Muskoka Fest Bier (5.5%)
I was reading just last week about how 19.2 US ounce/568 millilitre cans, called ‘stovepipes’ south of the border, have been taking off of late, usually filled with strong and hazy single or double IPAs. Aside from the Amsterdam Brewery’s triple-pronged foray into the space, however, they haven’t really made much of an impact in Ontario or, to my recent experience, elsewhere in Canada. At least until now.
The Muskoka Brewery, based in Bracebridge in Ontario’s Cottage Country, have filled their first stovepipe with not any sort of IPA, but their only modestly strong Fest Bier. It is somewhat confusingly billed as “Stein Sized,” odd considering that most steins hold either a full or a half-litre and 568 ml of beer is actually an Imperial pint, but never mind. The value for the money quotient is fairly high, so let’s see what it tastes like.
Copper coloured with a very slight haze, the nose of this beer screams “malt,” with notes of caramel, Billy Bee honey, and soft florals. It doesn’t quite pop the way the more expressive Oktoberfests do – such as the lovely Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier – but it is attractive in its own right.
The flavour of the Muskoka beer actually follows quite closely to the impact of the aroma – pleasant, enjoyable, without obvious flaws, but still lacking…something. Is it excitement? Verve? Panache? I’m not certain, but while technically very sound and absolutely quaffable, there is an element missing here.
What we do have is a palate entry that is mildly sweet and caramelly, with hints of buckwheat honey and also a touch of earthiness with very soft cocoa notes. This leads to a slightly sweeter, gently floral mid-palate with flavours of toffee and orange marmalade accented by hints of baking spice, all of which dries nicely as it heads towards a nearly bone-dry finish with an appetizingly tannic quality and just a touch of bitterness.
Stylistically, I would place this on the New side of the line between Old and New School Oktoberfests, but not entirely removed from the influence of the traditional Märzen style. The more I drink it, the more I enjoy it, but also the more I find myself searching for an excitement that is simply not there. It is most certainly a quenching, enjoyable lager – and isn’t that a goal to which every Oktoberfest should aspire? – but while I could and would happily imbibe a few cans over the course of an evening, I fear it would still leave little in terms of a lasting impression.
81 ($3.95/568 ml)