Stoudts Oktoberfest
Review Date 9/25/2005
Try?
Re-buy?
There have been
some changes going on at the Stoudt’s Brewery in Adamstown, Pennsylvania.
Not too long ago, they got a new bottling line and started cranking out
six-packs of twelve ounce bottles. Along with this came some other changes
to beers in their lineup, some mostly with regards to packaging. That seems
to be the case with Stoudt’s Oktoberfest Beer.
Fans of this brewery (and there are many) will recall that Stoudt’s already has a Fest Beer on the market, or at least they did. You can read George Schaffer’s excellent review of it here . But the beer seems to have been re-packaged now with a blue-and white checkered Bavarian motif, It also seems to have become a seasonal rather than a year-round offering, as Fest beer was.
I’ve always regarded Stoudt’s as a sort of “forgotten” Pennsylvania brewery, because they sometimes get overlooked in favor of Victory Brewing. But Stoudt’s brews a number of beers just as interesting as Victory’s. Unfortunately, the Oktoberfest isn’t one of them.
Don’t get me wrong, I like this beer well enough. But as an Oktoberfest-Marzen I find it to be just a little lacking. The brewery says this about the beer:
This medium bodied amber lager elegantly combines a touch of malty sweetness with a pleasingly subtle aromatic hop character. Stoudt's Oktoberfest is brewed from the finest imported ingredients in the style of the original German Oktoberfest celebrations beers. 5% abv.
Let’s dive into a glass and see what we think, shall we?
Stoudt’s Oktoberfest pours to a bright orange color with a light head formation and a faint nutty malt nose. The palate is surprisingly light, with just a little toasty, nutty flavor characteristic of the style. I’m really looking for more of that here, and I think the beer could really use a dash more Munich malt to spruce it up a bit.
The beer is certainly very drinkable with a clean palate and a finish that is balanced with a touch of hops. But it definitely leaves me wanting more, and a side by side with an authentic German Oktoberfest beer will reveal this in short order. The body here should be bigger and bolder, in my opinion.
Stoudt’s beers tend to run on the high side price wise (at least here in Atlanta) at $8 a sixer for this one. With that said, I think there are better Ofests out there for the same or even less money.
Try a Spaten Oktoberfest , an Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen or a Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen and compare it to this beer and see if you don’t agree with me.
Fans of this brewery (and there are many) will recall that Stoudt’s already has a Fest Beer on the market, or at least they did. You can read George Schaffer’s excellent review of it here . But the beer seems to have been re-packaged now with a blue-and white checkered Bavarian motif, It also seems to have become a seasonal rather than a year-round offering, as Fest beer was.
I’ve always regarded Stoudt’s as a sort of “forgotten” Pennsylvania brewery, because they sometimes get overlooked in favor of Victory Brewing. But Stoudt’s brews a number of beers just as interesting as Victory’s. Unfortunately, the Oktoberfest isn’t one of them.
Don’t get me wrong, I like this beer well enough. But as an Oktoberfest-Marzen I find it to be just a little lacking. The brewery says this about the beer:
This medium bodied amber lager elegantly combines a touch of malty sweetness with a pleasingly subtle aromatic hop character. Stoudt's Oktoberfest is brewed from the finest imported ingredients in the style of the original German Oktoberfest celebrations beers. 5% abv.
Let’s dive into a glass and see what we think, shall we?
Stoudt’s Oktoberfest pours to a bright orange color with a light head formation and a faint nutty malt nose. The palate is surprisingly light, with just a little toasty, nutty flavor characteristic of the style. I’m really looking for more of that here, and I think the beer could really use a dash more Munich malt to spruce it up a bit.
The beer is certainly very drinkable with a clean palate and a finish that is balanced with a touch of hops. But it definitely leaves me wanting more, and a side by side with an authentic German Oktoberfest beer will reveal this in short order. The body here should be bigger and bolder, in my opinion.
Stoudt’s beers tend to run on the high side price wise (at least here in Atlanta) at $8 a sixer for this one. With that said, I think there are better Ofests out there for the same or even less money.
Try a Spaten Oktoberfest , an Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen or a Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen and compare it to this beer and see if you don’t agree with me.
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
