Thirsty Bear Oktobearfest

Draft. Rich amber beer with an off-white head. caramel aroma with mineral notes. Rich caramel/toffee flavor with a light earthiness. Medium body. Toffee and light earth linger with some light hopiness that keeps it interesting.

A hoppy, amber drink, with alcohol hidden by the mats and flowery aromatic hops. A nice drink on a warm festival day.

Draught, Thirsty Bear. Head is mostly diminishing. Body is medium to dark amber. Aroma is lightly to moderately malty (toasted grain, cookie, caramel), lightly to moderately hoppy (flowers, herbs, apricot), with notes of peach, honey, and black tea. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium body, watery/velvety texture, lively carbonation. Excellent beer, this. Malty, fruit, hoppy, it’s got it all in the nose. And a terrific flavor balance. Yummy stuff.

Draught at the brewery. Beer is clear, medium/dark brown. Head is small, white, frothy, quickly diminishing but mostly lasting.<P>The aroma is dominated by malty goodness redolent with fantastic, toothy, full breadyness. Moderate notes of caramel, biscuit, toasted grain; Hoppy with light notes of herb, alfalfa, honeysuckle flowers; Yeasty with a trace of basement.<P>The flavor is moderately/heavily sweet, moderately acidic, lightly bitter with a long, lightly bittersweet, trace acidic finish<P>The body is medium, the texture is watery and the carbonation is lively.<P>Stunning.

On tap at the brewpub. This was being called the "Bären Märzen" when I had it, but the bartender said it was essentially the same recipe as the Oktoberfest. Amber/copper in color with a white head. Extreme sweetness. Lots of berry flavors (blueberry and raspberry) from all the hops present here. Seems super strong at 6.5% ABV. Aroma is candy sweet. Mild carbonation, medium body, poor lacing. A very unusual beer in my opinion. Not bad, but definitely does not fit the style. Odd little beer.

Medium amber. Off white head. Malt aroma. Flavor of malt, but a lot more hops than I’d expect in an Oktoberfest.

Tap. Copper color with a foamy white head. Light malts with an air of spice. Nice and smooth.