Beer of the Weekend #608: Confluence Oktoberfest
‘Tis the season for beer festivals and Oktoberfests! On of top of a couple event articles I am working on, the LV wants me to write a guide to Oktoberfest beers and pumpkin ales. I do not think it is going to happen, despite the fact I keep telling them I will get to it soon. I do not have the time nor the patience. (Of course, I say that now.) The days are getting shorter, the leaves on the trees are beginning to change, and the evenings and nights have taken on that autumnal beauty and coolness. Fall is in the air. The last thing I want to do is stay inside and chain myself to my laptop, even if there is beer involved.
Nonetheless, the beer of the weekend is a beer I would probably feature in that Oktoberfest guide: Oktoberfest, brewed by the Confluence Brewing Company of Des Moines, Iowa.
Serving type: 32-ounce mini-growler. No freshness date.
Appearance: Pours a ruddy, medium amber into a becker glass. Two fingers of lightly tanned head leaves an even skim.
Smell: Very hoppy and floral for an Oktoberfest beer. There is not much malt aroma at first, but a little sweetness slowly creeps in and a little caramel and toasted malt becomes noticeable. There is also a bit of fruit licorice.
Taste: The flavor is not as hoppy or floral as the aroma, but both are still present and prominent. As the beer warms, the malts really emerge with flavors of caramel, toasted malts, and licorice. There is also a little vanilla, too. Though there is hop flavor, there is not much bitterness.
Drinkability: This is a very drinkable and flavorful beer. It is not necessarily true to style, but I do like the hoppy bitterness.
Fun facts about Confluence Oktoberfest:
-Style: Märzen.
-Price: $8.99/bottle at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City.
-Alcohol content: 5.6 percent ABV.
-IBU: 30.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
Nonetheless, the beer of the weekend is a beer I would probably feature in that Oktoberfest guide: Oktoberfest, brewed by the Confluence Brewing Company of Des Moines, Iowa.
Serving type: 32-ounce mini-growler. No freshness date.
Appearance: Pours a ruddy, medium amber into a becker glass. Two fingers of lightly tanned head leaves an even skim.
Smell: Very hoppy and floral for an Oktoberfest beer. There is not much malt aroma at first, but a little sweetness slowly creeps in and a little caramel and toasted malt becomes noticeable. There is also a bit of fruit licorice.
Taste: The flavor is not as hoppy or floral as the aroma, but both are still present and prominent. As the beer warms, the malts really emerge with flavors of caramel, toasted malts, and licorice. There is also a little vanilla, too. Though there is hop flavor, there is not much bitterness.
Drinkability: This is a very drinkable and flavorful beer. It is not necessarily true to style, but I do like the hoppy bitterness.
Fun facts about Confluence Oktoberfest:
-Style: Märzen.
-Price: $8.99/bottle at the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City.
-Alcohol content: 5.6 percent ABV.
-IBU: 30.
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
