Recently I have noticed several breweries flooding the craft beer market. I am not sure if it is because of their east coast expansion or these breweries are at a point where they can expand and quality is not impacted but either way it is great for the craft beer lover! This weekend I am enjoying a solid Oktoberfest style beer from one of my favorite west coast breweries; this weekend Ballast Point Brewing Company’s Dead Ringer Oktoberfest is What’s on Tap!
American Oktoberfests are known for their brownish color, malty flavors, and subtle sweetness and Ballast Point’s hits these characteristics dead on. Dead Ringer has a great color to it, somewhere between orange and red and brown. Dead Ringer gives off the perfect Oktoberfest aroma, roasted toasty notes (from the malts) that are offset with subtle hop notes. What surprised me the most was how front heavy the sweetness was for this Oktoberfest. I was expecting the caramel / toffee sweetness, from the malts, to be somewhere in the middle of each sip but Dead Ringer has these flavors on the frontend. The beer finishes very smooth with the hops and malts pairing nicely to create an equally sweet finish.
Dead Ringer is a great fall beer, from the look to the flavors you really cannot go wrong. And at 6% ABV it also is a perfect tailgating beer which is where I will be drinking some! Because of the toasted malts Dead Ringer will go great with whatever you have on the grill, brats, chicken, ribs, whatever. So cheers to the fall, football, and a solid brew!
Cheers!
Beer Stats
Style: Oktoberfest Style Märzen
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6%
IBUs: 26
Color: Redish Orangey Brown
Malt: Pale, Crystal, Munich
Hops: German Noble
Beer Review Stats
Beer Advocate: 83 and —
Rate Beer: 79
Ballast Point Brewing Company's Dead Ringer Is What's On Tap!
