Beer Review: Great Lakes Oktoberfest

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 6.5 percent

Appearance: Great Lakes Oktoberfest is very unlike your typical Oktoberfest in terms of color. It pours a vivid orange with some darker copper highlights. The head is an off-white, almost an ivory in color that leaves plenty of lacing within the glass. The texture of the beer is evident with the fancy little carbonation bubbles that dance up the glass towards the head of the brew.

Smell: I got a ton of sweeter notes from this beer. When it comes to Oktoberfests I've had I've usually noticed stronger hop aromas with the sweeter characteristics taking a backseat. This one has it the other way around. The caramel and toffee notes are dominant in the aroma. Very pleasant.

Taste: Just like the smell, the caramel and toffee have a magnificently sweet flavor. In my opinion, what makes a great Oktoberfest is good use of both sweetness up front and hop bitterness on the finish. This is an Oktoberfest that certainly takes the cake in that department. The hop bitterness is more of a biscuity taste you get from pilsners rather than a hop bitterness. These two flavors combine nicely.

Overall Rating: 

I absolutely enjoyed this beer. I feel that the best Oktoberfest that's reachable in this area is Penn's Oktoberfest. If there was a good one to fall back on, it's this one. Penn's has the hop bitterness more prevalent with the sweeter notes lessened. Great Lakes has it the other way around. Both ways are very delicious. Both go well with bratwurst and pretzels!

Monday Rant: Pumpkin Ales and Oktoberfests - Stock Up

I've already sounded off about the earliness of the fall seasonal beers being on the shelves at this point in the summer. It's pretty much a broken system. Brewers are making the product and distributors can't afford to sit on the supply or simply don't have the space in storage. I get it. I'm over it.

I still love my pumpkin ales and Oktoberfest beers. So, as I took a stroll through a local distributor towards the end of last week I came across the establishment's entire wall of seasonal brews.

There were plenty of pumpkin ales and Oktoberfest beers. Enough to last a lifetime. It was at this moment that I decided to make my first purchases of the fall season. After all, it'll most likely all be gone within the next month or so.

I picked up a case of each Saranac's Pumpkin Ale and Great Lakes' Oktoberfest. I really wanted to try the Saranac last fall, but couldn't find any. I've always heard good things about Great Lakes' Oktoberfest. It came down to that and Penn Brewery's Oktoberfest. I figured I'd be having plenty when I'm actually at Penn's Oktoberfest celebration in September.

My dad also pitched in and acquired a case of Yuengling's Oktoberfest (yet another I couldn't find last year) and decided to invest $90 in a case of the infamous Southern Tier Pumking. We've already indulged in the almighty Puca and tucked away the rest of the bottles until it gets a little closer to October.

Since pay day is this week, I'm planning on purchasing yet another case of pumpkin ale before everyone else buys it all up. Maybe some Shipyard Pumpkinhead or Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale? Have to stock up now!