When I visited Old Dominion Brewing about a month ago I was just in time to
pick up some of their Fall seasonal Octoberfest beer. Though most people in
this country associate Octoberfest with mid to late October, it actually
takes place from mid to end of September in Germany. American brewers,
however, generally start releasing their Octoberfest beers at the end of
August to the beginning of September. A lot of this has to do with
marketing, since many American consumers won't buy an Octoberfest beer in
November.
Dominion Octoberfest pours to a light orange color with a generous head
formation. A steady stream of bubbles rises to the top of the glass for
quite some time after the pour. The nose is crisp and nutty, reminiscent of
a fall afternoon. The palate is wonderfully toasty malty, slightly
chewy-malty, nutty, caramelly, but thins slightly in the finish. A generous
kiss of hops is apparent there too. This is a very tasty octoberfest beer,
one of the tops on my list.
A great beer to pair with roasted chicken, bratwurst and knockwurst, roast
pork or beef, just about any hearty dish served piping hot on a cool fall
afternoon.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.