This Saranac Octoberfest was one of the four beers that Matt Brewing sent me last month and, like their Pumpkin Ale (which I’m writing about next), is the first Oktoberfest beer of the season for me. This is a classic Oktoberfest-style lager, made with German Pilsner malts and Saaz and Tettnang hops, and is 5.4% alcohol by volume.

Appearance: Bright copper color, very clear with lots of bubbly carbonation building up a nice thick dense head.

Smell: Malty, low-key nose, caramel and some butterscotch.

Taste: A touch of roastiness to it, dry with toffee sweet notes; mild, clean. Malty like the style should be (and how I like it), low hop aromas.

Mouthfeel: Light of medium-bodied, with a nice dry-sweet-roasty finish to it.

Overall: Nice, mellow beer, not too big, nothing flashy. Drinkable, a touch light but nice Oktoberfest malty presence.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores an overall grade of B-. On RateBeer, it scores 2.78 out of 5, and is in their 31st percentile.