Avery The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest

On tap at Tylers in Durham, NC. Dark orange color with a light tan head. Sweet, malty, biscuity nose, notes of nectarine. Sweetly malty, intense and thick. I laughed when I read "Imperial Oktoberfest", but it really fits. Syrupy body, and the finish is more sweet malt. Somehow, the hops don’t get lost, they are well represented in a spicy/floral way. Very good.

I found this one bottled at my local neighborhood Binny’s in St. Charles, Illinois. Clear, dark red pour with a thick, light orange head. Nose of grape juice, almost like wine, apple, baked bread and apricots. The wine continues into the body of the beer, very alcoholic in character. Finishes sweet. This is good. I don’t know if I just don’t get into the Marzens but I don’t see why this is ranked so high.

Gorgeous pour into a bitter glass. Incredibly rich orange color, like pure motor oil. The golden blonde, two-finger head held for about 5-8 minutes. Tiny, tiny, hyper-carbonated bubbles. Swirling created rapid re-carbonation. The aroma is spicy and sweet; dried leaves, dark fruits, heavy gravity. The palate is very smooth and syrupy. Rich, sweet malts and acidic hops, balanced, somehow. I guess that’s what happens when Oktoberfest gets concentrated. It truly descends/evolves an Oktoberfest.

22 oz. bottle. Pours rich copper color. Aroma of alcohol, florals, and hops. Taste of hops with some malt and spices and evident alcohol. Bottom line: I like this beer, but it is probably not what you would expect from a more malty and less alcohol German-stle beer

This is a very beautiful example of the style...Deep copper colour, thick creamy head that barely diminishes. The carbonation is good on this one is adds a nice visual touch to the beer. The flavour is quite rich, fairly thick in the palate as well. There are some nice toasty malts with some spice notes up front. The malts present a pretty sweet flavour but is well balanced by just a bit of hops.

Poured with a nice copper color, clear, thin body, boozy presence for sure, sweet flavor, spiciness helps cover some of the alochol, better as it warmed up

2006 22 oz Bomber, 9.1% ABV. Crystal clear copper color with fluffy off white head. Striking appearance. Strong spicy hop aroma with just a hint of sweet and nutty malts. The flavor hits up front with a load of noble hop spicy flavor and bitterness and some sweet malts. As the taste experience progresses the hops seem to recede and the sweet maltiness builds. The hops are still the main flavor component right to the end. Nice rich mouth feel with some sense of the ABV. This beer may need some more cellaring to peak and bring out more of the malt flavors that are now playing second fiddle to the hops.

22 oz bomber, 2006 version. I’m kind of a pursit when it comes to mazen/Oktoberfest bier, so I was really too interested in an "Imperial" Oktoberfest, and found it to be a gimmick. Glad, I gave this beer a shot, as Avery did a good job with this one, and really has created a beefed up version of marzen/Oktoberfestbier. This beer pours to a beautiful, bright, deep amber color, with a thick and creamy head, and a good carbonation. The nose on this beer is excellent, with lots of good toasty, and nutty malt aromas. The palate is firm, with a slick mouthfeel, on a very smooth body. Lots of good toasty and nutty malt coat the tongue, with hints of malted milk ball sweetness. This beer finishes with more good toasty and nutty malt up front, then ends with some really good grassy/herbal hop bitterness to balance out the malty character of this beer. The 9% abv is hidden well in this beer. You get a little heat in the finish, but this is a rich, hearty, delicious beer.