Napa Smith Crush Beer

Brewed by Napa Smith Brewery
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Napa, California USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Stein

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Bomber from the North Davis, CA Nugget Market. Pours light amber with a creamy/foamy near white head. There’s a Flanders sour hint in the aroma. There’s a breadiness. I’m not sure about vinosity. Flavor is "sour without being sour". Nonsense, but I’m stressed to explain this. There’s some vinosity, some suggestion of sour, some woody astringency. Maybe they left the stems on the grapes. Kind of like that. This is strangely complex, and I didn’t expect that. I like this stuff. Finishes dry, somewhat astringent and definitely more bitter than not.

Bottle. Poured cloudy amber color with an average frothy white head that was mostly lasted with good lacing. Moderate toasted sweet malt aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation. Medium balanced sweet flavor with a medium sweet finish of moderate duration. The beer goes well with a bowl of ham and beans.

12 ounce bottle from Total Wine West Richmond, VA. Pours a hazy amber color with a thin creamy off-white head. Decent head retention. Aroma of toasted malts, grapes and vinous notes. The taste is grapes, apples, stone fruits, vinous notes and faint toasted malts. Medium bodied.

Bottle. Amber beer with an off-white head. Malt and light grain aroma with light fruit. Malt and light mineral flavor with light fruitiness. Medium bodied. Light fruitiness and light malt lingers with light mineral notes.

Marzen aroma mixed with wine grapes. Weird, and not my favorite really. Pours amber hazy with a thin head. Marzeny with notes of grape and grass. Wow. Not a good ide a. eadm the flavor is . Oddly grassy and just.

Sampled on 1/1/2011. This Octoberfest Marzen pours a light to medium copper amber color from a 22 oz bottle. Medium sized white foamy head with decent lacing. The aroma is caramel, fruity, bready and sweet with a touch of grapes. A medium bodied Marzen. The malts are fruity, caramel and sweet with some grape and grape skin flavors. Hops are earthy and herbal. Nice carbonation. Hints of grapes at the finish, which becomes more evident as the beer warms. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Bottle from Total Wine, Sacramento. Pours cloudy golden with a fluffy white head and a fruity aroma. There is a carbonate pale malt flavor with a hint of grape and a dry finish.

Bottle:   Pale amber, very hazy, large frothy white head, spotty lacing.   Soft mealy malt like nose, touch of sweetness.   Also has this musty grape aspect.   Bubbley on the tongue, moderate sweetness, malty, with a very fine white grape like background.   Not as mealy as most Marzens, which is nice, but it could stand to be a bit more coating or viscous.   Otherwise its nice.   A little different too.   Backside is a soft toasted/biscuity maltiness, slightly mealy, with some white grape juice like hints.   Definitely different, and interesting.

Amber colored, with a thin ring of foam. Grainy, caramel aroma. Flavor is pretty much standard Amber or Oktoberfest, plus a subtle fruity note, which I assume is the grapes. Taste a little better than it smells. Not bad.

12 oz. bottle from Suttree- thanks, Phil! Napa Smith stuff just started showing up in St. Louis but I haven’t seen this one yet. Label just says "Crush" and not "Crush Beer" like the photo. Pours a clear copper color with a tiny off-white head that settles into a thin ring. Aroma of grapes, grassy hops, earth, dusty grains, crackery malts, and toasted sugar. Flavor of grapes, resin, sweet malts, cereal grains, bitter earth, leaves and grass, and soap. Medium-bodied, with a smooth mouthfeel and dry finish. Modest carbonation. Odd beer.