To Hell in a Handbasket

Birdsboro Beverage Company had a beer tasting today.  It was before noon, but I won’t get into that.  After some mild twisting of my arm, I decided to give it a go.

They were offering some different varieties of Svytury, a Lithuanian beer company located in Klaipėda, Lithuania.

They were offering:

• Baltas – an unfiltered wheat beer.
• Baltijos – a dark red ale; similar to an Oktoberfest or Märzen.
• Ekstra Draught – a mild, slightly hoppy lager in the Dortmunder style.

Due to my strong aversion to wheat beer, I only sampled the Baltijos and the Ekstra Draught.  I liked both beers, but the Baltijos was far better.  The Ekstra Draught was very pale yellow in color with little to no head.  It was a mild lager with a plain finish.  It reminded me a bit of Yuengling Light Lager.

The Baltijos pours a deep amber with a thick creamy head. It has rich and sweet taste of caramel, which is felt in the mouth for a long period of time.  It’s a good tasting beer, and at 5.2% alcohol you can drink a few without getting into trouble.  The bottles are 500mL which is a proper pint.  The bottles are specially designed and quite attractive; just a bit of foil around the neck for branding.

Here’s the review from RateBeer.com.

For the third year in a row, Beck’s Oktoberfest is still one of the best brews of the season.

After having Beck’s, Stoudts, Sam Adams, Iron Hill, and a few other Oktoberfest brews, I decided to try something new this September.  The beer pours a rich deep amber color with a modest white head.  The first taste had me twist my head just a bit.  The taste is grassy and floral as I expected, but the finish has a slightly spicy taste to it which was unexpected.  The hops are well balanced with the maltiness of the beer, but unfortunately neither stand out as much as I would have liked.

Another oddity is that halfway through the first beer, I can’t tell if I like it or not.  It’s not a bad beer, but it’s also not one that stands out.  In my opinion, Beck’s and Stoudts have far superior Oktoberfest brews.

Well I have 23 more to drink, but I think I’ll pass on this beer in the future.

Here’s the review from RateBeer.com.

Finally got around to picking up a case of Stoudt’s Oktober Fest.  It’s still a high quality brew that never disappoints.

Just a quick note to say that Beck’s Oktoberfest is as good this year as it was last year.  I can’t wait for Stoudts to distribute theirs.

Good Beer. Nice amber color and caramel flavor.

Here’s the review from RateBeer.com.