SlyFox Octoberfest

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Oktoberfest

• Brewery: SlyFox Brewing Company (Pennsylvania)

• Style: Lager

• ABV: 5.8%

• IBU: 25

• Pour Color: Nice see through light orange color.

       First of the octoberfest beers and a great choice. It poured a nice orange color in the glass. The head was about two fingers high but disapeared quite quickly only leaving a film at the top of the glass. Smelling the top of the glass no hops are noticed. The malt and yeast both are easily smelt off the top of the glass. The flavor is a nice malty yeasty blend. Slightly sweet but not over the top. A real fresh bread or biscuit flavor hits you strong. The hops really only added a slight bitter to the mix. All and all a malt lovers delight that's very drinkable!
      So it's October and on top of the usual pumpkin ales we also got some Oktoberfest beers! Always expect malts on display when drinking a Oktoberfest beer. Every company this season seems to have it's own variety. This is one of the most easy drinking Oktoberfest I've had. Well worth the wait for fall. If you're lucky enough to find this one in your Face's hand, you know it's gonna be a nice malty bath!

Rating: ****

Pumpkin Ale

The Beer Stats:

• Beer Name: Pumpkin Ale

• Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Company (New Hampshire)

• Style: Pumpkin Ale

• ABV:5.84

• IBU:35

• Pour Color: A very hazy copper color to this one. 

      The head of this one on pour came up and sat at about two fingers high. Once I bested it, it stayed at the top of the glass as a film. Light has a hard time passing through this pumpkin brew. The scent off the top was much more spicy then most the other pumpkin ales I've reviewed. The cinnamon and the nutmeg where extremely strong scents off the glass. Almost a pure pumpkin pie smell. Tasting it is another strong spicy experience. There's pumpkin in this ale but the spices are really the stars. Nutmeg and Cinnamon really overwhelm the pumpkin and make it taste a little less fresh compared to the other pumpkin ales I've reviewed. At thanksgiving dinner I think you need a ale like this to hold it's own. Any other time though I'm probably going for a different fall style beer. 
      This is one of those ones that really goes more pumpkin pie in flavor then pumpkin beer. Really really spicy through the whole experience. However, they don't go overly sweet. That's what makes it fairly drinkable. I'm sure a lot of mustaches would love to swim in this beer but it just wasn't the best in my book. 

Rating: ***