Oaktoberfest
Oaktoberfest is an obvious play on words by the good folks over at Red Oak Brewery. Oaktoberfest is a seasonal beer brewed in celebration of Oktoberfest.
STYLE OF BEER
Oaktoberfest is a Marzen beer. A Marzen beer is known for its sweet caramelized malted flavor with a subtle bitterness in the finish. Color can range from a pale gold to dark amber.
Fun Fact: The word Marzen in German means the Month of March signifying when the brewing process began.
Traditionally, due to the heat of Summer much of the brewing process for heavier beers came to an end in the early Spring. The Marzen or March beer was one of the last beers to be brewed of the season until the cooler Fall season arrived. The irony of the March beers being the traditional October beer.
BREWERY
Red Oak Brewery in Whitsett, North Carolina
Red Oak Brewery is located in the Triad on the outskirts of Greensboro.
https://www.redoakbrewery.com/
REVIEW
APPEARANCE: deep amber color, pours with foamy head, clear
AROMA: malts
TASTE: sweet caramelized malts with slight bitters
ABV: 6.5%
MOUTHFEEL: medium body, carbonates well and the malt lingers
OVERALL IMPRESSION: An absolutely perfect Marzen Beer! I enjoyed the sweetness of the caramelized malts with the slight bitter finish. In my opinion, a great Marzen beer needs that bitterness at the end to cut the sweetness of the malts and Oaktoberfest delivers that perfect balance.
I am the NCBEERDOG and you can follow me on INSTAGRAM @ncbeerdog. It is my mission to help you discover and enjoy all the types of beer especially the beers brewed locally in North Carolina. We are truly blessed with hundreds of craft breweries and microbreweries located throughout the Old North State.
I am always on the hunt for a new beer to try so if you have any suggestions please let me know.