Black Oak Oaktoberfest

Brewed by Black Oak Brewing
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Etobicoke, Canada

I like this beer. Bottle at Chancey Smith’s in London, ON- Very deep and concentrated amber with a generous eggshell foam. Nice nose of toasty malts, caramel, noble hops, some breadyand dough like aromas meet spices and wood. Tastes quite malty, sweet with a nice balance of floral hops. Toasted malts are the main flavour contender with a marked fruitiness, reminiscent of prune. I like this like I said, I think it needs a bit more heft to contend with the heavier, more traditional Marzens, but this is certainly the best Marzen coming from Canada, and one of the best I’ve had.

Bottle fresh from brewery: Pours an amber-orange with a decent 2 finger tight cap. Fair retention and lacing. Aroma is right on profile for the style: Malty-bready with toasty tones and low sweetness, woody noble hop aromas light earthiness. Taste is hop forward with the toast malts sitting below a herbal-oak-woody noble hop profile, goes slightly dry in the finish with light bitterness and a light toasty-bready after taste. a GOOD boilerplate Oktoberfest Marzen but to put it over the top the body and malts need to be bulked up and come forward with the hops sitting just below the malts, should be 6% abv or better...If that were done this would be a GREAT Canadian Marzen and rated in the 4+ range....just the same, this is a welcome offering for a marzen starved local market.

341 ml bottle from brewery. Pours a fairly clear copper with small white head. Nose of grass, bread and a slight spiciness. Flavour is grassy and bready too with a subtle oakiness coming across towards the lingering finish. Medium bodied. A good beer.

On tap at Rhino. Appearance: raspberry cordial with a nice off white head. Aroma: spicy, grass, orange peel, yeast. Flavour: Spicey, lots of grassy hops, pepper, orange rind & a nice yeast finish. Nice!

on tap at the beer bistro. Grassy hops, and some nice biscuity malts. The oak is subtle, and doesnt seem to take away or add to the beer at all. Just overall a nice beer.

16oz draught
4.7% ABV
I tried this beer on October 23, 2009 at "The Beerbistro" in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This was Dayna’s Beer of the day, kegged at the brewery on October 21st, and tapped at the restaurant on the 23rd. The beer poured a translucent red with a tan foamy head. The aroma was sweet malt, some fruit tones, and grain. The mouthfeel was creamy, medium-bodied with medium-high carbonation. The flavour was slightly sweet, and definitely malty. A very enjoyable Oktoberfest and another fine product from the Black Oak Brewery.

[2506-20091002] Cask. Not much aroma, a little grainy fruit. Murky, orange brown body with a thick long-lasting creamy off-white head. Light fruity oak wood flavour with citrus rind finish and a long sweet aftertaste. Medium body, not particularly carbonated. Quite drinkable, the oak notes are not too overpowering but definitely carve a presence.
(21st FFOCB @ C’est What; Toronto, ON)

Beerbistro pint, nice full feeling lat profile, some light yeasty roughness, honey, herbal and grassy hops.