Oktoberfest Lager Beer - Lakefront Brewery, Inc.

shand

Florida

3.43/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Lakefront Oktoberfest pours a hazy orange color with a finger of head that quickly drops to a cap. The aroma is a nice, rich caramel malt with some sweet grains. The malts become more rich and sweet on the tongue, along with a fairly strong grain flavor I've noticed in other Lakefront lagers. The mouthfeel is heavier than expected, with a carbonation level that would be on point with a lighter body. Overall, Lakefront's Oktoberfest is another decent stab at the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 01:21:26 | More by shand

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

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

Picked this up via the single bottle in Totowa now that most of the Octoberfests and Marzens are disappearing from the shelves. I'm usually not a fan of this style since they tend to be a bit too watered-down for me but this his the spot nicely. The body was nice, nothing was too overpowering and even though this was a bit stronger than I envisioned, it would make for a nice fall session beer.

The pour to this was sufficient - almond-hued, clear, with a decent head and almost no lacing to be seen. The mouthfeel was creamy and toasty with a decent amount of caramel malt underneath followed by some smoky wood flavors. A bit like the Flying Fish Octoberfest or Yuengling Lager but with one catch: carbonation was virtually nil here. A bit cloying in the back but certainly enjoyable, enough to remind me of a fall day once the air chilled down and the leaves were all gone.

This was just a bit too strong but was better than the lighter bodied and hued Octoberfests that I've had in recent years. It won't blow anyone one away but for a fall seasonal, this would be a great choice that can be appreciated by nearly all.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2012 19:23:46 | More by JerzDevl2000

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.15/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Man I cannot believe the amount of Lakefront beer we have been receiving in Reno, NV! Anyways, nice appearance, Lakefront's stuff always has the professional look from a clarity and otherwise appearance viewpoint. Auburn in color, mostly white head, nice lace, retention. Sweet and somewhat grainy aromas. Smells like fall in Wisconsin.

Mild notes of caramel and nuts complimented by the bready nature, although you wouldn't know it from looking at it. Hops virtually undiscernable, which is to say, it is made to style. Toffee as well is minimal. This is a somewhat crowd pleaser, not very thick, easy enough to drink. Nothing special.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 00:51:07 | More by Beerandraiderfan

PDXHops

South Carolina

3.3/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle poured into a mug. Hazy amber with a modestly sized head. Decent retention, though, and a bit of lace. Smells pretty tame- toasty and bready grains, some floral hops- but tastes more interesting than advertised. Grainy and almost gritty at times with a robust feel in spite of the rather modest caramel sweetness. Dryish finish that shows off grassy and floral hops with a touch of tanginess. I wouldn't necessarily seek this one out again, but it grew on me.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 00:11:17 | More by PDXHops

UCLABrewN84

California

3.23/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottled 7/2012.

Pours a hazy dark orange with a foamy khaki head that settles to an oily film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt and caramel. Taste is of malt, caramel, and some metallic flavors on the finish. There is a mild bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty average beer that smells pretty decent but the flavor isn't all that good.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 03:57:17 | More by UCLABrewN84

BrownAleMale

Wisconsin

3.98/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a Kasteel goblet

Appearance- A hazy reddish orange color. Small amount of white head that completely dissipates into 0 head.

Smell- Sweet ripening fruit mostly banana. Malt, bread and wheat are also there.

Taste- Once again, very sweet fruit up front with a super bready malt finish.

Mouthfeel- Medium body with a very clean finish making for a very drinkable brew.

Overall- I like the addition of the sweet fruit notes that alter from a normal Marzen. Well done very drinkable beer with a little more complexity then the usual Oktoberfest.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 23:49:10 | More by BrownAleMale

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

3.98/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a standard pint glass.

The beer is a typical copper/caramel color, slight haze that you cannot see through totally. A cream colored head dissipates quickly to a wisp. Lacing is light but present.

The aroma is faint, but pure: malts, sweet caramel.

I like the taste in that it throws no surprises: Malty, sweet caramel, dough, and the hops are so muted they may not be there. Total marzen in my opinion.

The mouthfeel is medium to light bodied, goes down very well.

Overall, I just think this is very easy to drink and holds up to the style. It's not aggressive in any area, it just tastes like a damn marzen, and that's awesome.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 20:53:05 | More by JuicesFlowing

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out as a light brown color with a tan colored head on top. The aroma of the beer is loaded with malty sweetness, some earthy notes as well. The taste of the beer has some very light spice notes with a caramel sweetness in the finish. The mouthfeel of the beer is medium bodied with a decent carbonation to it. Overall this Marzen isn't bad, I thought it was enjoyable and would probably drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 05:19:02 | More by Knapp85

Halcyondays

California

2.8/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours amber with a small white head, average retention, no lace.

S: Apple cider, sweet malt.

T: Some caramel malt, lots of red apple peel, grassy hops.

M: Light-bodied, a bit acrid at times, crisp, some biting carbonation.

O: A middle of the road Oktoberfest, not the best flavour, drinkable enough, but there's a lot better out there.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 02:07:10 | More by Halcyondays

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.83/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a Lakefront imperial pint.
5.7% ABV, Bottled during Jul Wk4.

A - Crystal clear and totally lifeless, it pours a pale amber color with a tall cream head that plateaus and drops slowly, gently leaving lace webbing on the pint.

S - Tart apple skin pops out from this muted aroma, offering more bready malt aromas once it's swirled. Delicate hop notes are barely noticed behind the toasted characteristic though this Oktoberfest.

T - Simple and straight forward, toasted malts are biscuity in nature with a light apple flavor and acidity in the background. Slight earth tones come forward towards the back end with just a little mineral water bite.

M - Medium-bodied with a crisp and clean finish accompanied by a carbonation bite, Lakefront's Oktoberfest is a little slick on the tongue, drying out after the swallow.

O - Here we have Lakefront's Oktoberfest; a pretty clean lager that goes down well with few minor problems. The nose is almost non-existent and the flavor has a slight apple touch to it (though not offensive). Besides that, it's quite a drinkable Oktoberfest, strong with bready malt and a dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 22:40:57 | More by BeerFMAndy

kylehay2004

Florida

3.4/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: half finger head on an amber with crimson hues body.

S: mostly caramel malts with some grain and biscuit. A mild fruity presence.

T: toasted cramel malts and sweet breads, mild earthy and herbal hops but lacks the spiciness of a good marzen.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: this one is drinkable but lacking in the degree of spiciness, hopiness and malt profile you want from the style.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2012 20:26:31 | More by kylehay2004

dkoehler42

New York

2.53/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This beer proclaims to be an Oktoberfest lager. However, the taste, smell, and mouthfeel are sorely lacking. The color is a dark gold or brown. The beer smells average, maybe a bit sweet. The taste however, is where this beer suffers. At best, I picked up on a partial Oktoberfest taste. The mouthfeel just wasn't pleasant overall. This is one best let on the shelf.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 02:20:54 | More by dkoehler42

chinchill

South Carolina

3.68/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle served in a pint glass.

A - Poured a clear amber color with a medium off-white head. It left little lacing. Some sediment in the bottom of the bottle added mid-tasting.

S - It smelled malty and quite sweet (caramel!), with some floral and fruity notes.

T - Lots of caramel and medium malt flavor. Hints of hops, but overall somewhat sweet. Buttery in a good way.

M: Medium bodied. Light carbonation.

O: A nice and flavorful, if rather sweet Oktoberfest.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 00:53:40 | More by chinchill

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

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

Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is medium amber with copper tones. Three fingers of dense, buttery head left a half-finger of bubbly foam and a thick ring around the edge.

Smell: It has a nice, sweet floral and malt scent. Pale malts, grassy/floral hops, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, powdered sugar, and something candy-like from my youth that I cannot pin down. (What the hell is it?) It also smells a bit like Meier’s Sparkling Pink Catawba. (Perhaps that is it.)

Taste: Basically mirrors the smell, but the flavors feel subdued and distant. It is mostly malty: pale malts and caramel dominate. Floral hops provided a nice, barnyard smoothness. Again, it is very similar to Meier’s Sparkling Pink Catawba.

Drinkability: It lacks the robustness I want, but I suppose it is heading in the right direction. It is smooth and very drinkable, though it lacks a little flavor and smells a little too candy- and child-like.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 04:44:15 | More by TheQuietMan22

jlindros

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +25%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light fizzy almost 1 finger head that fades semi quickly, with hints of lacing, over mostly clear tan orange-ish color.

Nose is actually pretty nice, just a faint hint of caramel and reddish malts, but mostly soft creamy pale malts, nice cracked straw, grainy malts, some nice crisp and fruity lager aromas, nice soft but complex malt, with a decent juicy like malt, then some light grassy noble like hops.

Taste comes on with soft complex malts again, slightly grainy and a bit of straw, light pale malts, and hint of caramel and reddish toasty malt. Then more fruity lager flavors, quite lager loaded flavors but no bad lager flavors, crisp and fairly clean, and a bit juicy with the fruity lagers. Hops also kick in with just a touch of bitterness, some light grassy and floral hops. Finish is a bit more bitter, with some caramel, plenty more malts and hint of toffee, and a dry clean crisp finish.

Mouth is med to slightly lighter bodied, very drinkable, decent carb, clean and crisp.

Overall very nicely done for an American Marzen/Oktoberfest. Great malts with just a hint of caramel so they didn't go overboard with it, great lager flavors and crispness, nice grassy noble hops, even some cracked straw, etc. The only things really keeping this from being into the A range, lack of decoction which I can't hold too much against them since it's an American brewery, maybe a touch more hops, and a touch less on the caramel.

And the fact that this only has a B- on BA just shows more of how much the American palate is out of touch. They love to rate "Oktoberfest" style beers with tons of caramel and sweet toasty malts and tons of spicy hops with a big rating, and something like this with a low rating. The "American" palate is so out of whack these days, nothing where it should be, and this is a great example. This is one of the best American made Oktoberfest beers I've ever had. Well done lakefront!

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 02:52:16 | More by jlindros

RoamingGnome

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 10/24/11 Tasting Notes

Poured out of 12 oz bottle into Cheers mug

A) Nice amber color with slight haze. A finger of caramel tinted head. The head dissipated quickly, leaving a thin dusting. No lacing to report.

S) Nice malt sweetness, fresh grains, earthy aromas, light hops.

T) Follows the nose, slightly sweet, bit bready, nice earthy hops presence, pleasant finish.

M) medium/light + moderate carbonation. It is smooth, but also crisp and satisfying.

O) Really nice Marzen here. I've tried a quite a few different O-Fests this fall, and this could sneak right into my top five. Would gladly recommend.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2011 00:27:56 | More by RoamingGnome

StArnoldFest2010

Florida

3.13/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured medium orangish brown with medium carbonation and light medium head that disappeared quickly. Smell had that pleasant Octoberfest spices I like. Tast was just ok. Had some toffee and spices but very average. Not complex and thin mouthfeel. Average offering. Decent session beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2011 21:34:37 | More by StArnoldFest2010

GallowsThief

Florida

2.98/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured out of a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

A – Slightly hazy butterscotch on the pour with a half finger of white head that totally disappears.

S – Not a great deal of smell here with some caramel malts.

T – Malt forward for sure with a touch of roastiness and some caramel sweetness. Almost a honey like quality near the end. Touch of hops.

M – Medium bodied with low to medium carbonation. Bit of a creamy mouthfeel to it.

O – Strictly average here at best. Not awful but nothing to write home about. There are better choices out there.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 23:58:30 | More by GallowsThief

Nerudamann

Oregon

3.88/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a stein glass.

Look – subtle amber color, clear, with good carbonation and about two and a half fingers of foam that dissipates somewhat quickly.

Smell – typical lager type of smell. Malty, with a hint of what might be a stronger abv.

Taste – the taste isn’t so typical of a lager. There’s the sweet taste of malts, but with subtle hints of other spices too. I almost tastes like a Bohemian style lager.

Mouthfeel – very well balanced.

Overall – not a bad brew at all. It wasn’t necessarily “perplexing” in its taste, but it was definitely unique enough to peak my interest.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 20:53:48 | More by Nerudamann

Jason

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz brown bottle with a freshness date on the side of the label.

LOOK: Faintly hazed reddish-amber, good head retention.

SMELL: Toasted grain, bread crust, floral, taffy, yeast.

TASTE: Very malty, mineral, toasted husk, fresh grain, dried grass, bready, caramel, herbal, clean, dry.

Tastes a lot better than it smells or looks, not that this a is a bad looking beer with an odd odor. Pretty dry even though there is some caramel or sugary malt in the middle. I could see going back to this one every year.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 02:28:51 | More by Jason

ocelot2500

Arizona

3.25/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear burnt orange with a small, tight white head that leaves little bits of lacing.

Smells of a bit of caramel malts, but is fairly light.

Tastes of the toasted malts with some earthy hops. Notes of caramel, toasted bread, and a bit of toffee lead off. Fairly sweet. A small but noticeable earthy and leafy hop notes come through on the end, with a slight touch of bitterness.

Mouthfeel is medium with a light amount of carbonation. Needs more carbonation.

Overall, this is a fairly mediocre take, and I would not really reccomend it.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 00:17:30 | More by ocelot2500

cdkrenz

Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Nice red body with a hinting of orange. The head is a bit quick-lived starting out at about an inch but fading at a relatively moderate rate to a trace at the surface in the time it took me to write this.

S - Certain soapy flavor over a moderately roasted malty aroma.

T - Malty with a nice cereal taste. There's a hint of grassy hops and then again a nice malty finish.

M - Mildly coarse with a dry ending and ultimately a dry finish begging for more consumption.

~ This is a well crafted brew. One I would recommend to friends and better yet I wouldn't mind sessioning a few... maybe tonight.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2011 00:25:19 | More by cdkrenz

FickleBeast

New Jersey

3.03/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass

Pours a hazy brown color with a finger of thick heavy foam. Aroma is grainy, gritty, bready malt.

First sip is oddly fruity, with a thick malty backbone. Lingering fruity aftertaste. This doesn't leave a positive impression on my palate. The fruity flavor is a strange taste that I feel doesn't really belong. Yeast byproduct?

Minimal hop flavor, decent body. It's just not that.... enjoyable. Something just tastes off. I don't remember being a fan of the beers from this brewery, and this one reinforces that impression.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 02:08:01 | More by FickleBeast

chickenflea

Florida

3.38/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours copper with a thin white head. Aroma muted. Smells of tea, earthy, some bread. Tastes of caramel, some biscuits, more tea. Some medium umami notes on the finish. Low carbonation. A nice beer. A good Oktoberfest. My first from this brewery. I will try more.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 21:58:34 | More by chickenflea

yemenmocha

Arizona

3.73/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours amber with minimal head, even with vigorous pour. Nose is also a bit weak, with earthy malt and some yeasty bread dough. Fresh bready flavors on the palate, toasty caramel malt sweetness, and light herbal hops. Good body, easy drinking but heavier than other examples out there.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 04:22:12 | More by yemenmocha