Chicagoist's Beer Of The Week: Revolution's Oktoberfest

By Jason Baldacci in Food on Sep 19, 2014 9:05PM

This is one of our favorite times of the year for craft beer, as we can walk into almost any bar around town and order an Oktoberfest lager.

Revolution Brewing's Oktoberfest is a marzen-style, meaning that it pours a beautiful orange-amber color in the glass. We pick up a touch of caramelized malts and spicy toffee on the nose as well as a hint of citrus. On the palate, the malt profile really jumps to life with a pop of sweetness that turns almost juicy in the middle and lends an undertone of naval orange. Earthy, almost spicy hops kick in on the backend to balance the malts though, and leave us with a brisk, dry finish. At 5.7% alcohol content, you should probably just pick up two six-packs of this one, since the first one is sure to be gone before you know it.

We love Oktoberfest lagers for a few reasons. They're almost always full-bodied with good, concentrated flavor, but still low enough in alcohol content to make them easy to drink. As much as we love the way they taste, we also love what they stand for. Oktoberfest is a celebration of a new harvest season, and in the days before mechanical refrigeration it meant that brewers could start brewing again, as beer would spoil over the hot summer months. What it's sort of turned into for the American Craft segment of the industry though, is a chance to drink some really fresh beer. Forget about high alcohol contents and laying things down to cellar, and take an opportunity to crush a few pints of something that was only packaged a couple weeks ago (or less).

Revolution Oktoberfest is available on draft and in 12 ounce cans. Check beermenus.com to see where you can pick some up this weekend.