Beer Bites

Beer Bites: Samuel Adams OctoberFest

Before I am judged for my lack of imagination when choosing this week’s beer, let me preface by saying that I was really, really thirsty.

When it’s unexpectedly 89 degrees in early September – the time of year when all you want to do is just put on a sweater – the only thing that helps is beer. Lots and lots of beer.

I compromised: As much as I wanted it to be 65 degrees and appropriately autumnal, I was – as my Jewish friends always say – shvitzing. So I drank a cold beer, but I made it a Samuel Adams OctoberFest.

I felt guilty drinking OctoberFest on Sept. 10, especially when I had promised myself that my first seasonal beer would be something pumpkin related. But desperate, hot, sticky times call for desperate measures. I needed something light and thirst-quenching that didn’t actually have the word “light” in the name and isn’t typically served in a Solo Cup.

The OctoberFest did not disappoint – at least not in the category of thirst satiation. I will not disclose how many of these beers I consumed, but let’s just say I certainly didn’t leave the bar thirsty.



But about halfway through my first brew, I realized something: I wasn’t actually that impressed. Sure, it tasted pretty good. Yes, it contained alcohol, which is something I very much enjoy. But was it anything more than a step above average? I’m not so sure.

At first, this beer tasted pretty delicious. There were hints of caramel and it was vaguely spicy — think nutmeg and cinnamon. I instantly found myself craving pumpkin pie and a day of touch football – wearing a sweater, of course. The OctoberFest is a blend of five malts, after all, so it seemed full-bodied and delicious.

But there wasn’t much depth to it, nothing to keep me hooked after the first sip. It faded from my palate almost instantaneously, so I had to keep sipping to remember what it tasted like.

In fact, it actually got worse the longer I waited in between sips, as if the fairly bitter aftertaste took a second to kick in. Now that I think about it, this might just be a clever ploy by Sam Adams to get you to drink more beer more quickly. I am clearly a sucker, judging by how I felt upon waking up the next morning.

For a while there, I was really disappointed in the OctoberFest. I had heard good things from people far more educated about beer than myself. So when one of my drinking companions offered me a sip of her Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, I went for it, hoping to be impressed by something, anything.

But after drinking that concoction, which tasted nearly identical to Robitussin, I appreciated my OctoberFest a whole lot more.

Will it become my fall drink of choice? Probably not. Did it do its job? All too well, my friends. All too well.





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