Widmer Brothers Okto Festival Ale (Oktoberfest)

Bottle from Safeway in Medford, OR. Poured a dark amber color and smelled of sweet malts. Just like most amber ales it had a malt taste and a crisp hop finish. Smooth on the palate. Good brew!!

Bottle. Poured deep amber brown with thin white head. Thin but pleasant aroma of malt and flower. Moderate malty taste, a little sweetness. Crisp finish. The commercial puff does not lie. But there is one bone to pick. I always understood that festbier is a lager. This is and Widmer describes it, as an ale. How then is this an Oktoberfest bier? Is it meant to be as German beer was before the carlsbergensis yeast was used?

Full amber color with a good sized head, fair amount of lacings. Middle of the road brew that is just alright. Nothing special. That being said it would make a great party beer and is very sessionable. No bad attributes.

Bottle. Pours a coppery amber color with a fairly thin tan head. Aroma is a bit faint, and has malts and citrus in it. Flavor is malty, but not too sweet, with a bit of caramel. There is a hoppy flair as well, and there is a dry finish. Not as malty as other Oktoberfests I’ve had, and drier as well. Not a bad brew. I’d like to pair this beer with slow-smoked beef brisket, homemade baked beans and a mustard potato salad with crunchy bits of Walla Walla onion in it.

Draft at the brewery tap. An amber beer with a thin tan head. The aroma is sweet hoppy with light notes of citrus. The flavor is sweet malty with notes of caramel as well of with hints of acidity, leading to a dry and slightly bitter finish.