Sierra Nevada is not the only one making the Oktoberfest this year and what I am hearing is that the beers are too hoppy and lack the proper melanoidin character.
This is my second pour into the same glass. The malt is light in the nose. Clean no hop at first. Floral sweet with a touch of malt. Stemmy hops. No spice from the hops just cool. The foam has a bit of toastiness. Always taste the beer with a little of the foam first so use the stange. Wait until head is just thin on top. Dandelion type spice.
Malt is a bit toasty and the hop bitterness is moderate. Again stemmy bitter hops. I think last year everyone said that helles type lightness was the feature that they liked the best, so this has that. Spice in the mouthfeel but not to citrusy or strong. Not too strong with alcohol so I wanted to drink two. Last year, not so much. IS it too dry? It’s very dry.
Turns out the beer has more alcohol than last years beer. Genessee is turning out to be my standard you could say regionally and historically because I think it is excellent. Since Sierra Nevada started the popular collaborations my favorite Oktoberfest has been Spaten. Spaten uses decoction. Today I have Goose Island. Let’s nitpick it. Cheers!