It's late September. Autumn is officially around the corner. Hot damn, am I excited. I love fall: the changing leaves, the chilly temperatures, Halloween, pie, pumpkins, ghost stories, Thanksgiving, turkey, apples, and, most importantly, fall seasonal beers.

Today, I'll be discussing one of my top three autumnal brews (thus far. As I consume more and more beer that's likely to change). That beer is Samuel Adams' Octoberfest, my favorite (US) Oktoberfest-style beer.

I've discussed Sam Adams before here and here. Why they're important: They started the whole "I only drink craft beer" lifestyle that exists now. Which is fine by me because craft beer is great. Essentially, Sam Adams (whether you like them or not) is really important for this blog, and for US-brewed beer in general. They opened the floodgates that allowed some truly amazing beers to be brewed from sea to shining sea.

But this post is about their Octoberfest, so what about that? Well, for starters, their website says the beer is 5.3% ABV. It also "...blends hearty malts...with notes of caramel...." How many types of malts are in that blend, you ask? Four. There are also two kinds of hops with inquisitively German-sounding names. As a bonus, for you calorie-counters, there are only 187 calories per serving (I have never cared about counting calories, so I don't know--nor do I care to know--if that's a good or bad number).


Let's get this out of the way immediately. Purrl hates how this beer smells. She barely gave it a whiff before turning her attention to more important thing--like whining to go outside. I like the brew's aroma, although I think it belies the flavor. There's a carameliness to it, yeah. But the beer actually smells more like pilsner than a nice, amber-colored Oktoberfest.

It does, however, taste like an Oktoberfest. A really sweet Oktoberfest. It has a crispness that I typically associate with a lager (this makes sense from a beer brought to us by The Boston Beer Company) and a really rich, and full, caramel flavor. The aftertaste is reminiscent of the wort (which is beer before it ferments) out of which the brew most likely grew.

This is one hell of a quaffable beer. There's a light carbonation to it, but it's less than what you'd find in a cola. It's a satisfying beer to drink and, given the light ABV, you can drink a few.

I had actually never been to an Oktoberfest until last year when my girlfriend's family took me to two. The second one was brutally cold. I had to work hard to drink beer fast enough to get a good beer jacket going. But I powered through the first twenty or so minutes and enjoyed myself.

It was a cold, cloudy, late-September day. The fest took place a small Catholic town somewhere in south-western Ohio (I don't remember the name of the town or else I'd say it). Anyway, the entirety of downtown was closed off for the event, and what seemed to be all of the town's citizens where there. There was really good German-inspired food, good music, and good people. The beer was not good (if memory serves, it was stuff like Bud and Miller--not the type of fare you'd hope to find at an Oktoberfest), but that didn't matter because it was a dang good time regardless. That awesome day, and that second Oktoberfest of my life, is of Sam Adams' best fall offering reminds me.

Samuel Adams' Octoberfest is a great beer. It's crisp, sweet, and perfect for when the weather has a bit of a chill to it. Don't listen to Purrl--she doesn't know what she's saying by turning this stuff down. This is a great beer and one I heartily recommend. I'm giving it a 9.0/10. Buy it if you can find it (and, since it's Sam Adams, you'll be able to find it easily).