More Oktoberfest

I’ve had a chance to sample a few more Oktoberfest beers lately. And even some not Oktoberfest seasonals. Here they are:

Roosters Oktoberfest: Had this on tap at Porcupine. It’s a very typical Marzen/Oktoberfest beer, with the malt more prominent than the hops and the malt being mostly sweet and caramel rather than roasty or sour. Really tasty, enjoyable beer and versatile enough that you could pair it with a wide variety of foods. I had it again a week or two later and wasn’t as crazy about it as I was the first time, but it could have been the circumstances, drinking it from a plastic cup at an outdoor event. Still awesome.

Epic Marzen: Another one that’s heavy on the malt, actually quite similar to the Rooster’s but maybe had a bit more sourness. I enjoyed this one thoroughly.

Ayinger Oktoberfest: This is a German import from a Munich brewery, so they should know what they are doing. They do. At 5.8% abv, it was similar to the Epic in strength, though, interestingly, the Rooster’s at 4% didn’t taste weak by comparison. Just another solid offering that I imagine would be better still enjoyed on tap in Munich rather than bottled and served after a long ocean voyage.

St. Peters Ordinary Bitters: Another illegal import from my London-based colleague, this (along with another bottle I haven’t tried yet) is an example of a typical pub beer in England. I would like drinking beer in England. I know lots of beer drinkers have a fondness for Belgium or even Germany or Czech Republic. But the English beers seem to suit my preferences best. They favor hops over malt, which I enjoy. And they’re brewed to be session beers to be enjoyed in a pub. If only these local pub offerings weren’t so hard to get.

Uinta Bristlecone Brown Ale: This is a fall seasonal, and I’ll admit I wasn’t crazy about it. Just didn’t taste like there was much to it. Very little hops, and the malt was just sort of flat and one-dimensional.

Uinta/Four+ Punk’n: Another fall seasonal, pumpkin-flavored ale. It sounds like a good idea–pumpkin bread, right?–until you think about it. And then you realize that flavoring beer with things other than malt and hops is not likely to end well. For me, this one didn’t. But it has its fans, which is also fine. Drinking beer is about enjoyment, and there’s enough diversity in the beer universe to make almost anyone happy.

Roosters

The nice thing about having a friend that works near Roosters is having someone to meet at the brewpub. The nice thing about drinking at the brewpub is samplers. Roosters has six year-round beers plus two seasonals, and while, according to my self-imposed rules of the project, I only needed to try the year-round offerings, they have a paddle that carries up to eight samples, so that’s what we both ordered.

I’d already tried the Heavenly Cream Ale, but since it’s awesome, I included it among my samples. It’s still awesome. In addition to the Heavenly Cream, here’s what I think of the other beers:

• Honey Wheat: A decent wheat beer. Not bad for the category, but I’m not crazy about the category. Rating: good.
• Polygamy Pale Ale: Described by the brewery as aromatic and bitter. I don’t disagree. Unfortunately a tad too hoppy for my taste. Falls short of awesome, but it’s good.
• Diamondback Ale: I’m not sure how a copper ale differs from an amber ale, but Roosters offers both, so apparently there’s a difference. Nothing spectacular about this beer, but nothing not to like either. Rating: good.
• Two-Bit Amber: A lot like Evolution Amber–nothing distinctive about this beer. I wouldn’t drive all the way to Roosters for it, but it’s still good.
• Junction City Chocolate Stout: I’m not a huge fan of stouts unless they’re really good. And this one is really good. In fact, it’s awesome. Porcupine keeps it on tap. I can see why.
• Lay’n Lager: This seasonal is a nice, sour lager that’s distinctive without being unpleasant. As lagers go, it’s on par with Bohemian’s Czech pilsner, but I’d say a step behind Wasatch’s First Amendment. I expect it’ll stay a seasonal, but it’s good.
• Irish Stout: A seasonal for St. Patrick’s day, or at least I presume so. I had it a day early. Roosters seems to have a way with stouts, as this was quite tasty. The bubbles in the head were inconsistent in size, with some being quite large. The foam was also dark, darker than Guiness and similar to Captain Bastard’s. The flavor of the beer was smoky and bold and bitter and pleasant and awesome. So good that in honor of St. Patrick’s day, I followed the sample with a pint.

My overall take on Roosters? Awesome name, good beer. Not quite as good as Squatters or Bohemian, but better than Uinta and way, way better than Tracks. I don’t get up that way too often, but it’s good to have options if I am.