Hello again guys.  I hope this beer review finds you in good spirits because today I’m going to be tasting another Oktoberfest.  This drink comes to us from Hacker-Pschorr Brau GmbH located in Munich, Germany and it’s called the Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest.

The brewers website, hacker-pschorr.de, was not capable of translating to English, so I looked up the commercial description on ratebeer.com.

Bavarian barley slow roasted, caramelized to a rich, red amber color combined with the purest waters from the Alps, exclusive yeast and the finest Hallertau hops.

Let’s have a sip.

The brew comes in an 11.2 oz. bottle and has an ABV of 5.8%.

This beer definitely looked like an Oktoberfest with the traditional clear, amber to copper color combined with burnt orange and yellow highlights shimmering at the bottom and sides of the glass.  The cap was of good size, very smooth, creamy and off white in color.  The retention time could have been better I thought, but the lacing left behind looked ok. 

The nose began with the expectant caramel malt.  Lightly toasted malts of bread and hints of grain coalesced with touches of spice to add further complexity.  Some floral and earthy hops gave it a nice little punch in the aroma.  It smelled clean, balanced and even.  It wasn’t overly robust or rich, but rather solid and sturdy. 

The taste followed the aroma very closely with the only difference being that it seemed a little more robust and rich.  Stronger aspects of caramel sweetness and much more of the grain bill presented themselves on the tongue.  The spice was about the same as was the breadiness and the toasted malts.  It relayed a very mild bitterness by way of the earthy hops and the flavor was very “round”, clean and proper.

The mouthfeel was medium, smooth, crisp, snappy and dry.  This brew actually became quite refreshing the longer I sipped.  It left a good coating of flavor on the palate also.  Not bad. 

I’ll tell ya.  After having the fortunate opportunity to taste so many Oktoberfests at this time of year I begin to get a bit fatigued with them.  They all start to taste the same and I have a hard time distinguishing one from the other.  With that being said, this beer stood out to me.  I’m not a huge fan of Marzen style beers, but the Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest is one of the best that I’ve tried this season.  It’s a very good brew.  It’s quite a bit more forthcoming and robust than most of this style seem to be, yet it remains very drinkable and fitting for the season.  I found it to be perfect for the crisp evening on which I tried it.  If you guys haven’t partaken in this particular brew yet, I would encourage you to do so.  Again, I don’t tend to rate this style very high, but I would have no problem drinking this one again before the season is over.

As always, thanks for reading and commenting folks.  Be sure to take a look at my profile on Google+ (Scott Shrewsberry) and follow me on Twitter (@BeerApprentice or @shrews824) if you would like.  I love engaging in great craft beer talk.

Until next time.

Cheers.

Score:  3.85 out of 5
Grade:  B+