Red Oak Amber Lager

Brewed by Red Oak Brewery
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Whitsett, North Carolina USA

Draft - Fayetteville, NC. Not much else to choose from except industrial lagers at this place, so this was always the best choice. Amber color, somewhat malty and nutty taste. Surprised to learn was supposed to be a Marzen! OK if there is no other micro available on tap. I don’t recommend buying a six though.

Growler with Ben.... thanks, bro. Pours cloudy deep amber into the glass, with a light head and minimal retention/lace. The nose reminded me of Wheat Nuts (the brand), along with some sort of legume and corn.... the bouquet was very interesting, especially seeing how the Red Oak oath is not to use any rice or corn products. The flavor is of toast with slight biscuit. There seems to be an underlying malt sweetness that tries to permeate through, but even as the brew warms, it never quite reaches fruition. Intermingling are some definite fruity esters that may keep the sweet character from shining. The finish is similar to the rest of the pull... a bit underdone in the Noble hop dept. The mouthfeel is a bit thin, and although this has gotten some negative looks for being overcarbonated, I actually thought the carb levels were ok for the keg I tapped. Others have noted a corn derivative in the flavor, but I tended to pick this up toward the end of the pull... somewhere between the flavor and finish. For a Marzen, I was hoping for more malt in the body to give some substance, but this brew just left me teased, wanting more from it.

BEER POURS AAMBER WITH AN INCONSISTENT OFF-WHITE HEAD. DIFFERENT TASTE VARIANT FROM KEG TO KEG. HOWEVER THIS IS A FAIRLY TASTY BREW, ESPECIALLY FOR GREENSBORO! LOVE THAT THIS BREW IS UNFILTERED! HAS GOOD SEMI-SWEET MALTINESS. LOOKING FORWARD TO NEW BREWERY IN WHITSETT!

True unfiltered Munich. I don’t know why this is under Oktoberfest, it’s not their Oktoberfest offering. Amber, off-white head, caramel and malt taste, slight red apple. Yeast sediment at times, sometimes sour. Tastes slightly of a compromise to please the masses, but nonetheless a fine offering. Too much bastardization of German practice in America, in my opinion.

Draught Murky amber pour with no head. Light aroma, little sweetness. Spritzy crisp palate, bit watery.

I had this quite bland beer at the brewery. No hops , no malt, no body. This beer is sort of like Michelob Amber bock. The appearance is that of a beer with flavor, the tase is that of lack-lusterness. Oh and you better like diacetyl!

Tap: This poured an orange/amber body with a slender white head and a bit more carbonation than is typical for a Märzen. The aroma’s a bit light, toasted bread, lightly honeyed with a hint of fresh red apples. It’s got somewhat of a spritzy mouthfeel, but that also perks up the flavor, which is a mirror of the nose. The finish is slightly watery and tastes of sweet malt. Not too bad.

<font size=-4>On tap at the bar in the <a href=http://www.sheratonrtp.com>Sheraton Imperial in Durham, NC , whilst on a business trip.<font size=-1>

Sampled at the brewery. This one is their staple. Some faint red fruit aromas and tastes. Quick on the finish. Needs some more character.