This Is What I Drink: 87

Fall-ish trio

Two Brother's Atom Smasher (Oktoberfest beer)

While there is a bottle clearly pictured here, I actually had this one on tap at a bar up in NYC (these guys are part of the "lost picture" series that may be popping up for a while. Anyway, I figured I should get to posting these Oktoberfest beers before it's too late (pumpkins coming soon, as well.) Oktoberfest beers have always been a bit of a mystery to me. I never know quite how to describe them other than saying that they are rich, malty, complex, and they just seem like they are meant for the Autumn season. Makes sense I guess. The color of this one (if I can remember) was a nice dark, cloudy orange. It was nice and thick, kind of syrupy and nutty, generally earthy. Not exactly sure about the alcohol content, but it didn't overwhelm me in that category. The bartender gave me too much change when I ordered this and I gave it back, so he gave me a freebie after that. Nice bonus for a good beer.

High Point Brewing Ramstein Oktoberfest

As with the previous beer, I also had this one on tap. This one shares a lot of similar characteristics to the Two Brother's beer. It poured a similar color, had a very bready maltiness to it, and finished with a hint of bitterness and alcohol flavor. Again, these fest beers are all very complex to me and I have a hard time diagnosing exactly what's going on here, but I'll say that this one was particularly good. Crisp, rich, and flavorful. While I enjoyed both of these fest beers, I would have to say that this one was definitely better. It's not my favorite style in the world, but this was one of the better tasting one's that I've had.

Baird Beer Kurofune Porter

This guy is a bit of a wild card in this trio, but I think any nice porter can fit in with all of the fall flavors. I didn't realize it until after I finished the bottle, but this is brewery is from Japan. This beer pours a nice dark brown and the smell would lead to believe it has all the basic characteristics of a classic porter. This beer definitely had a nice roastiness and sweet chocolate notes to it. The flavor wasn't too strong though, which is a bit of a negative for me. I also felt that the beer seemed a little think in the mouth, which certainly isn't a bonus for what I look for in a darker beer. It's always nice to branch out to some Japanese craft beer, and this one wasn't great, but not bad either.