Big River Grille Oktoberfest

Brewed by Big River Grille & Brewing Works Chattanooga (Gordon Biersch)
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Chattanooga, Tennessee USA

Name: Festival
Date: August 24, 1996
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Appearance: deep red, thin head
Aroma: sweet malty aroma
Flavor: good malt taste balanced with good hops providing a slight bitter finish

Name: Festival
Date: October 20, 2001
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Appearance: clear amber
Aroma: dry malt aroma
Flavor: rich malt flavor, just a touch of sweetness, nutty character

Name: Festival
Date: October 20, 2006
Appearance: clear amber, fine thin beige head
Aroma: nice toasted and biscuit malt aroma
Flavor: rich malt flavor, good hop flavor but a bit too much for an octoberfest leaving it too dry, the sweetness does eventually show along with some nice yeasty bread character

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 5/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **+/4

Brewery: Big River
Date: November 08, 2008
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Appearance: clear copper, fine beige head, streaks of drippy lace
Aroma: light sweet malt aroma
Flavor: sweet bready malt flavor, light earthyness, caramel sweetness, light bitterness in the finish

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

Draft at Chattanooga location. Amber in the glass with a creamy white head that slowly settled and left light lacing. The aroma was of light malts. The flavor found spices and caramel. Light body, watery, and tingly carbonation.

A dark almost mahogany pour this beer really looks good. I only picked up malt on the aroma, I expected spices but nothing was there. A sweet malty flavor. A clean bitter finish. It was a tad over carbonated or fizzy for my taste. A good beer but just not as spicy as I expected.

Tap (Big River - Nashville). Pours a nice amber/coppery color. Trace amount of head. Aroma is mostly malts, with some citrus and yeastiness. Flavor is mostly the same. Medium body. Average mouthfeel. Very drinkable. Would try again, but would not search it out.

Pint at the Seven Bridges Brewpub in Jacksonville, a big party for the arrival of the Oktoberfest with some of the proceeds going to charity. This years brew was excellent. Pours clear dark amber, with a nice big white head that slowly diminishes. Light aroma of sweet malt. Flavor has caramel and malt and a slight sharp bite from the alcohol and carbonation and hops. Very well balanced and drinkable. A solid session brew.

Draft at brewpub. Poured a brown color with an average frothy off-white head that diminished slowly. with fair lacing. Good roasted malt and sweet aroma. Medium body. Good well balanced flavor of malt and a bitter sweet finish. Good brew.

Draught in Chattanooga. Pours mahagony-copper with a medium frothy tan head and some decent lacing as well. Malt (grain, straw, hay) and yeast (sweat) aroma with light roasted caramel malt and corn notes. Malt adjucnt flavor with a bitter acidic yeast and nutty body. Medium bodied and dry palate, refreshing.

Nashville. Hoppy. Faint honey taste with a lingering metallic aftertaste that I’ve noticed on every one of their beers.