Nip in the air, colors on the leaves, new television episodes on the tube: all in a bottle! Yes, it’s time for harvest ales and Oktoberfests. Again, we at Bostonist sacrificed a whole evening to test some of this season’s offerings. These are the results.
We were told that Hofbräu Oktoberfest is one of the oldest Oktoberfest beers still brewed. Too bad opening it releases that skunky, green bottle smell. Past that it’s a good beer, though: the startlingly light-colored beer starts with a tang then wraps up sweet with a bit of spice like cloves at the end. Years of practice always show through.
On the completely opposite end of the harvest spectrum is Magic Hat’s Odd Notion Fall ’09; a Belgian chocolate stout. This is the beer that would result if a Belgian and a chocolate stout got busy and had a half-pint together. It certainly smells and tastes chocolaty, but it’s not over the top. It looks like a light stout: dark but with very little head. The beer has a great combo of the biteyness of a stout and sweet back taste of a Belgian.
More harvest beers after the jump!
Photo courtesy jdn on Flickr using Creative Commons License
Magic Hat offered up another autumn seasonal: Roxy Rolles. This beer was actually winter brew that they’ve rolled into the fall slot. It’s delicious in its spiciness, but does taste more like a winter warmer than an autumnal beer.
Two beers we’d be more likely to associate with the harvest are Ipswich’s Harvest Ale and Long Trail’s Harvest Brown Ale. Ipswich’s cloudy, great-smelling brew is hoppy to begin with. It rounds out with some caramel notes to make sure the imbiber knows this is a harvest beer, not just any IPA. Long Trail’s Harvest is harvest-y in color as well as in taste. It is full and spicy and buttery.
We were excited to see that Flying Dog has a Dogtoberfest, though its taste pales in comparison with other beers from that brewery; this does not pack the punch of Snake Dog IPA. It has a beautiful honey color and starts out well with a little tang in the middle of the sip. At 5.3% abv, this would make an excellent session beer.
Brooklyn Brewery has a great offering for the season. Their Oktoberfest is fuller than all of the other offerings and is distinctly Brooklyn in its hoppyness. It also is “harvest” both in its color and in its taste.
So put on your sweatshirt, turn into your favorite reality TV show, and enjoy a warm up from an autumn seasonal.
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