Beer of the Weekend #1,094: Exile Oktoberfest

It’s Oktoberfest season! Iowa City’s Northside Oktoberfest was today, Amana’s is next weekend, and Munich’s started September 21 and continues until the early hours of October 6 (that is a lot of beer drinking). I am celebrating this weekend at my house by drinking Oktoberfest, brewed by Exile Brewing of Des Moines, Iowa.



Serving type: 12-ounce can. “BORN 07152024 13:25:43” is printed on the bottom of the can. Kudos to Exile for printing the born-on date and the exact time.

Appearance: Poured into my 300 ml stange. The color is honey caramel. Two fingers of bubbly, buttery, light tan head settles slowly.

Smell: Toasted malt, caramel, a touch of cherry licorice, honey, and brown sugar.

Taste: Smooth and drinkable. It has an earthy edge. There are flavors of caramel, toast, cocoa, brown sugar, honey, and cherry licorice.

Fun facts about Exile Oktoberfest:

• Style: Märzen.

• Price: $10.79 for a sixer of 12-ounce cans at Gary’s in Mount Vernon, Iowa.

• Alcohol content: 5.9 percent ABV.

• There have to better names for Oktoberfest beers than Oktoberfest. C’mon, get creative! Dig for inspiration! There have to be some good Oktoberfest themes, traditions, and people worth naming a beer after.

The Quiet Man’s grade: B.