Coppery-russet Vienna-styled Oktoberfest links honeyed wheat sweetness to tannic grape dryness, vinous green apple souring, tart orange backdrop, and mild ginger spicing, picking up fresh cut grass, horsehair, and leather adjuncts along the way.

Middling 7.8% alcohol-doused autumnal needs better up-front fruited malt prominence and more resilient finish. Chewy honeyed malts caress unripe cherry, fig, and date souring as well as delicate orange-bruised red grape and fuzzy peach sweetness. But sherry, bourbon, and brandy whir seems suspiciously inaudible.

Deep golden hue, thick toffee waft, and rich grain concentration hit the senses initially. Creamy caramel malts and sweet doughy yeast underscore clean nut-abetted finish preserving taut off-dry lager even average Bud drinkers would enjoy.

Deep amber-hued premium German lager retains casual yeast sweetness, sugary crystal malting and cereal grain finish (with alcoholic kick). Punctual hop fusion provides medium-bodied intensity. Easy to down, yet strong like malt liquor.

Rich brown hue and grainy aroma captivate the eyes and nose while heavy crystal malting gets prickled tongue-tingling hop spicing. Better than average Octoberfests. Brewery defunct: 2008.

Pleasing 11th anniversary pale-hazed autumnal finds spice-hopped blackstrap molasses battling back dry herbal-floral potpourri contrasting parched orange-tangerine tang. Oncoming mossy peat graining and shrill metallic astringency recede for sporadic apple-pear-pumpkin fruiting.

Lively marzen-styled Octoberfest contrasts sharp hop bitterness against caramel malt creaminess and nestled ripe fruit backdrop, remaining mild and smooth.

Mild hop astringency impedes sweet peach-apricot tang and brisk grapefruit bittering as slightest rye-barley dryness gains malt-y pastiness to clean finish, leaving wispy eggshell lace along glass siding.

Bright citrus aroma done in by fatigued caramel malt penetration, dank vegetal grained acridity, vacuous orange peel piquancy, and random cinnamon-pumpkin spicing for unconventional top-fermented Octoberfest’s unique appeal. Light pallid texture, metallic wood-grained astringency, and lackluster raw-honeyed yeast sinew lower its robust nature. And that’s a bad thing. 2010 version lacked body, character, and stylistic proclivities, bringing metallic swerve to vegetal gourd-squash acridity and leafy-hopped orange-dried cola nuttiness.

Despite lengthy appellation, refreshingly clean American pale ale maintains concise gusto. Grain-toasted honey-suckled orange blossom tang remedies grapefruit rind-soured piney hop bittering. Subtle apple, peach, pear, and tangerine tang rises above caramel malting. Subdued floral spicing adorns grassy earthen backdrop.

Though a tad watery and soft-bodied for German festival ale, brown-bodied jubilation will overjoy brown ale and mild porter lovers with its smoked meat opening, coffee-dried walnut-cola-Brazil nut roast, and ashen chocolate-seeded vanilla bean confluence. Overall creaminess lacks, but softer palates may not care.

Distantly pumpkin-wafted marzen-styled autumnal medium body (from ’07) brings caramelized sourdough, baked bread and dried wheat mildness to arid clay-hopped apricot-pear spell. But metallic acerbity belies bland cinnamon raisin tease and unctuously astringent nutty vanilla lull.