Amsterdam Oktoberfest

Brewed by Amsterdam Brewing Company
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Toronto, Canada

20oz draught
6.0% ABV
I tried this beer on October 21, 2008 at "Smokeless Joes" in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The beer pours a clear dark reddish gold with a thick creamy tan coloured head. The aroma was sweet malt, with some citrusy hints, and some smokiness. The mouthfeel was full-bodied, slightly creamy, with medium carbonation. The flavour was sweet, malty, with a dry finish.

Draught sample at C’est What Fall Festival of Small Breweries 2008. Orangish-amber with a small off-white head. Aroma of toasty malt with a mild smokiness. Medium bodied. Flavour of sweet toasted malt, roasted nuts, hints of coffee and smoke, floral notes in the finish - pretty nice stuff, a pleasant surprise.

12 oz bottles. Deep amber-brown colour, with light ruby highlights. The aroma is loaded with sweet beechwood smoke, soft earthy maltiness and a lingering nutty maltiness as well. Linger soft insistent smokiness over a clean, toasted malt character. Well-lagered, crisp, herbal bittering. Perhaps they’ve changed the recipe this year, but this is an excellent rauchbier. Highly underrated.

[1754-20081003] Tap. Grainy yeast and light fruit aroma. Clear, red brown body with a light green tan head. Fruity grains continue in the flavour with a smooth toasty yeast. Medium body. Nice toastiness. (6/3/7/3/14) 3.3
(FOSB 2008 @ C’est What; Toronto, ON)

[2510B-20091002] Tap. Smoky grains malt aroma reminds me of a fireplace on a chilly October night. Clear, amber orange body with a medium-lasting creamy off-white head. Smoky apple fruit grains flavour with mild strawberry cream notes. Medium body. Wow, quite smoky with fruity rinds, good. (7/3/7/3/14) 3.4
(21st FFOCB @ C’est What; Toronto, ON)

Pours a reddish copper with crazy amounts of foam. Funky, cheesy scent with pure malt and a lemony sourness up front. Ends yeasty, heady yet mild in body, a hint of banana as well. Interesting, pretty good.

341 ml bottle from the brewery. Pours orangey copper in colour, with an off white (orange??) head. Aroma is roasted, smoky malt. Flavour is similar, heavy on the smoky. Not bad.

Bottled, 5.5% ABV fresh from the brewery. Pour shows a nice orange-amber clear beer with a rocky off white cap that reduces to a lace fairly quickly. Nose is dominated with a mild smokey mustiness, light malty smells much like a mild rauchbier. Front side is pleasantly malty, slight sweetness,...hops sit in the background ...medium-light body with a smokey presense. Finish is not too quick with the smokey malts and hops leaving an impression of burnt toast on the palate. This is a hybrid mild Rauchbier with a medium bodied Marzen...carried off well. The best lager from this brewer. Complimented the Waterloo County spareribs and kraut perfectly.

Bottle: Poured a light amber color lager with an average size head with good retention but no lacing. Aroma of caramel malt is quite refreshing. Taste is also dominated by some caramel malt with not much discernable hops. Body is average with good carbonation. Not the most complex of beer but well done for what it is supposed to be.