It’s been a hell of a day at both work and at home. All I have to say is, don’t buy Windows 7 preinstalled, and definitely don’t by a Gateway computer. So, that being said, I went to the beer fridge looking for the biggest beer I could find that would qualify for my Oktoberfest Challenge. This Heavy Seas series Imperial Oktoberfest from Clipper City fit the bill at 8% ABV. The bottle said that it is “Malt focused, rich amber lager brewed with ridiculous amounts of Vienna and Munich malts.”
It was crystal clear and copper colored. The head quickly dissolved into almost no head at all, but that did allow me to easily smell the sweet caramel malt aroma.
The body was solidly medium, and it had a very smooth and crisp mouthfeel. There was a little malt flavor up front, followed by a much bigger malt flavor combined with an high alcohol-like astringency. It was all malt flavored, as no hops were noticeable at all. However, the alcohol heat continued to warm my belly and throat, even though my tastebuds started to get used to the alcohol flavor.
I would pair this with a nice big bowl of chili, as it would take a hearty meal to stand up to the flavor and alcohol heat from this beer. Make it seasonal, and try it with some turkey chili.
I was a little bit nervous to try this one after my bad experience with The Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale from Clipper City. While this one had some alcohol flavor and heat, it was not terrible, and might even be good to warm you up on a very cool October day. Overall, it was a decent high alcohol Oktoberfest which, if I had it again, I might age a bit to mellow the alcohol astringency.
My Rating: 
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