Dominion Octoberfest

Brewed by Old Dominion Brewing Co.
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Dover, Delaware USA

Pours a dark coppery amber with a decent white head that doesn’t stick around too long. Aroma is strongly malty with a yeasty hint and a subtle earthy undertone. Flavor is malty and a little earthy, with what may be a touch of cloves and just a whisper of sweetness. Texture is nice and smooth, not very tingly.

Amber-Orange, Cloudy, Minimal head. Medium aroma of spice, malt, pumpkin (smells like fall). Medium sweetness, lite bitter finish. Tastes of coffee, spice (cinamon & cardamom). Medium bodied, creamy mouthfeel with bitter ifnish. Easy Drinking.

Bottle, #496. Copper pour with creamy tan head. Light aroma of sweet malt. Flavor of roasted malt and a mild hop. Not much here, however. Decent brew, not one of the better Marzens around.

I really liked the aroma and appearance of this beer, which came before I ever tasted a sip. From there, it really fell off the table and took a nose dive. The aroma was of sweet malt, caramel, light hops, earth, grass and toffee. The beer poured a beautiful copper color with a big and fluffy light tan head. There wasn’t much lacing left around the glass, though. From there, like I said, this beer disappointed. The flavors were a little too sweet and malty and felt a bit off-balanced. There just wasn’t enough of a hoppy/malt balance. The beer finished a little on the sour note, as well. I really used to like the marzen style. But I find these days, they just don’t stack up. And this one falls short of the style standard.

12oz. Bottle: Smells of skunk, herbs, slight malts, and a hint of caramel. Poured orange/amber in color with a tiny, barley even there, off-white head that lasted around the edges. Clear. Barely sparkling. Flavor is slightly sweet and lightly bitter. Tastes of malts, nuts, skunk, light herbs, and a hint of caramel. Medium body. Average texture. Average carbonation. Herb, slight malt, and slight caramel finish is boring.

Serving: 12 oz. bottle. Appearance: Decent amber color with a small, foamy, white head that is gone in seconds. No lacing either. Aroma: Light, malty nose. Some caramel and biscuit notes. Smells a little artificial for some reason. Taste: A slight medicinal note was the first thing I noticed. Light caramel, a touch of fusel alcohol, and a conflicting deep bitterness. Not very good. Mouthfeel: Medium-high carbonation with a light, slightly dry mouthfeel. A medium, bitter and slightly artificial finish. Overall: Piss poor. Rebuy: Not a chance.

a clear amber with a very small filmy head. not much aroma except for some very light drab malts. flavor of toasted bread, a bit of bitterness, walnuts. light bodied. not really diggin it overall.

Location: Updating this rating with a 12 oz bottle from Gilly’s, 10/25/09

Aroma: Light aroma, mostly bready and earthy tones, with some light caramel
Appearance: Pours a nice looking reddish-caramel color with a soft white head
Flavor: Pretty standard fest-flavor, lots of yeasty malts and not a whole lots else
Palate: This is a medium bodied brew with a nice, smooth mouthfeel
Overall Impression: My view of this one didn’t change too much, but I felt I had it a little higher then it really should have been, so I lowered it just a touch. Additional note: The 2009 version has a new, orange label with 2 German beer steins on it.

Old rating:
Location: 12 oz bottle from Norms, Fall ’08

Overall Impression: This ones got a nice mouth feel and a smooth, well-balanced flavor. Highly drinkable fest beer. (7,3,7,3,13: 3.3)