It’s still (barely) October, so I thought I’d share reviews on a handful of Oktoberfest beers I’ve had over the past month. No, it’s not even close to how many fresh hop beers I got my hands on, but these lagers are the other sublime brews of the season, and still well worth picking up if you get the chance.

McMenamins Oktoberfest Lager

McMenamins offered up a can release of its Oktoberfest Lager, a Märzen-style that was brewed at the Anderson School in Bothell, Washington, not the Edgefield as I’m used to seeing. The description says:

Nothing fancy here, just a well-made craft beer for drinking all day long, no matter where you celebrate your Oktoberfest. Tune up the accordion, pour a pint in the autumn sun, and celebrate harvest season and beer- mostly celebrate the beer.

It was brewed with light and dark Munich malts to 6.19% ABV and 25 IBUs. (The McMenamins site says 5.68% but I’m going from the strength listed on the can.)

Appearance: Nice deep copper color, moderate clarity. Off-white head.

Smell: Bready and rich, bread crust with a not-long-out-of-the-oven aroma. Very light grassy hop note. Just a really good breadiness that’s a bit mouth-watering.

Taste: Flavor is also bready with more toastiness to it, bordering on almost roasty. Wheat chaff, Grate Nuts cereal, light bitterness from dried-grass hops. Fairly dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with pleasingly rich toastiness that finishes dry and moderately crisp.

Overall: Tasty, malty, bready, drinkable. I like it.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Oktoberfest Amber Märzen

I pretty much expect any classic beer style from Sierra Nevada to be good, and this year’s Oktoberfest does not disappoint. It’s 5.5% ABV with 19 IBUs, brewed with black, Munich, pilsner, and Special Roast malts, with Hersbrucker and Tradition hops. The description reads:

This rich Märzen lager features German malts for inviting aromas of honey and biscuity bread, flavors of caramel and graham cracker, and visions of sprawling beer tents. Smooth and balanced, Oktoberfest is here to celebrate.

Appearance: Deep amber color, almost brown, with gold highlights. Bright and clear. Off-white head.

Smell: Rich and malty with deeply toasted breadiness and a hint of a nutty oakiness (perhaps acorn). Clean with that luscious bready note with any sweet/sugary/cloying character.

Taste: Nutty and toasty maltiness that’s crisp and super clean and smooth. Bare balances of earthy hops, not really noticeable, but enough bitterness to temper any sweet notes. Bread crust, teething biscuit, light walnut shell.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, crisp, clean, nice residual malt flavor.

Overall: Quite good and fun to drink.

Heater Allen Brewing Bobtoberfest

Oregon has quite a few breweries crafting excellent lagers these days, but Heater Allen is still among the best of them. Bobtoberfest is the brewery’s annual seasonal Oktoberfest offering, a 5.6% ABV Märzen with the following description:

Bobtoberfest is our version of a traditional Oktoberfest-style beer or a high gravity Märzen, which is different from the Fest beers you would find today at Munich’s Oktoberfest. We named this beer for Rick’s late brother Bob, the person who sparked his interest in brewing lager beers in general and Oktoberfest beers in particular. Bright amber color; rich, malty, and smooth, with a just touch of clean hop bitterness.

Appearance: Bright, clear, golden-tinged copper. Off-white head.

Smell: Fragrant bready malts waft up from the glass, rich with bread crust, and good, fresh-toasted grains. Enticing.

Taste: Rich and toasty, grainy malt with some husky, wheat chaff notes that dry it out a bit. Cereal notes, lightly balancing hop bitterness for an herbal-spicy complement to the breadiness. Deceptively simple with some real depth in the malts.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, medium-bodied, clean with a dry finish.

Overall: Quite good, straightforward, deftly brewed.

Block 15 Brewing Bloktoberfest Märzen Lager

Lately I’ve been finding that Block 15’s beers have been “can’t miss” across the board, spot-on for their styles, and the brewery’s festbier offering is an annual favorite. At 5.5% ABV I found it to be a bit sweeter than the others, which keeps things interesting. Here’s the description I pulled from Untappd:

Our unfiltered Bavarian-style Märzen Lager, brewed with specialty German malts and hops. Delicate hopping with noble varieties imparts subtle floral and spicy hop aromas, while Pilsner and honey malts contribute a blend of biscuity, toasty and nutty flavors. Extended lagering smoothes the brew, providing a round, thirst-quenching finish.

Appearance: Deep amber-copper color, brightly clear, choppy off-white head. Great clarity.

Smell: Rich and malty with brown sugar and sweet bread (as in, sweetened bread like Hawaiian sweet rolls, not the meats). Grainy with a bit of floral hops.

Taste: Grainy, toasty, bread crust—like pulling a strip of the crust off a slice of toasted bread. Very nice though there’s just a hint of astringency. Lightly grassy hops, a bit hay/rustic in character, good balance to the malts. Bready, rich, nice.

Mouthfeel: Medium, almost medium-light body, with great attenuation and a clear, crisp finish; dry.

Overall: Just a really good example of the style.

Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery Neuberg Unfiltered Oak-aged Lager

Wolves & People offered up the wildcard style for this roundup, an oak-aged, unfiltered Kellerbier that stands in for the brewery’s festbier offering. “Oak-aged” in this case refers to foeder aging, which is interesting, but unsurprising given the brewery’s farmhouse slant. The description (from Untappd) says:

Traditional unfiltered amber kellerbier is homage both to our home and Neuburg an der Donau, the ancient Bavarian borough where our own hometown’s founder was born and raised in the 1820s. Brewed with the finest Oregon-grown, Mecca Grade Estate Malts and tangy, floral German hops, we ferment it slowly in a large oak foeder before an extended lagering which results in its exceptionally smooth, substantial, and balanced character.

It’s 5.4% ABV and 28 IBUs.

Appearance: Gold colored, trending paler, with moderate clarity (gets more unfiltered/cloudy the more I pour), off-white head.

Smell: Rich malts with bread dough, some bready sweetness (not quite caramelized, but close), grainy. Not “complex” per se but there’s depth and it’s really nice.

Taste: Toasted wheat or mild rye bread—nicely grainy maltiness with a hint of rye-like spice. Moderately low earthy hop bitterness that adds a crisp snap to the sweetish body. Nice bready and biscuity flavors with a touch of wheat chaff/huskiness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with some nice chewiness from being unfiltered, and it has a pleasant lingering spicy-grainy character.

Overall: Tasty, and a nice example of this unfiltered Kellerbier style.