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When I saw this on the shelf, I thought quietly to myself that this couldn't possibly have not been reviewed yet. I mean, I don't remember the review. Hell, I don't remember the beer, but that's why I write stuff down. A quick search of the site came up with nothing, so I didn't write anything up, and it's time for me to correct that. Maybe I should plan a trip to Germany to personally apologize for the oversight.
The clear bronze beer looks like the picture of an Oktoberfest. The head isn't really retained, but the bubbles on the sides are good enough. No, no lacing is going to happen, but that is perfectly acceptable for the style. The aroma is not the expected spices on top of bread malt. It's nuts - like a brown ale. Like, solidly like a brown ale. Okay, I can work with that.
First sip is quite a bit sweeter than I know what to do with, but the finish is comparatively dry. The nutty sweetbread of a malt is doing all of the lifting; I'm not sure there are hops involved in this beer. Even the expected spices (that are really a hallmark of Oktoberfests) aren't really doing anything. I'm not sure I'm liking what I'm tasting, but I'm not hating it. It's just kind of there.
Tip-in is a sweetness that seems to verge on tartness as the carbonation does nothing and the nuts in the bread are stronger than the bread. The middle is smooth and delightful with the sweetbread oozing down the throat and leaving nuts in its wake. The finish is dry and nutty bread with a little pine heading into the trail off.
Bottom Line: Defying expectations.
3.75/5
