On Tap: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest.

Rahr & Sons Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest Is An Award Winning Märzen Style Brew With High Carbonation And A Crisp And Dry Finish Perfect For Cooler Temps.

Welcome to On Tap! Each week in this recurring feature, we’ll take an in-depth look at one of the many beers now available in the suddenly crowded North Texas brew scene. The goal here is to look at these area beers without our local goggles on and to wonder aloud, “Is this beer good or do I just like it because it’s local?” Should be a fun experiment, no? Cheers to that!

This week, we sipped on Rahr & Sons Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest.

Fast Facts on Rahr & Sons Brewing Company Oktoberfest.

Style: Märzen.
ABV: 7 percent.
International Bitterness Units (IBUs): 27.
Color: Amber.
Availability: Cans & kegs.

Overview.
Even though these are still technically the hottest days of summer, they’re starting to get a little bit shorter. And there’s an occasional moment where the temps drop a tiny bit and tease with the prospect of cooler days ahead. This tells my brain that it’s time to seek out a fall-style brew like Rahr’s Oktoberfest. The Rahr brewery has been open in Fort Worth since 2004. And for North Texas craft beer, Rahr claims a spot as one of the leading breweries in this latest resurgence in suds. But its American brewing history traces back to Wisconsin – via Germany – in 1847. Rahr is well-known as a German-style brewery, but it also produces some very good Americanized styles too. This review, however, aims at Märzen, a more classic style.

Background on Märzen.
The Märzen style is a German lager that focuses on rich malt flavor. Its roots trace back to Spaten, back about the time when the Vienna lager came onto the scene. It was typically brewed in March and then lagered through the spring and summer months for enjoyment in the fall. While the style has shifted a little over time, there are some original traits that have stuck around with this beer. This amber beer should have a clean lager fermentation profile, and while there may be a tiny amount of perceivable sweetness, it should finish on the dryer side. Hop bitterness can be moderate to pronounced, but hop flavor and aroma should not be stars of the show here. Overall, this style is all about showcasing the lingering, rich malt and clean lager profile.

Appearance.
Rahr Oktoberfest pours deep amber, and brilliantly clear into my pint glass. The first thing I notice is that the off-white head on this beer is excellent. It makes a layered, pillowy cloud at the top of the glass and hangs around for quite some time. A thin layer of foam clings to the glass even though I’m half-way through the beer.

Aroma.
I sense a clean fermentation on this beer. And while I can sense that this is indeed a lager, it has a clean, crisp smell — an aroma that reminds me of a Vienna lager. I can sense some Munich malt as well as Vienna malt here (although I could be wrong). Overall, the aroma is all about German malt, and I get toasty and bready notes here.

Flavor.
At first, I think that this is going to be a semi-sweet sort of beer, but the malt situation fools me. It’s not so sweet after all, rather it’s enjoyably crisp and dry. I sense bitterness and a tingle on my tongue, but I don’t get much in the hop flavor department. And maybe it’s this hop bitterness that balances out what little sweet flavors are here in its malt backbone. This beer is one of those beers that drinks with huge flavor, but has very little warming sensation for its ABV. The Märzen style typically ranges from 5.8-6.3 percent ABV, and Rahr Oktoberfest clocks in at 7 percent. While this beer lives a bit outside the boundaries for the rigid style guidelines, it hides the alcohol very well behind the smooth malt profile.

Mouthfeel.
This beer finishes bright and crisp. Carbonation remains high through several pours and that helps the malt and bitterness pop with every sip. Oktoberfest’s medium body provides just enough character to make it drink like a fuller-bodied beer, and I’m left reaching for another taste of it.

Overall Impression.
Rahr’s Oktobefest is a very good beer. The alcohol kiss on this beer is subtle and slightly warming. The hop bitterness plays a perfect balance with the rich malt intensity. The malt is pronounced, but each sip leaves me wanting more. Sometimes I think I have a liturgical zymurgical calendar that’s burned in my brain. Let me unpack this a little bit here. While there’s no official start or finish to a brewing year, for me it’s the end of summer that marks the beginning of the beer year. I’m just coming off the end of pale ale, kolsch, gose, wit and other summer goodies. There will soon be more amber and dark beers on menus all over town as we move in to cooler weather. What better way to mark the beginning of my zymurgical calendar year than with a classic style like an Oktoberfest beer? As a parting note, Rahr won a gold medal with its Oktoberfest beer in 2015, further evidence that it has more than a solid grasp on the style.

Score.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give Rahr & Sons Brewery Oktoberfest a 8.75.

Previous On Tap Reviews:
• Revolver’s Sangre y Miel: 10.
• Peticolas’ Royal Scandal: 10.
• Community’s Mosaic IPA: 10.
• Peticolas’ Velvet Hammer: 10.
• Collective Brewing Project’s Boysenbarrel: 10.
• Community’s Barrel-Aged Legion: 10.
• Community’s Legion: 10.
• Martin House River Horse: 9.75.
• BrainDead’s Fill in the Blancs: 9.5.
• Oak Highlands’ Freaky Deaky: 9.5.
• Deep Ellum’s Barrel Aged Four Swords: 9.5.
• Lakewood’s Saint Dymphna: 9.5.
• Peticolas’ Lost Epic: 9.5.
• Community’s Ascension Porter: 9.5.
• Lakewood’s Temptress: 9.5.
• Lakewood’s Goatman: 9.5.
• Community’s Public Ale: 9.5.
• Peticolas’ Thrilla in Brazilla: 9.5.
• Collective Brewing Project’s SMaSHY: 9.2
• On Rotation’s Lingonberry Sahti: 9.25.
• On Rotation’s Jalapeno Saison: 9.
• Woodcreek’s Bourbon Barrel Bock: 9.
• Lakewood’s Wild Manimal: 9.
• Revolver’s Blood & Honey: 9.
• Martin House’s Imperial Texan: 9.
• Community’s Trinity Tripel: 9.
• Peticolas’ Irish Goodbye: 9.
• Four Corners’ Block Party Porter: 9.
• Bankhead Brewing Co.’s Giggle Water: 9.
• Cedar Creek’s Belgian Dubbel: 9.
• Cedar Creek’s Poblano Paradise: 8.75.
• Rahr & Sons Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest: 8.75.
• Small Brewpub’s Black Pepper Pils: 8.5.
• Peticolas’ Ghost Of Alfred Brown: 8.5.
• Deep Ellum’s Easy Peasy IPA: 8.5.
• Deep Ellum’s Oak Cliff Coffee Ale: 8.5.
• Community Beer Company’s Wit ‘N Wild: 8.5.
• Lakewood’s Rock Ryder: 8.5.
• Rahr’s Bourbon Barrel Aged Winter Warmer: 8.5.
• Lakewood’s Raspberry Temptress: 8.5.
• Peticolas’ Prime Minister: 8.25.
• Lakewood’s Peach Artsy Tarsty: 8.25.
• Lakewood Brewing Grand Allowance: 8.
• HopFusion Ale Works’ Hairpin: 8
• Armadillo Ale Works’ Greenbelt Farmhouse Ale: 8.
• Community’s Texas Helles: 8.
• On Rotation’s Moar Blackberry: 8.
• Lakewood’s Thread Spinner: 8.
• Bishop Cider Co.’s Sour Cherry: 8.
• Texas Ale Project 50 Ft. Jackrabbit: 8.
• Pegasus City Brewing’ Nine Volt: 8.
• Texas Ale Project’s Payne Pils: 8.
• Noble Rey’s Bridesmaid’s Tears: 8.
• Collective Brewing’s Urban Funk House: 8.
• Pegasus City Brewery’s Cannoneer: 8.
• Lakewood’s On Call: 8.
• Oak Highlands’ Golden Mustache: 8.
• 903 Brewers’ Crackin’ Up: 8.
• Deep Ellum’s Play Date: 8.
• Rahr & Sons Brewing Company’s 11th Anniversary Russian Imperial Stout: 8.
• Bitter Sisters’ Belgian Tripel: 8.
• Noble Rey’s SteamPunk: 8.
• 903 Brewers’ Citra On Top: 8.
• Bitter Sisters’ Hissy Fit: 8.
• BrainDead’s Gritz: 8.
• Community’s Barrel-Aged Inspiration : 8.
• Cedar Creek’s Fisticuffs: 8.
• Lakewood’s Punkel: 8.
• Four Corners’ El Chingon IPA: 8.
• Martin House’s Day Break: 8.
• Deep Ellum’s GOURDzilla: 8.
• Peticolas’ The Duke (Aged 12 Months): 8.
• Deep Ellum’s Pale Ale: 8.
• Revolver’s Bock: 8.
• 903 Brewers’ Sasquatch: 8.
• Peticolas’ Wintervention: 8.
• Armadillo Ale Works’ Brunch Money: 8.
• Martin House’s Salsa Verde: 8.
• Cedar Creek’s Spinning Mule Robust Porter: 8.
• Lakewood’s Holiday Bonus: 8.
• Lakewood’s Hop Trapp: 8.
• Four Corners Brewing Company Homie Brew: 7.75.
• Cedar Creek’s Grapefruit Haze: 7.75.
• Martin House Brewing’s Big Hoppa: 7.75.
• TUPPS Full Grown Man: 7.75.
• 3 Nations American Wit: 7.75.
• Armadillo Ale Works’ Dapper Apple: 7.75.
• Chimera Dirty Dog: 7.5.
• Legal Draft’s Accused Amber Lager: 7.5.
• Grapevine’s Reserve Tart Cherry Berliner Weisse: 7.5.
• Martin House’s Stars Above: 7.5.
• Grapevine’s Prickly Pear Wheat Ale: 7.5.
• Texas Ale Project’s Good To Go: 7.5.
• Bitter Sisters’ Knock Out: 7.5.
• Four Corners’ Notorious O.A.T.: 7.5.
• Noble Rey Golden Rey With Raspberries and Ginger: 7.5.
• On Rotation Saved By The Belma: 7.5.
• True Vine’s Unicorn’s Revenge: 7.5.
• Deep Ellum’s Hop Seeker: 7.5.
• Four Corners’ El Super Bee: 7.5.
• Lakewood’s Hopochondria: 7.5.
• Three Nations GPA: 7.5.
• Martin House’s Rubberneck Red: 7.5.
• Lakewood’s Antigoon’s Revenge: 7.5.
• Community’s Texas Pils: 7.5.
• Lakewood’s Zomer Pils: 7.5.
• Cedar Creek’s Dankosaurus: 7.5.
• Cedar Creek Brewery Clover Kicker: 7.25.
• Noble Rey Sex In A Canoe: 7.25.
• Oak Highlands Brewery’s Oktoberfest.: 7.25.
• Deep Ellum Rye Pils: 7.
• 3 Nations Mango SMASH IPA: 7.
• Legal Draft Chief Justice Stout: 7.
• Manhattan Project’s Plutonium-239: 7.
• Backcountry’s Texas IPA: 7.
• Backcountry’s Double IPA: 7.
• Wild Acre Brewing Company’s Billy Jenkins: 7.
• Rahr’s Visionary: 7.
• Shannon Brewing’s Irish Cream Ale: 7.
• Oak Highlands’ Guava Good: 7.
• TUPPS Brewery’ Northbound 75: 7.
• Rahr & Sons’ Iron Joe: 7.
• BrainDead’s I Like Harvey IPA: 7.
• Martin House’s Turtle Power: 7.
• Collective’s Petite Golden Sour: 7.
• Shannon’s Chocolate Stout: 7.
• BrainDead’s Red Ale: 7.
• Community’s Razzy Raspberry Witbier: 7.
• Martin House’s Gateway Blonde Ale: 7.
• Bearded Eel’s Purple Unicorn: 7.
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• Shannon Brewing Company’s Irish Red: 7.
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• Cedar Creek’s The Lawn Ranger: 7.
• Martin House Brewing Company’s Cellarman’s Reserve IPA (Amarillo).: 7.
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• 903 Brewers’ The Chosen One: 7.
• 903 Brewers’ Sugar On Top: 7.
• Martin House’s Gateway XPA: 7.
• Armadillo Ale Work’s Quakertown Stout: 7.
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• Community’s Pale Ale: 7.
• Oak Highlands’ Chump Change: 7.
• Martin House’s River House: 7.
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• Community’s Funnel Cake Ale: 7.
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• Revolver’s Ironhead IPA: 6.5.
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• Four Corners’ Celebración: 6.5.
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• Peticolas’ The Duke: 6.5.
• Deep Ellum’s Double Brown Stout : 6.5.
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• Woodcreek’s Lakeside Cerveza: 5.
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• Deep Ellum’s Numb Comfort: 5.
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• Four Bullets’ Black Jack Brown: 4.5.
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• Four Corners Heart O’ Texas: 4.
• Audacity’s Sunset Boulevard: 4.
• Shannon Brewing Company’s IPA: 4.
• Grapevine’s Monarch: 4.
• Good Neighbor Brews Slim Sweetness: 3.
• Twin Peaks’ Dirty Blonde: 3.
• Franconia Wheat: 3.
• 903 Brewers’ Mythical Creatures: 2.5.
• Miller Lite: 1.

All photos by Ben Smithson