Black Abbey "Chronicles" Festbier Ale

Another Oktoberfest beer for the Oktoberfest season. This one comes from Black Abbey, and, so far, these guys are struggling to get out of the middling category. They are weighted more heavily toward the great, but an unfortunate number of their beers are still in the average or even not great categories. It's time for these guys to swing for the bleachers and knock something seriously out of the park. Let's hope it's the beer in front of me.

The caramel colored beer is relatively clear with only a mild haze to it, and head does not exactly erupt when poured. This minimal head dies down to a series of small islands in the vastness of an otherwise unblemished and clear top of the beer. The aroma is quite nice with its toasted bread, nuts, and an intriguing yeast. I'm glad I've had so many Oktoberfest's in the past couple weeks to really get a run on what the differences are between all of them. They're all unique, and so far they've been pretty good.

First sip is very good. I wouldn't normally call an Oktoberfest a crushable beer, but the caramel, toffee, yeast, and nuts are all solid and relatable while still being gentle and approachable. Again, I wouldn't say this beer is crushable, but I'm pretty sure I could crush it. In fact, I'm straining to not crush it right now. It has a certain character that lends itself to the idea of being imbibed with brusqueness.

Tip-in is moderate carbonation above nuts, toasted bread, and light spices. The middle moves the carbonation to the back of the mouth while toffee joins nuts along the tongue with an earthy and floral hop moving to the roof of the mouth. The finish is a slight bitterness with the caramel, toffee and nuts hanging on for the trail off.

Bottom Line: Maybe these guys are hitting their stride.

3.5/5