2018 Sierra Nevada & Weihenstephan Oktoberfest

I had been trying to resist purchasing Fall beer until the start of September, but I recently caved. Three beers immediately caught my eye and I was waiting for any reason to drink them. A couple nights on the cooler side occurred recently and I felt it was the perfect time to start sampling some of my Fall favorites. The first was Southern Tier Warlock and this year’s batch is delicious. It delivers the taste of Fall in a bottle. The second beer I could not pass up on is Genesee Oktoberfest. It is an unmatched value that delivers tremendous flavor. Finally, I could not resist purchasing Sierra Nevada’s latest Oktoberfest collaboration with the world's oldest brewery, Weihenstephan Brewery.

Cutting right to the chase, Sierra Nevada & Weihenstephan have brewed the best Oktoberfest beer in the series so far. Up until this point, the 2015 collaboration with Riegele was my favorite in the series. That delicious beer now takes a distant back seat to this year’s collaboration. The look, aroma and flavor here is wonderful. The aroma is floral and slightly sweet with caramel, biscuit dough, a light nuttiness and fruitiness, with grassy and spicy hops. The first sip pretty much matches the nose. The caramel sweetness shines initially before some biscuit dough comes in adding another beautifully complimentary layer. The nuttiness I mentioned in the aroma is bit more pronounced in the flavor. There is a touch of fruit before a light, grassy, spicy hop flavor that provides a beautiful balance to the sweetness of the malt. Everything works here and I am actually feeling giddy here writing about it.

I mentioned earlier that this was the best Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest collaboration with a German brewery yet. That feels like an understatement. This year’s collaboration takes its place as one of my favorite Oktoberfest beers of all time. I assure you, it is well worth a purchase.

Overall rating: 4.75/5


Rating Scale:
1. Repugnant and undrinkable
2. Acceptable but forgettable
3. Good, worth a purchase
4. Excellent, a step above the norm
5. Truly Exceptional. Drop everything, BUY IT NOW!

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Thanks for reading. Sláinte!