Winter is finally here, but before we delve too deeply into the season
of snow and Barleywines, I would like to recap the seasonal beers that
I have sampled this autumn. I have divided them into three
categories: Octberfests/Marzens, Pumpkin Style, and Other Fall
Seasonals.

Before I get into my reviews, I would like to let you know that I have
been inspired to do more than just recommend the good beers I taste.
It is not fair to the beer world if we only recognize what is good.
It is important that we also recognize what is not so good, so
unsuspecting individuals can steer clear of the uninspired beer and
spare their taste buds. It would be too easy to slam macro brewers,
so I will usually stay away from them and bring to light lesser known,
yet still lower quality beers. Clearly not all brews are created
equally, so maybe I can spare you from trying some distasteful suds.

Cheers and careful drinking!

Jason Arakelian
Editor and Reviewer




Beers Reviewed in this Issue

Octoberfests/Marzens

Burgerbrau Wies' N Marzen
(Germany)
Harpoon Octoberfest
(USA)
Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen
(Germany)
Saranac Octoberfest
(USA)
Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Marzen
(Germany)
Triumph Marzen
(USA)

Pumpkin Style Ales

Boston Beer Works Pumpkinhead Ale
(USA)
Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
(USA)
Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale
(USA)
Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale
(USA)
Triumph Pumpkin Ale
(USA)

Other Fall Seasonals

Triumph Roggenbock
(USA)
Victory Moonglow Weizenbock
(USA)

Octoberfests/Marzens

Burgerbrau Weis' N Marzen

This maybe my least favorite fall seasonal of the year. It had little
carbonation, a thin body, and was not malty enough. The hop profile
was not bad, which is the one positive I found. I could tell it was a
marzen, but did not enjoy it like I have enjoyed others of the same
style.

Harpoon Octoberfest

There is little hop taste in this beer just like there should be with
a traditonal Octoberfest. The body tastes of caramel and slightly
toasted malts. It finishes clean and crisp making it hard to stop
with just one.

Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen

A copper colored beer with a a malty taste and a noble hop finish. It
is more bitter than traditional Octoberfests, but it was quite
enjoyable and had enough of a light toasted maltiness to compensate.

Saranac Octoberfest

This clear, light golden lager has a sweet aroma with an initial
bitterness. It has an oily body and a lingering sweetness. Not quite
an Octoberfest because it is too sweet, but not a bad beer to drink.

Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Marzen

This is one of the best that I tried. The light brown beer gave rise
to a slightly malty aroma. The body was smooth and creamy and there
was a lingering after taste reminiscent of wintergreen or root beer.
This has the perfect maltiness that is not too sweet and just the
right amount of bitterness with no hop flavors, which makes this the
beer that is closest to the ideal Octoberfest in the bunch.

Triumph Marzen

This was a good beer but definitely not much of an Octoberfest. It
had a grassy hop taste that is not characteristic of the style.




Pumpkin Style Ales

Boston Beer Works Pumpkinhead Ale

This beer has a great pumpkin pie aroma and is well balanced with the
sweetness and the added spices. You can almost taste the crust, yet
you still know you are drinking beer because it has the right amount
of bitterness to finish.

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

Dogfish Head brews some interesting beers and this was the first time
I tried this particular one. It was warming for those cool fall
nights and had a pumpkin spice aroma. The taste was of nutmeg and
cinnamon finishing off with brown sugar. The alcohol content was too
overwhelming. The spices were not well balanced with the maltiness.
The aftertaste was great, but the beer itself was just okay.

Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale

I am not sure that there was actually any pumpkin in this beer, but it
does not matter. The light orange color gave way to tastes of
cinnamon and nutmeg. The malty body was enough to compliment the
spices. This is a good beer if you do not like to be overwhelmed with
spices, but want to enjoy a different flavor.

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

The aromas are of pumpkin and cinnamon almost like a freshly baked
pumpkin pie. The malty body was complemented well with a spiced
finish. This dark orange beer would be great with Thanksgiving
dinner.


Triumph Pumpkin Ale

This sweet pumpkin ale finishes with cinnamon and nutmeg. The spices
play well off of the maltiness, though it could be a little bit more
bitter to make it more well rounded.






Other Fall Seasonals

Triumph Roggenbock

This cask conditioned rye bock was a real treat. If you have never
had a cask conditioned beer, it is served warmer than you are used to,
and the carbonation is lower, but the taste of the beer is more
evident. This is the way many traditional English Ales are served.
This beer is not a traditional English ale, as the English do not
usually use rye in their beers. Its maltiness is accented by the
spicy rye and the addition of caraway. If you close your eyes after
finishing a pint, you will think you were just eating rye bread.

Victory Moonglow Weizenbock

This is one of my favorites of the fall. This reddish brown beer has
a healthy head compliments of the wheat. The oily body starts off
fruity with suggestions of cherry and turns to slight clove and subtle
banana. It is warming due to its high alcohol, but is not harsh. The
maltiness is fairly complex and rich making this a real treat while
watching your favorite gridiron warriors on Sunday.


Fall Recommendations

Hands down the best Octoberfest/Marzen that I had this fall was from
Spaten and the worst was from Burgerbrau. All of them have the
ability to be session beers except the Burgerbrau, which I had trouble
even finishing one. Pumpkin spiced ales may not be to everyone's
liking, but there were some very good beers in this style. Boston
Beer Works' Pumpkinhead was my favorite, but since they do not bottle
their beers (as far as I know), you do need to go to Boston to
actually sample this one. The Shipyard's and Smuttynose's
interpretations were good enough to warrant another purchase next
year, but I will probably stay away from Dogfish head's Punkin Ale,
even though I have enjoyed many of their other beers in the past. The
last two beers I had to throw in because I know the brewers only brew
them in the fall and they are worth mentioning. Triumph's Roggenbock
was a comforting beer and Victory's Moonglow is amazing. Hopefully
you will be better informed come next fall, though most brewers start
to release these beers in late August/early September.




World Brew Review Staff
Jason Arakelian: Editor/Reviewer
Emily Grant: Graphic Design/Editorial Consultant

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