Dateline 09/04/2012, by Radon86
Blind Taste Test - Samuel Adams Octoberfest vs Primator Marzen vs Wolters Fest-Bier
This test pits 3 Oktoberfest beers against one another in a blind taste test. This is a bit of an International edition in that one is American Made, one German and one from the Czech Republic.
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Two of these beers were virtually identical in color having primarily a reddish hue while the third was noticeably lighter and perhaps skewed brown.
Wolters Fest-Bier - The beer that turned out to be Wolters Fest-Bier was the beer which was so obviously the lightest of the three beers color-wise. This beer had caramel malt in the forefront with just a balancing hop component so malt was the primary flavor. The beer was light but also refreshing.
Primator Marzen - The beer that turned out to be Primator Marzen was next darkest in color, but very, very close to the beer that turned out to be Samuel Adams Octoberfest. This beer turned out to be by far the hoppiest of the three beers in this test having a fairly bitter backend. It did have caramel malt though in the front end. This ultimately was the most complexly flavored of the three brews, however it was also the least smooth, in addition it had a slightly slick mouth-feel that I did not prefer.
Samuel Adams Octoberfest - The beer that turned out to be Samuel Adams Octoberfest was the darkest beer in this test, but just by a hair. It had a bit of a sour taste that the other two did not have, it also was the most balanced of the three beers in this test. The malt component here was perhaps the 'maltiest' of the three, however since it was also more balanced, the beer that turned out to be Wolter's Fest-Bier had the more clear malt vibe going on. In addition, the malt component of Samuel Adams Octoberfest seemed muddied so it certainly wasn't as smooth or 'refreshing' as Wolter's Fest-Bier.
So, which beer did I like the best,... Well, from the first sips, Wolters Fest-Bier was my favorite of these three, and although the others gained ground as the test wore on, Wolters Fest-Bier held on for the win. But once again, I think if consumed in a different process (not a 3 beer blind taste test) that the result may have been different as although Wolters Fest-Bier was my favorite here due to it's clean sweet malt that was balanced just enough to be refreshing, I'm not so sure it would be my favorite beer to say, savor all alone. That honor might perhaps go to the beer I liked the least in this test, Primator Marzen. It was clearly the most complex of the three, had plenty of flavor, but fell behind the others due to its bitterness and slick mouth-feel. This means Samuel Adams Octoberfest was the second place beer, and typically I really love balance, but ultimately though its muddied flavor had me leaning towards Wolters Fest-Bier all the way. But who knows, a different situation, a cooler day, perhaps I would like these three in a different order, because after all was said and done, there was only one point separating these three beers on my score-sheet. As always though, the best beer is the one you like best.
Cheers!
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