Beck's Octoberfest shocker

[ratman03]

Ok, I'm throwing this at y'all: Anyone tasted Beck's Octoberfest?
A cold one was offered to me at Thanksgiving and I accepted -- although I wasn't expecting to like it. But to my surprise I did! It is certainly not the best or most complex tasting Octoberfest, but it had a smooth drinkability and a nice nutty but clean finish. I liked the balance. I was pleasantly surpised, and I surmise that perhaps Becks is making better beer for the US market lately in response to the competition from domestic micros.

I truly feel that to be a beer aficionado means you've got to
put your biases aside and taste as objectively as you can. That said, I still think Heiniken tastes like s%^&!

[steveh]

In the interest of science and an open mind, I tried the Beck's Okto right at the beginning of fest season. I wasn't terribly impressed with the beer as an Oktoberfest in style, and found it sort of thin and a little phenolic in flavor.

That said, I agree with you that I think Beck's has upped their brew quality (whether for the U.S. or world-wide, I can't say). I was at a small food and music festival a little less than a year ago and Beck's products were at a special price for the event. I decided to try one (the regular light lager) and was surprised that it was much maltier and fresher tasting than I had remembered from the past - and yes, less like Heineken than it used to taste, more like a Munich lager (Paulaner, Spaten).

They still have to work on their Okto - but since they're a Northern German brewer, and can't market a beer labeled "Oktoberfest" in Germany (so I understand), I'm guessing they brew the Okto only for foreign sales - possibly only the U.S., and they may be tailoring it more as a lighter bodied/flavored beer.

Anyone tried the Beck's Dark lately? That may have a story to tell.

S.

[threecb]

My brother-in-law drinks nothing but Beck's Dark bottles (in the 12pk, no "light-struck"!).
I had one recently at his house and it wasn't too bad. Of course it was after a couple of my Hop Devils, so I don't want to be too critical since my taste buds were probably not in tune with the lager...

And steveh, I don't want to sound unedumacated, but could you explain "phenolic" in taste? I've seen you use it in other descriptions and I'd like to have a better sense of what that means exactly. Thanks!

[steveh]

Originally posted by threecb
And steveh, I don't want to sound unedumacated, but could you explain "phenolic" in taste? I've seen you use it in other descriptions and I'd like to have a better sense of what that means exactly. Thanks!

It can best be described as tasting how a band-aid smells. Sort of a sharp, metallic flavor - which obviously doesn't belong in the beer. Some peated malts impart the taste, and other malts can take on the characteristic if paired with the wrong yeast.

There's a fine balance between good and bad phenol aromas and flavors. Weizens can sometime have phenol aromas, but they blend well with other aromas and usually smell more clove-like than band-aid-like.

S.

[threecb]

ah-ha!

So I might've been using "sharp" to describe this. Now that I know, I'll try to be more aware of it. Thanks for the lesson...

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by threecb
ah-ha!

So I might've been using "sharp" to describe this. Now that I know, I'll try to be more aware of it. Thanks for the lesson...

I've done a fun exercise with this one ---- hold a freshly opened band-aid in one hand - smell and then take a sip of a very clove-y weizen, and then smell the band-aid. It helps you to isolate the smell amongst all the other smells.

You can do the same thing using cloves, too.

[steveh]

Originally posted by Fast_Eddy
I've done a fun exercise with this one ---- hold a freshly opened band-aid...

Are you performing this exercise just to teach yourself the aromas? I can't imagine any other reason you'd want to isolate it! :O

S.

[steveh]

Originally posted by threecb
So I might've been using "sharp" to describe this.

It definitely is a sharp flavor/aroma, but one of various sharp flavors - good and bad.

I've mentioned Al Karzonas' book in the past as a good referennce tool for tasting and trouble shooting, as well as Fred Eckhardt's. Both have great descriptions of beer flavors and aromas and what causes/creates them.

S.

Al's site: http://www.brewinfo.com/

[fretlessman71]

Actually, this seems like an excellent exercise to "edjumacate" the olfactory! I'm going to have to try this with all sorts of things. Any other "equals" out there? I've heard that bananas resemble the estery aroma I've heard about...

[steveh]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
I've heard that bananas resemble the estery aroma I've heard about...

Take a big whiff of a freshly poured Hacker-Pschorr Weizen -- big banana aroma. Some even liken it to bubble gum. The aromas seem to be more concentrated from the bottle than the tap, though.

S.

[fretlessman71]

Originally posted by steveh
Take a big whiff of a freshly poured Hacker-Pschorr Weizen -- big banana aroma. Some even liken it to bubble gum....

S.

Uhh.... this is a GOOD thing, right? :confused:

[steveh]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Uhh.... this is a GOOD thing, right?

Well, I think so, it's one of my favorite beers and beer styles. The Bavarian Weizen yeast is known (reknowned?) to impart many aromas such as banana, clove, bubblegum, chocolate, toffee.

That said, I have one friend who can't get past the nose of any Weizen.

S.

[beerturtle]

I too tried the Beck's Octoberfest, around Halloween, and was moved to reach for another. Not bad flavor, although not as flavorful as some of the other 'craft/micro/import' beers. This is a good 'fest for those who want something easy drinking and not too overpowering with spices and such.
:)

[fretlessman71]

Originally posted by steveh
Well, I think so, it's one of my favorite beers and beer styles. The Bavarian Weizen yeast is known (reknowned?) to impart many aromas such as banana, clove, bubblegum, chocolate, toffee.

That said, I have one friend who can't get past the nose of any Weizen.

S.

Have you had St. Arnold's Kristal Weizen yet? I really enjoyed the three I got from BREWERDLUX in a trade, but I couldn't really identify anything like that in the aroma or the flavor. Maybe I'll have to get some more and try a littie harder...

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by steveh
Are you performing this exercise just to teach yourself the aromas? I can't imagine any other reason you'd want to isolate it!

S.

Yes and no. I think it's hilarious to point these kinds of things out to my wife(and anybody else I can snare), for instance -- do things like "Here smell this" --- then "Now smell this", and laugh at the faces people make as they realize the similarities.

I do the same thing with dried malt extract and malty beers, too.

[steveh]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Have you had St. Arnold's Kristal Weizen yet?...

The St. Arnold's isn't available in my area. I have had Franziskaner's and Paulaner's Kristals in the past. Even though the beers had been filtered and lacked the hazy yeast residue, the aromas and flavors imparted by the Weizen yeast were still very evident.

S.

[davesarman]

Our homebrewing club sponsors a series of educational classes to study for the BJCP test. (the test to get certified as a judge for homebrewing contests). Each week a different category of beer is featured and the participants bring various examples of the style, both commericial and homebrew. We then compare and contrast the similarities and differences. One week is a "doctored beer" session in which you taste beers that have had various things done to them to simulate off flavors that commonly happen in beer. (Light struck, phenolic, etc.) THis is a nasty night, but educational and fun as you are tasting beer that has such things as vinegar, almond extract added to it, or been sitting on a sunny ledge or opened and left out for a few days...you then have to taste the beer, identify the off flavor and what can cause the off flavor when homebrewing. But, like I said this is only one week, the rest of the time is tasting many varieties of very fine beer. Unfortunately I had to drop out of the class before taking the test as our first son was born! I hope to take again, it's a lot of fun and a very educational way to learn what flavors are in beer and whether they are intended to be there or not.