Upland Oktoberfest

Brewed by Upland Brewing Company
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Bloomington, Indiana USA

A clean and drinkable Oktoberfest despite the heavier than desirable sweetness.
I like: Clean palate with fresh breadiness and nutty hints. Soft texture and carbonation. Malt-oriented.
I dislike: Certainly, more hops would add some character and remove some focus from the malt sweetness. As it is, not the most drinkable lager. Soft mineral notes do not really disturb, but still are not a great fit.

Pours amber with a tan head. Smells of sweet malt, some earthy hints. Tastes spicy and sweet with some nice peppery splashes on the finish.

Orange. Nutty, malty, sweet, chewy. Toffee, toast, corn, crackers, bran, honey.

Nice look, a clear amber body with a tall foamy head and good sheet lacing, but it seems a bit watered down. The aroma consists of a sweet, sugary malt with trace elements of floral hops. This is light on the flavor side, pre-chewed caramel with green apples, somewhat tart. Drinkable.

<font size=-4>A White Elephant selection from the <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/events-detail.asp?eve Monthly Chicago RateBeerian Gathering at Flossmoor Station, 10/21/2006.<font size=-1>

Amber color with a moderate off-white head. Sweeter aromas, with light fruit dough and a hint of toasted malt. I seem to be thinking about banana bread. Not a bad scent, just not an oktoberfest nose. Malt, caramel and fruit sweetness in the front. Acidity in the middle cuts the sweetness. Sharp verses crisp in feel. Actually seems smoother as it warms. Just seems to miss the lager mark.

Bottle and served in Upland pint glass: Poured a rich amber hue with a small frothy head and some lace. The aroma has notes of caramel and toffee malt, grainy and grassy, candy apples, walnut and dusty yeast esters. The taste is rather straight forward with malt flavor dominate and hint of fruit and acidic twang towards the finish. The mouth feel is smooth and chalky. All things equal, not a bad brew and easy to drink.

On draught at the brewpub in Bloomington, Indiana. Pours a clear orange amber colored brew with a fast dissolving off-white head that leaves behind some spotty lacing and a thin off-white ring. Aroma of fruity character, some multi-grain malt, and a touch of roasted nuts. Taste is medium bodied, with flavors of multi-grain caramel malts, some toffee and a touch of citrus. Finish has a short lived midl bitterness that quickly changes to a crisp aftertaste.

This draft brew from a beer festival poured a medium sized head of foamy finely sized off-white colored bubbles that were mostly diminishing and left behind a transparent softly carbonated orange brown colored body. The nice aroma was sweet. The crisp mouth feel was tingly at the start with a mellow finish. The mild flavor contained notes of malt and caramel. An OK brew just nothing special.