So, I haven't done a blog in six years. Too busy with son't sports, untappd kept track of beer for me, and I was just burned out on it to be honest. Then I went to Macadoodles and bought a few different Ocktoberfests. Like 10 different ones. And they are all good. So, as this fine October Saturday starts with the Blues on at 6, Mizzou on at 6:45, and FC STL at 8, I thought to myself, "What better time will there ever be to get that blog up and running again?"
So here we are. I was hoping that my neighbor would be here to help but he has a high school reunion. BORING. Whatever... So I'm flying solo- at least to start with.
And off we go... Oh, and all of these are Octoberfests/ marzens so I'm not going to list the same beer style over and over.
BEER #1:
Brewer: 4 Hands
Beer Name: Ocktoberfest (Extra points for originality)
Aroma: So this is going to be tough for me as I've had COVID at least three times and I seem to have lost my sense of smell. If it's not strong, I don't smell it anymore but I'll try. Nevermind. Nothing. Sorry.
Appearance: Medium Gold, completely clear; carbonation looks great. Thin white head all the way aeround the glass. A beautiful beer although if I looked at it without knowing what it is, I wouldn't guess an Octoberfest. Too light in color.
Mouthfeel: Smooth and crisp. Snappy at the end of the swallow. A defeinite cousin of a straight lager.
Taste: Like a lot of 4Hands beers, this one is made for people who want to say their drinking a particular beer but it is the Bud Lite of whatever style you are drinking. This one has very little caramel or malt flavor compared to most traditional Marzens. It's very hop forward for a Marzen and while it's fine, it's definitely not going to be my favorite tonight.
Song that I would play when drinking this: Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon by either Neil Diamond or the Urge Overkill cover. However, I would change the lyrics to: "Marzen, you'll be an Ocktoberfest soon..." because this one has some room for growth.
Overall Rating: 3.0
Ounces drank tonight: 16
Drunk-o-Meter: nothing yet. Bleas are 0 0 so far. Mizzou starts in 13 minutes.
BEER #2
Brewer: Narrow Gauge
Beer Name: Third of the Way to Marz
Aroma: Nada, nothing.
Appearance: Looks like a brand new container of synthetic motor oil. Copper brown; slightly cloudy- this is exactly what a Marzen should look like. Perfect head around the entire glass. A little lacing on the glass after a drink.
Mouthfeel: Much thinker than the Four Hands- not annoyingly so; it's just got more heft to it than the previous beer. I like it- makes me think I'm drinking more than a colored water.
Taste: Much more traditional Marzen flavor than the 4Hands. More malt, more caramel, less hops; this tastes like an Ocktoberfest. Apparently Narrow Gauge has more game then just IPAs. Sidenote: if you haven't tried OJ Run yet, that should be your next beer. Had some this week. What an outstanding sipper of an IPA. Back to the beer at hand... This is an easy chart topper. Going to be a hard one to beat.
Song I would play while drinking it: I'm Bad by LL Cool J. Possibly the most bravado in one song ever. This beer should have LL's picture on the front of it. And Slim, sorry, I still think LL is better than Kool Moe Dee.
Overall Rating: 4.5
Ounces drank tonight: 32
Drunk-o-Meter: Not much yet, just a little warmth creeping into my cheeks.
BEER #3:
Blues take the early lead 1-0 in the 2nd. Mizzou is down 7-0 early at Auburn.
Brewer: Lienenkugels
Beer Name: Ocktoberfest
Aroma: Yeah, I need to quit even trying.
Appearance: Copper, clear. A proper Octoberfest.
Mouthfeel: Back to light and crisp. Very lagery.
Taste: This one holds up really well in my opinion. Surprisingly malty and carmely. A nice sweetness without being annoyingly sugary. I expected this to be the worst and it's actually quite good. A very pleasant surprise.
Song I'd play while drinking it: Foolin by Def Leppard. Because this one fooled me.
Overall Rating: A surprising 4.0. A very solid beer.
Ounces drank tonight: 44
Drunk-o-Meter: Slight buzz. Just a wee bit. These low octane beers are a long climb uphill. 2-0 Blues, 7-3 Auburn. Not bad so far.
Does anyone think that Jack in the Box should do a Halloween SAW crossover commercial? Am I the only one?
BEER #4
Brewer: Toppling Goliath
Beer Name: Ocktoberfest
Aroma: A sweet bouquet of malty sweetness combned with the botanical aroma of... who am I kidding? I can't smell a thing.
Appearance: A little darker than the 4hands but definitely yellow; not copper or brown at all. Very clear. Looks like a Budweiser with a couple of drops of brown food coloring added.
Mouthfeel: Crisp and a little drier than the others. I'm getting a small bit of salt at the end of this one which really dries the mouth.
Taste: A good dose of sweet that is immeditely canceled out with something that dries the motuh at the end. The sweetness doesn't linger like the Liney or the Narrow Gauge. It's good but I want caramel and sweet when I drink an Octoberfest.
Song I would listen to when drinking it: Snuff by Slipknot. An easy one. Toppling Goliath is an awesome brewery in Iowa. And Slipknot is the only band that I know of that ever made it big out of Iowa. If you ever get to Decoruh, Iowa, go to Toppling Goliath. I've been there. It's easily the biggest landmark in Decoruh. I have no idea how they got to be that big but they are the equivalent of the Gateway Arch in that city. And, FYI, they have good food too.
Overall rating: 3.75.
Ounces drank tonight: 56
Drunk-o-Meter: Not yet. Too many distractions. Blues are about to win; Mizzou is up 10-7 at halftime. Shit, Stars just scored aganst the Blues with 2 minutes left. 2-1 Blues.
BEER #5
Brewery: Logboat Brewing
Beer Name: Knothole
Aroma:
Appearance: Copper, great foam across the entire top of the pour. What a great looking glass of beer.
Mouthfeel: Very creamy; almost a lactosey feel to this one. I love creamy beers so this one is right up my alley.
Taste: This one isn't quite as sweet as a few others but it defeintiely has a creamy moputhfeel which almost makes up for it. It's like they pumped this up with a little shot of vanilla and it works as far as I'm concerned. Delicious.
Song I would listen to while drinking this one: Under the Milky Way by the Church. I almost went with Cream by Prince but that seemed too easy. With the Church, we still are hitting the lactose tie in but a little less obvious.
Overall Rating: 3.75
Ounces drank tonight: 68
Drunk-o-Meter: Starting to feel it slightly. A little light in the head and the eyes are getting heavy.
Blues won 3-1, Mizzou is up 10-7 at the end of the third quarter, and STL FC is down 2-1 at halftime.
BEER #6
Brewery: Lakefront Brewery
Beer Name: Oktoberfest
Appearance: Copper, clear. Looks like an Ocktoberfest should.
Mouthfeel: Very dry; what hangs around is the effervesence from the bubbles. It's a clean, crisp beer that feels very at home in the style.
Taste: A solid Ocktoberfest. Balanced; not as sweet as i would like but this is close to what I want in an Ocktoberfest. SIDE NOTE: I've been to this brewery in Milwaukee. It was a pretty cool joint. If you ever spend any time in Milwaukee, hit this one up.
Song I would play while drinking this: "Untitled" by Interpol. No reason other than I'm really digging this song right now.
Overall Rating: 3.75
Mizzou is tied 17 all with the ball and 2 1/2 minutes left. STL FC is down 2 1 with 5 minuts left. Gonna watch the end of these games. Until next time....
