I received this beer as a gift, unaware that Southampton Publick House even produced an Oktoberfest (Marzen) beer. Beers made in this style, and not just seasonally, are some of my favorite beers to drink.  The mild hopping, big maltiness, and slight sweetness of Oktoberfest beers work well in basically any situation that involves drinking beer.

Southampton Publick House’s rendition this year is excellent and proper to the style. Although there may have been some spice/adjunct additions, the ale is a nice dull copper with hefty foam. The nose diffuses caramel malt, nutmeg, and an earthy quality of dry hay.  The texture of the beer is full and luscious. The milky texture carries a serious malt flavor reminiscent of unfermented beer wort. This makes sense as many brewers purposefully leave some residual sugars(derived from malt) in an Oktoberfest to balance out the big body and flavor of the beer.

More roasty, biscuity flavors emerge as the beer warms.  There’s a subtle bitterness that comes through on the finish, not prodding – just enough to clean up the sweetness.

Pair with Schnitzel, hasenpfeffer, or strudel ; preferably served by a well endowed beer madchen with blond hair and blue eyes. With no information provided on the beer I would guess it to be around 6%ABV with very low IBUs.

(3 out of 5, Very good/Recommended)