Rock Bottom Rocktoberfest

On tap at Rock Bottom Boston, 3 October 2009. Nice bronze colour. Some bready, but more toasty malt. Avoids straying on to the sweeter side of the street. In fact, remains resolutely dry. Which is fine by me. Good firm mouthfeel. Malt lasts well into the finish. Good drinking.

Draft at Rock Bottom Cincinnati. Pours amber with a medium off-white head. Aroma of caramel, grain, toast, sweet malts, hops, earth. Flavor of grain, toast, hops, sweet malts, nuts, dried fruit. Smooth, and a little bitter. Not bad, and better than the other two RB beers I tried that visit.

Tap at KOP. Pours out a moderate hue of amber with a small to moderate off white head sitting on top. Aroma is of caramel, bready/grainy malts and a little bitterness. Taste is clean and easy drinking. Crisp grainy malts, caramel, and a slight noble hop bitterness. Not my style so to speak, but a rather solid effort.

Location: I venture into the Rock Bottom Bethesda every now and again because it is so close, this is one of their standard seasonal offerings, and I’ve had it a few times on tap

Overall Impression: There isn’t a lot of variety in Oktoberfest beers, and this one is pretty similar to the rest. It’s got a decent flavor, but it’s a too thin...

(Draught, 4.8% abv version) Pours a hazy deep amber with a small off-white head. Aroma of grain, sweet malt, and earthiness. Flavor of toasted grain, nuts, and hops (grass, earth).

Draught at Colorado Springs (10/7/08)-Pours an amber with a nice white head. Aroma of malt. Taste of malt and hops. This medium bodied brew was pretty well balanced and hoppier than most Märzens.

On tap at the Denver location, amber color, with a white head, grainy, toasted, malt nose, with some caramel, nutty, fruity accents in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a crisp toasty, biscuity maklt character, with some faint nutty, dried fruity, raisin, fig flavors, with a hint of flowery hop, leading towards a fruity, malty finish.

Draft at King of Prussia. Pours medium brown with off-tan head. Nose is caramel malty with earthy, nutty, and some mild figgy notes, and the flavor is medium-bodied, with solid malt, mild hazelnut, backup hops, and brown sugar.