Oaktoberfest
Black Oak Brewing Co.

OaktoberfestOaktoberfest
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From:
Black Oak Brewing Co.
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
Märzen
ABV:
5%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.93 | pDev: 8.14%
Reviews:
22
Ratings:
37
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 05, 2018
Added:
Oct 05, 2009
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  3
Our Oaktoberfest is the only lager we make over here at Black Oak. Why? Because of how much we LOVE this Marzen Oaktoberfest style! The brew is coloured a copper colour and has thick, white foam and snappy carbonation. It is clean, fresh and crisp: the malty flavour is complimented by the right amount of hops. It is easy-to-drink, yet full of flavour.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 5 by tomghiley from Canada (ON)

Apr 05, 2018
Photo of PorterPro125
Reviewed by PorterPro125 from Canada (NB)

4.18/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Serving Type: 650 mL Bottle

A- Pours a burnt orange colour with an off-white 1 1/2 finger head with excellent retention. Lots of lacing.

S- Sweet Caramel Malt with a touch of grassy hops. Typical Marzen.

T- Light Caramel sweetness and a lingering grassy hop bitterness.

M- Medium-Heavy Body and Moderate-Low Carbonation

O- Awesome example of a Classic Marzen.
Oct 06, 2015
 
Rated: 3.42 by CurtisD from Canada (NB)

Oct 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.72 by MasterOfArgos39 from Canada (ON)

Nov 08, 2014
 
Rated: 3.72 by Canada_Dan from Colorado

Oct 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by MayonakaStout from Canada (ON)

Sep 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by hunterjames from Canada (ON)

Sep 17, 2014
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Reviewed by patre_tim from Thailand

4.07/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
A: Deep golden orange, with a beautiful haze, few slow rising small bubbles, 4 fingers of well sustained off white head that melts like snow.

S: Very typical marzen. Caramel malts, light sweetness, malty, molasses, drying hay.

T: Lightly sweet, much like a solid German beer, especially a German Pilsner, but more dried hay on the finish, weightiness on the mouth feel and light sweetness. Little bitterness that is dull and lingers a little but is light.

M: Medium thick chewy body with medium low fine bubbled carbonation, lends to a great mouthfeel. Smooth finish.

O: Really proud of this Canadian Oktoberfest beer. Found it in Kitchener today. More fizz than the German versions I’ve had, and an overall more rounded feel. Feels fresh and new.
May 11, 2014
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Reviewed by BuckyBeerBeaver from Canada (ON)

3.93/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
For our first foray into Black Oak's brews, we picked up a 6 pack of their seasonal "Oaktoberfest" beer from the company's on-site retail store. The bottles were 341 ml and Oaktoberfest was 5.0% alcohol by volume. I understand that date codes are normally stamped on the bottom of Black Oak's boxes, but for whatever reason mine were stamped on the front of each bottle just below the label, with what I'm reading as an October 7, 2011 production date.

Oaktoberfest poured a slightly hazy deep copper colour, taking on more of a copper/golden hue when held up to the light. Pouring produced approximately 1" of sticky, light tan coloured head which lasted for about 5 minutes before receding into a thin film and foamy collar, leaving plenty of lacing down the glass. It's certainly a good looking beer. The aroma is dominated by sweet and toasted malts, and Oaktoberfest's flavour is fairly heavy on the malts up front (well suited to my personal taste), finishing with a mild hop bitterness which lasts for about 5 seconds after swallowing. The bitter finish balances the initial malt sweetness nicely, and though there is a bit of an aftertaste, it does not overstay its welcome. The carbonation is just right...enough to give the beer a crisp mouthfeel and heft up the body without crossing the line into gassy. In summary, a satisfying beer that represents good value for money. I'll be visiting Black Oak again next October to pick up another 6 pack ..or two
Apr 13, 2014
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Reviewed by OttawaBeerClub from Canada (ON)

3.77/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Aroma: apple, spices, pepper, nothing overpowering

Appearance: Amber, copper, hazy, very little head

Flavor: No apple as nose would suggest, bit sour, grain, lingering bitterness

Mouthfeel: Smooth and creamy. Fine carbonation. Chuggable

Overall: Smooth, very sessionable. Would buy again.
Mar 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by joemcgrath27 from Canada (AB)

Mar 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Molson2000 from Canada (ON)

Mar 10, 2014
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Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)

3.48/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Bottle: Poured a light brown color beer with a medium size foamy head with light retention. Aroma of lightly sweet caramel malt with light cereal notes. Taste is also dominated by dry caramel malt with light cereal notes with some subtle residual sugars notes. Body is about average with good carbonation. Missing a bit of biscuit malt that do wonder for the style.
Mar 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by HATS4BATS from Canada (ON)

Feb 09, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Vyronian from Canada (ON)

Dec 09, 2013
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Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)

4.07/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
650 mL bottle from the LCBO; no freshness information. Glad to see a Black Oak seasonal finally making its way to Sarnia; they have a great reputation and their stuff has never been easy to find around here.

Pours an attractive amber-orange colour, fairly clear in complexion and topped at first with nearly two fingers of frothy, off-white head. Retention is respectable - it takes more than a few minutes to wilt down to a smooth, dense cap, which lingers on the surface for considerably longer. The aroma is nice, clean and malty, with notes of toffee, biscuits, toasted nuts. Subtle accents of grass and orchard fruit, with this last aspect becoming more noticeable as the glass warms.

Pretty tasty stuff. A little grainy, but the malts tend toward more of a biscuity, breadcrust-and-toasted nuts vibe. Some light toffee sweetness is also detectable, with the hops remaining well-concealed until the finish, where they provide hints of grass and wet hay. Not getting much of the fruit I picked up on the nose, though. The aftertaste is a little earthy, with the malt presence gradually fading from the palate. On the light side of medium-bodied, with mild carbonation that provides only a gentle bite. Very smooth and easily quaffed; this is a pleasure to drink and definitely sessionable, but the $6 price tag is a little prohibitive as far as that purpose goes.

Final Grade: 4.07, an impressive A-. I don't profess to be an Oktoberfest expert, but Black Oak's take on the style is probably my new favourite. While it drinks smoothly and easily (as any properly-constructed German lager should), it still has a bold malt profile guaranteed to satisfy fans of the style. Oaktoberfest is a great marzen that I will absolutely turn to the next time I'm in the mood for one, and probably worth the price given the lack of widely-distributed, quality examples in this province. A must-try for all lager enthusiasts.
Dec 07, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by andrenaline from Canada (ON)

Nov 29, 2013
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Reviewed by TerryW from Canada (ON)

3.78/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Good looking beer, clear copper, good sized head that slowly settles to a film and leaves lots of lace along the way.

Malty nose with a whiff of alcohol. Lots of malt and just a touch of hops. That carries on through to the taste, lots of malt, a little spice. Just a little bite from the carbonation. Slightly metallic. The first mouthful comes across as crazy sweet from the malt, but that is gome soon enough.

Decent drinking
Nov 26, 2013
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Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3.94/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
How appropriate that Oktoberfest beers - those quintessential fall-time lagers - have the colour of autumn foliage. Black Oak Oaktoberfest is a burnished orange tone with gold leaf highlights. It's translucent but not clear, a complexion indicative of the beer's clean but hearty profile.

The malt in this aroma is rich, biscuity, bready and has notes of toasted nuts and honeyed grain. Hops *are* used in Oktoberfest recipes you just would never necessarily know it, not with all the malt flavour being shown off the way it is. (Well, there may be a hint of grass.)

The palate, too, is a showcase of malty flavour and depth. Again, there's strong notes of toasted bread and nuts, lots of hearty graininess and a delicate, fleeting sweetness that disintegrates on my tongue just before I can get my fingers to type 'toffee brittle'.

It is so obvious as to sound meaningless, but the key to a "smooth" lager is allowing it the time to smooth out, which is to say to properly lager. We could be talking months here! Most big industrial breweries won't spend this kind of time but instead sink loads of money into advertising to convince people their products offer just the same quality as those adequately aged.

But really they don't (and, granted, inferior ingredients don't help either). A craft-brewed Märzen such as Black Oak's Oaktoberfest, however, is the real deal - it's about as "smooth" or "crisp" or (insert favourite buzzword here) as a lager can be. Indeed, at its best - brewed with hearty malts, amply-hopped and patiently aged for the requisite 12 or 16 weeks - even Canadian-brewed Märzens can represent all that is great about Germany's brewing traditions.
Nov 16, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by AugustusRex from Canada (ON)

Nov 14, 2013
Oaktoberfest from Black Oak Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 37 ratings