftertaste is a tiny bit tart, but nothing bad. Mouthfeel is rich, low carbonation. Overall a solid beer I would get again.

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2011 00:13:22 | More by tronester

boneboy

Kansas

3.58/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - This beer pours a clear amber with a thin, quickly dissipating head.

S - Sweet and malty, with a hint of spice.

T - The taste is of sweet malt and grain, with an earthy/spicy hop bitterness.

M - Medium bodied and creamy.

O - Overall, this is an enjoyable beer for a cool, fall night. The price is right, and I will pick this up again before the winter seasonal comes out.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 03:51:43 | More by boneboy

DRtacoburger

Kansas

4.03/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I've been a big fan of Free State for a few years, and I'm very glad to see they are starting to bottle some of their seasonal brews. For this tasting I poured the bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: An amber appearance, not much of a head on this beer and after a few seconds it was reduced to a ring.

Smell: There is a spicy smell with a hint of orange and cinnamon

Taste: Simple, but good, not as spicy or sweet as a lot of Oktoberfests' but nice and malty with a roasted flavor towards the end.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied beer, very well balanced

Overall: I'm a big fan of Oktoberfests and Free State's is definately worth a try. Simple, malty, and not too busy It'd be great for a fall afternoon cookout.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 00:16:48 | More by DRtacoburger

hwwty4

Missouri

4.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I was pretty stoked to hear that this was going to be bottled. One of my favorite seasonals from Free State.

Poured as 12oz bottle into my Sam Adams Perfect Pint. This beer pours a caramelized sugar amber with a decent 2 inch head that quickly faded away into just a subtle ring of foam on the inside of the glass. Normally, the perfect pint allows for nice head retention but the nucleation point did nothing for this one. The aroma is nice and malty. Up front notes of toffee and toast followed by just a hint of caramel and roasted grains. The flavor is very similar. Toasted bread and toffee are the dominant flavors. Really the only difference is at the very tail of the flavor profile, just a hint of cocoa powder hits the palate. Perfectly simple. Nothing that bogs down the crispness and cleanness of a good lager. The mouthfeel is light and mildly carbonated, just a hint of dryness at the finish makes you want to take another sip. Overall, I think this is a fantastic Oktoberfest. One that I look forward to much more, now that I can take it home with me, without having to drive to Lawrence and grab a growler.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2011 21:42:16 | More by hwwty4

Boto

Connecticut

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

Draught @ Brewpub: This one poured a crystal clear amber color. There was a small off-white head on mine. It left some lacing. It has a nice aroma. There are some roasted malts, toffee and a hint of nuttiness. It has a bit of a dry taste. Nice maltiness and bitterness. The nutiness makes a slight appearance in the taste. Nice.

Serving type: on-tap

10-23-2009 01:03:32 | More by Boto

COBeerBuff

Kansas

3.8/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a growler bottled yesterday evening at the brewery...

Appearance: Pours a clear amber with a ½ finger of white head that recedes quickly leaving a ring and a film on the surface of the beer. Not much lacing to speak of.

Smell: The caramel malts and the bit of grains are the most prevalent on the front, but the nose doesn't provide a lot to go on. Smells a little bit sweet, but not cloyingly so.

Taste: This beer tastes great! The malts and the little bit of bitterness are very well balanced, and the flavors are clear enough to be enjoyed easily. There is not that general "What am I tasting?" that often happens with some generic Oktoberfest brews.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and smooth. Some stickiness on the back end, but overall, this is definitely a sessionable fall beer.

Drinkability: This is a very well put together Oktoberfest beer. The brewers over in Lawrence have achieved a very simple, yet strikingly complex fall seasonal beer.

Serving type: growler

09-20-2009 17:20:30 | More by COBeerBuff

JEdmund

Kansas

4.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Attractive bronze color; smells light, but a bit sweet; taste has a lot of toasted grain flavor mixed with a honey sweet biscuityness; bitterness is low; mouthfeel is full (I would like it a little thinner to up the drinkability); overall this lager packs a bunch of flavor in a balanced and drinkable beer, making it very approachable

Serving type: on-tap

09-07-2009 02:25:11 | More by JEdmund

zeff80

Missouri

3.63/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - A nice burgandy/copper color with a small, foamy, egg shell white head. It left behind soapy sheets of lace.

S - It smelled of caramel and bready malt. Some earthy notes, too.

T - It tasted of sweet caramel and toffee. It had a little bitter spice kick.

M - It was soft, creamy and smooth. A light to medium-bodied beer.

D - This is an okay Octoberfest beer. It won't blow you away with flavors or aromas but it is solid and very drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

09-28-2008 00:35:55 | More by zeff80

Goliath

Illinois

3.4/5  rDev -13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This one is really good looking. Pours a clear amber/copper color with a one inch off white frothy head on top. Great retention and some frothy sticky lace.

The aroma is weak. Some sweet caramel and bready malt are available eventually as well as a very faint citrusy hop.

the taste is ok. Bready malt, some caramel, and slightly grainy. A very light bitterness as well. It's not bad, but definitely not my favorite Oktoberfest.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied, creamy, and lightly carbonated.

Drinkability is moderate to high. Presumeably low alcohol, and decent flavors make for an average drinking experience. However, it is fairly easy to consume.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2008 20:41:57 | More by Goliath

Dansting

Kansas

4.38/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Growler from the brewpub. Pours a clear copper color with a nice white head. Good lacing. Aroma is sweet and malty, with a strong caramel presence. Flavor is a nice blend of sweet malt and hops. A solid offering in the Oktoberfest style. No wonder this is considered by many to be the best of the style in the country.

Serving type: growler

10-18-2007 02:19:54 | More by Dansting

SafeAtFirst

Wisconsin

4.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured from a growler into an Irish pint glass.

The appearence is a copper-orange hue - very clear. The aroma is a light bread, a little butter, and a slight earthy/grassy hop smell. The flavor is excellent. It starts out with a slightly sweet biscuit flavor with some roasted malt and butter/nut flavors coming out as it warms, it finishes with just the right amount of hop bitterness to give this beer a near perfect balance and a crisp clean finish. The mouth feel is medium light, maybe a little lighter than some.

Overall this a great octoberfest, I've sampled a few varieties the last 2 weeks (SA, Spaten, Saranac) and this is my favorite so far. I think I'll be making quite a few stops at Free State in the coming weeks.

Serving type: growler

09-23-2007 20:41:56 | More by SafeAtFirst

marc77

California

3.73/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pellucid dark bronze, covered by a lanky, but well retained cream white head. Sparse lace remains. The aroma is comprised of soft biscuit and nutty melanoidins. Subtle herbal hop undertone. Clean and tame aromawise. Gentle bready sweetness upfront leads into buttery, slightly sharper, toffeeish Caramunich and mild hop bitterness combination. Agreeably mellow, sweet (non diacetyl) butter tinge. Grassy, tracely minty, Hersbrucker hop flavor. Soft on the palate, but pleasantly dextrinous and lightly viscous in mouthfeel. Finishes clean, with quickly fleeting hints of brittle. Very well rounded and highly drinkable. A bit shy in malt depth, but quite enjoyable nonetheless. A well executed "lighter" example of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2003 21:47:42 | More by marc77

beernut7

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lighter orange color with a thin lace on the glass. The aroma is slightly bready. Nice bitter quality on top of a lightly biscuit malt flavor. This is one of the closest American representations I have tried compared to the German imports.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2002 13:09:45 | More by beernut7