Bells Octoberfest Beer

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Golden amber, with a massive white head. Very malty aroma, with a fresh, but not raw note. Medium body, with a smooth malt finish. I’m not much for Märzen, but this could change my mind.

From the draft at Capitol Ale Midlothian 10/18. A darker gold color on the pour with a small amount of head that left before I realized what the hell is going on. On the aroma I get spices and a nice amount of malt. Light to almost medium bodied. On the palate I am getting malt upfront with a nice mixture of spices that almost reminds you of a pumpkin ale or something like that. I recommend this one.

Bottle: Pours copper-orange with a decent sticky off-white cap. Moderate carbonation good lacing. Nose dominated by fresh toasty-bready malts, some Tettnanger herbalness and some sweetness. very good! Malty toasty body is profiled as woody herbal hops sit just below the malts....finsh is bready but dies up a bit with a lemony hop kiss at the end. Very good rendition of the style. mellow, approachable, satisfying.

Poured amber with off white head, smelled of malts very normal for an marzen. The taste was crisp and refreshing, but lacking any real depth past the initial malt. Average marzen, but better than most!.

Pours orangish color with white head. Biscuit malt aroma. Bready malt and nutty flavor with some mild hoppiness. Medium body with average carbonation.

Pours a fairly pale orange with a medium head and lots of bubbles and a little lace. The aroma seems a bit faint both for the style and for the brewer but it’s pleasant none the less with some toasted nuts and to a much lesser degree noble hops. Flavor is nutty but with a nice hop bite both of these flavors hit you right away and compliment each other perfectly. There is a little herbal candy thing going on with the malt sweetness but it’s mild at best. Toasty malty flavors seem to be dominating in this beer but the hop zing does stick around till the end. It’s not exemplary but it’s damn good.

12oz. Easily the best domestic Octobefest I have had (have i said this before?!?!). Pours a lovely, clear burnt orange with a small white head. Nose is clementine, allspice, caramel and sweetbread. Body follows with very similar flavors (especially the clementine!) but a very distinctive malt and corn backbone. The palate is absolutely perfect. This will coat your mouth and linger for 10 minutes after your last gulp! Totally underrated.

On draft at OTH. Pours clear orange with a white head. Nose is malt, corn, lager, bread, slight hops, lager, and some bitterness. Flavor is about the same with lightly roasted malt, some caramel, some bitterness, and a bit of biscuit. As this style goes, definitely one of the better American ones.