Clawhammer Oktoberfest

This beer pours a brilliantly clear light amber color with a deep, rich orange hue leading to a soft beige head. The head dissipates pretty quickly into a thin lacing, which unfortunately is a precursor of things to come. The nose starts off with some great toasty Vienna-like malt character, rich melanoidins, and a light grainy pilsner-like character, but this leads into a caramelly sweetness with mild butterscotch (possible diacetyl) notes. Oktoberfests are meant to have a great rich malty sweetness, but not on the caramel level. The malt is definitely at the forefront, but beyond this you can find very mild notes of spicy, noble-esque hops and low levels of fruity esters (apple, pear) and a fleeting moment of sulphur from the yeast. The flavor brings along the same toasted malt with even more of that rich malty goodness, but also more of that undesirable caramel sweetness. The hops are almost nonexistent, and the character is very malt-forward due to the low bitterness. Despite not being very full-bodied, the mouthfeel is still fairly thick. In the end this is a nice example of the style, though a little too caramel-forward. Very enjoyable nonetheless and quaffable, and one I would likely try again if the German standbys weren’t available.