Christian Moerlein Oktoberfest

Formerly brewed at Lion Brewery, Inc.
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania USA

12oz bottle acquired in trade with shigadeyo (thanks!). Poured a medium orangish color with a light haze and a smaller sized head. Aromas of caramel, toasted nuts, and a little bready. Weaker tastes of toasted malts and caramel. Thinner body. Boring.

Bottle. Poured a brown color with an average frothy white head that diminished quickly. Moderate roasted malt aroma. Medium body with soft carbonation. Average roasted sweet flavor with a small bitter finish of medium duration.

Coppery/ruby pour, with typical marzen aromas of caramel malt, toffee, and slight fruit. Somewhat light on the palate, and lacking complexity. Not horrible, just not re-drinkable for me.

Aroma a bit soapy, if anything. Or a nutty malt. Not unpleasant. Clear amber color with a somewhat lasting beige head. Starts with medium mouthfeel, and a bit of spice. Then malty sweetness becomes dominant. Pretty good for a lager. Arguably there is some hop in the end.

This bottled brew from a bottle shop poured a medium sized head of foamy fine to medium sized bubbles that was long lasting and left behind a transparent brown colored body and thick foamy lacing. The mild aroma was malty and sweet. The mouth feel was tingly at the start and at the finish. The thin flavor contained notes of mild malt and sweet. A decent one but not one that I would consider buying again.

Bottle. Small ivory fizzy head that became mostly diminishing, sparse lacing, transparent, fizzy carbonation, and and orange hue. Nose was malty, caramel and semi-sweet. Flavor was sweet, malty, caramel, watery and thin. Watery, thin mouthfeel and light body. Nothing that really tripped my trigger.

Who is this guy that makes a living posing for every Oktoberfest beer label? He has to be rich by now. This beer started out pretty well, but unfortunately went downhill in the course of a mere 7 ounces. Pours a nice ruddy dark amber color with a medium beige head and thin lacing. Malty aroma with a bit of nuts. Medium bodied, with a nice sweet malt flavor to start, but the hoppy side becomes more and more assertive so that by the end of the small glass the flavor profile has completely flipped. The finish is lightly bitter and roasty. Not really bad but inconsistent.

Only two more Oktoberfest beers left in my fridge: Christian Moerlein Oktoberfest and Abita Fall Fest. So, tonight I will drink these two brews and that will be the end of Oktoberfest 2006 for me... The Christian Moerlein Oktoberfest pours a beautiful clear copper/deep orange color. It has a generous amount of cabornation and a foamy ivory head that does its best to stay around. The aroma is malt, a bit of yeast, and maybe even some fruitiness. The flavor is a blend of caramel and butterscotch, then it becomes like the aroma (yeasty and sour fruitiness), and then finishes with a gentle bitterness. This beer is well balanced. The mouthfeel is a little thin, but not by much. This Oktoberfest is better than most. My only wish is that Christian Moerlein beer was still brewed in Cincinnati and more widely available throughout the Midwest and more. Their brews have always been flavorful and consistent. Christian Moerlein is and has been one of my standby and session beer choices. Good brew at a good price! 12 oz bottle, $1.25 from The Party Source.