Great Lakes Oktoberfest
Bottle into Sam Adams sensory glass, enjoyed while sitting on the front porch on one of the first beautiful days of Autumn. Pours a beautiful bright, clear copper color, with a creamy off-white head on top. Nice retention, as the original two-finger head eventually settles into a thin but solid cap that lingers nicely. Nose is nicely fruity, nice notes of toasty caramel and a bit of alcohol. Subtly earthy in a nice way, just a bit of a grassy hop note hidden down deep in the dense malt body. Taste follows suit. A bit of a dense fruitiness up front, earthy, with notes of toasted bread, caramel, and a subtle earthiness on the finish. The hoppiness in this beer ends up being more weighted down than the airy grassiness in some German versions I've had, so it ends up having just a splash of a paler Dopplebock in there as well, a la Optimator. Finish includes a lingering earthy, spicy bitterness to go with a bit of toasty caramel as well. Mouthfeel is very nice - creamy, soft, welcoming, medium bodied. Really nice. Big, dense beer - quite pleasant. Beautiful on a fall evening.