Dark Horse Octoberfest

Brewed by Dark Horse Brewing Company
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Marshall, Michigan USA

Bottled. Pale brown with beige head. Citrusy hops up front. Fruity, malty and soft with loads of cookie malt. Quite bitter fruity finish. Very hop accented, but with good balance. Not even remotely similar to German oktoberfests, but a great beer.

Draft at Dark Horse.Dark amber hue with a moderate off-white head that diminshed slowly with good lacing. Roasted sweet aroma. Medium body. Good well balanced flavor with a dry smooth long finish.

2003 bottle. WOW. Bottle conditioned, hazy, dark brownish-tan with some light oranges. Good oatmeal colored head. Aroma is crisp, hoppy (quite a bit of bitterness) and has a hint of red raspberry. Opens up with a flavor so fresh, it dosent even taste bottled. Pure, clean spicy hops, full bodied, with plenty of toasted malt goodness. No harsh dry tones, no astringency, just incredible flavorful beer. If I was rating to style, this wouldnt get many points as it is very hoppy (too high alpha hops content for a marzen) but hell, this tastes so good, I dont care what style it is. Pure milk chocolate on the finish that lingers on.

This beer pours with a dark reddish brown body topped by a medium thick to thick off white, foamy head with good lacing. The aroma is sweet and malty with a nice fruitiness and a touch of hops. The flavor is slightly sweet yet bitter with more hops than malt showing through. The finish is slightly bitter. Medium bodied and smooth.

Growler from Schroppfy, some of which leaked out during shipping. Pours a clear, dark, reddish-copper hue. A small, bubbly, tan colored layer of foam leaves no lacing behind, though the growler likely had alot to do with that. The aroma shows loads of toast and caramel, very fresh and bready overall, with a smooth, dark cereal grain overtone and a delicate floral hopping. Flavors follow suit, really well balanced, with fresh cereal and toast malts, a hint of biscuit sweetness, and perhaps even the slightest little bit of burnt marshmallow. Floral hops lend balance, and a touch of wood brings in some earthiness. Medium-plus in body, smooth, and easy drinking, not a bit of the 8% ABV comes through. Damn, despite the growler leak, this might just be the best Oktoberfest I’ve had to date. Reminds me alot of the base for the Schlenkerla Fastenbier, obviously without the beechwood smoke.

This is definitely a beer that you don't drink straight from the fridge. Give it 10 minutes or so to warm up. It pours a murky brownish color with a small head. The aroma is sweet and malty. This brew is medium bodied. Personally, I prefer the appearance of a filtered O'fest, but the flavors on this puppy are hard to dispute. Pretty nice.

This is the darkest Oktoberfest I've encountered, pouring a dark red-brown with a light tan head. This is also a surprisingly hoppy beer. Floral, grassy, spicy and slightly bitter hops subdue the lighter caramel malts in both the aroma and the flavor. Not sure this really belongs under the Oktoberfest category, despite the name.

Sweet maltiness hints at nuts and sweetbread. Underlying chocolatiness. Medium bodied, a bit of hops peeks through at the end. Long sweet aftertaste. Beautiful.