Blue Point Oktoberfest

4.07/5 rDev +14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a tulip pint.

A-One and a half fingers of creamy off-white foam retains well and laces, especially for a lager. Body is much lighter than expected, more of a shiny penny copper than a deep roasted looking mother. Looks like it's on the Hofbrau Marzen end of things, which could be very, very bad once we get to the tasting end of things.

S-Very exciting, actually. There's plenty of roasted smell going on, with caramel and toffee notes, despite the lighter body. More than that, though, there's an apple cider twinge biting at the back of this. Something sour and crabapple-y in there. I like!

T-Way better than the appearance would suggest. This is a solid, if lighter-bodied than most, American interpretation of the style. Very much meant for quaffing without sacrificing a lick of flavor. Malt is a juicy middle full of whole wheat bread crust and honey, but is surrounded by not only more of that acidic apple cider tang, but also considerable hop bitterness. The tug on the finish combined with the ultra-clean flavor profile makes you want to drink this in quantity.

M&D-can't complain on either one. Definitely thinner as a lager is, opting for crisp simplicity than fruity bulk. Carbonation is pleasant. Drinkability is off the charts. I could pop back plenty of these.

Blue Point had me thinking they were tailored for mass market tastes, after I had one of their summer ales. Now I'm starting to turn the corner a bit, and thinking this is one of the more underrated breweries from NY. This and the toasted lager have been solid, and now I'm eager to try some of their more rare stuff, like the sour cherry stout or the ESB. We shall see...