The Best American Oktoberfest? I'll Take Three!

Today I'm drinking three beers brewed right here in the good old USA. On deck is the Oktoberfest from the Brooklyn Brewery, Sam Adam's Octoberfest, and the Pumpkin Ale from Buffalo Bill's Brewery. Who's gonna take first place in this American free-for-all?

My money's on the cowboy.

First up, I poured a nice cold glass of the Brooklyn Oktoberfest, and not because I wanted to drink it first; personally, I think it will probably be my least favorite out of the three and I want to get it out of the fucking way.

And to set the record straight, Brooklyn’s website gives us a bit of history on Oktoberfest, explaining that:

When Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria wanted to celebrate his wedding engagement in 1810, he did what any good Bavarian price would do… he threw a beer festival. Both the festival and the special beer served there became known as Oktoberfest. Brewed from the finest German malt and hops, Brooklyn Oktoberfest is true to the original style, full-bodied and malty, with a bready aroma and light, brisk hop bitterness.

The first thing I noticed after the pour was the rich color, which was a bit redder than previous fall beers I’ve tried. It was also pretty aromatic, not overpowering like the Saranac Pumpkin Ale, but there was certainly a noticeable heavy hop/malt scent to it.

My first taste was a huge gulp, which was a bad decision because I may have underestimated this brew. The coldness really brought out the hoppyness of the beer, which was the highest-flying of any Oktoberfest I’ve sampled so far. The hops (Hallertauer Perle, Hallertauer Mittelfrueh straight from Bavaria!) are out of this world, giving it a deep, crisp taste. I'd like to see more beer use this variety of hops, but from what I understand from the brew-dudes, they are pretty rare.

My overall judgment on this one is: not one of my favorite autumn beers to date. I do believe that Brooklyn’s 5.5% ABV Oktoberfest is good… but I’ll probably pass on a second round.

Moving on- and I’m really excited about this one since it will be my first taste of it- we come to the Pumpkin Ale brought to the masses from Buffalo Bill’s Brewery. Buffalo Bill, a larger than life cowboy figure from the Old West days, is the namesake of this California brewery, which gives us unique micro-brews like Blueberry Oatmeal Stout and the amazing Orange Blossom Cream Ale. This brew, not the Imperial Pumpkin Ale but the “America’s Original” variety, is a 5.2% ABV seasonal delight that the brewery explains:

Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale is one of the most sought after seasonal beers. It is believed that George Washington brewed beer using this bright orange squash. In modern times, Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale is a true original microbrew that uses baked and roasted pumpkins. Cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg are added to create what has been described as, “pumpkin pie in a bottle.”

After I opened the bottle, I instantly smelled the sweet mix of nutmeg and cinnamon, similar to that of the Saranac but not as strong. The color on this beer is incredible, truly a “pumpkin ale” because the fucking beer is orange. The first taste was great, but the next was better. Absurdly sweet, the cinnamon mixes with the cloves and pumpkin to make a one-of-a-kind beer- spicy but not overly so. I don’t know if I like this more than the Saranac version of pumpkin ale, but they’re pretty damn close. I’d say Buffalo Bill’s is lighter (certainly in color, anyway), sweeter and has a smoother drink-ability to it; Just amazing in my book.

Wrapping up today’s drinking venture is another Octoberfest brought to us from Samuel Adams. Samuel Adams, named after one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, has given us a decent line of beers, from the sweet, almost dessert-like Cherry Wheat to the absolutely awful Old Fezziwig Ale.

Before I talk about the brew itself, I want it to say that I’m not a fan of most beer made by Sam Adams. I feel that all Sam’s taste the same, and that one taste isn’t very good. The Boston Lager, its staple beer, tastes too malty and, well, not too fucking good- it certainly doesn't deserve the praise that it receives. Sam’s “prides” itself on the beer it brews, and that’s really too bad because they could probably do a better job at it consider the popularity of the brewery.

Anyhow, on to the tasting.

The color of this beer is good, medium with a rich golden-orange color. I’d like to add that this is one of the best looking, most colorful Sam Adams bottles (maybe even Octoberfest bottles) that I’ve seen. Every other aspect of this beer is, well, frankly it’s pretty bland. The smell isn’t noticeable and the taste is pretty bland, definitely not what I would expect from an Octoberfest style of brew.

Sam’s says “Samuel Adams  Octoberfest masterfully blends together five roasts of malt to create a delicious harmony of sweet flavors including caramel and toffee.” This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Even my girlfriend, who knows next to nothing about beer (she loves Coors), said that “It tastes like flat crappy Keystone…” and I couldn’t agree more. It just isn’t worth paying for, or drinking for that matter. Save your bucks and buy one of the other beers I reviewed today.

With Buffalo Bill’s take on the pumpkin ale, I have to go back to the sweetness of the smell on this beer. I’ve never tasted anything like it- the cinnamon and sweet nutmeg combo is great and the color is almost funny; it really is orange like a pumpkin. Any beer lover, or even non-beer lover, would enjoy this beer.

The Brooklyn Oktoberfest is heavy and hoppy, nice and alcoholic and a whole hell of a lot better than the Sam’s I sampled… although I’ll probably pass up another opportunity to drink it.

The Sam’s Octoberfest is awful, just like most of the beers that come from the Boston staple brewery. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who values their taste buds.

Buffalo Bill's 9/10
Brooklyn 5/10
Sam's 2/10