Try?
One of the great things about vacation is-beer. Actually for me, beer is one of the best things about vacation, and whenever I take a trip somewhere, not only am I trying to fit in as many brewery and brewpub visits as I can, but I am scheming and planning on taking as much local beer as possible back home with me, too. Why, here it was September and I was filling my trunk with beer in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine and I hadn’t even finished all the beer I brought home back in July from Asheville, North Carolina.
Now it’s October, and I’m drinking a can of Grey Sail Autumn Winds Fest Beer that I brought home with me. I’m enjoying it while watching the New England Patriots trounce the Dallas Cowboys, and I can’t think of a better combination than a New England Beer and a Patriots game. This is also the first Grey Sail beer I’ve ever tasted, so there is that as well.
Grey Sail, of Westerly Rhode Island says this about Autumn Winds Fest Beer on the label:
Set sail with Autumn Winds! Our Autumn Winds Fest Beer combines the best of cold-fermented and traditional Marzen for a unique, rich Oktoberfest style beer. We take special care to balance our Fest Beer taste and aroma with hand blended European malts and German Noble hops. Hope you enjoy our special seasonal brew.
The brewery website explains the hop varieties are Hallertau and Saaz. It’s interesting here to see that they do cold ferment this beer like a lager, though they call it an ale so presumably that is with ale yeast. One would assume a short ale conditioning as well.
Grey sail Autumn Winds Fest Beer has an alcohol content of 5.8% by volume with 27 IBUs. It was running $9.99 a six-pack at Liquor Warehouse in Warwick, RI where I bought a can.
Grey sail Autumn Winds Fest Beer pours to a slightly hazy orange amber color with a light malty nose and a light head formation. Taking a sip, the beer has a bit of caramel malt up front with gently toasty notes, apple fruit and an aggressive herbal grassy hop finish. This beer is surprisingly bitter for an autumn ale, and while I enjoy the caramel apple flavors it’s a little off balance for me. I do love that long dry bitter finish, though, as the Saaz and Hallertaus shine in all of their earthy bitter German glory.
I think I’d like more toasty-nutty malt notes here, and this strikes me more as an amber ale than a fest beer. A solid effort, though not my favorite example of an Oktoberfest ale.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
