Oktoberfest Autumn Ale -- Otter Creek (Middlebury, VT)

I have yet to find a local (metro-DC) brewery I like enough to try all their beers, which is why I keep coming back to the Vermonters.  And it is the season to wander through the Oktoberfests, whether ale, lager, or weiss ...

Characteristics: Medium amber color, light to medium body and carbonation, minimal head, peppery bite masking malty flavors and adding more than a touch of bitterness.

Minor Gripes: I'm not sure if the pepper is intended or not -- an earlier batch I had this season was not nearly so strong, relying more on the malt to carry the flavor.

Bottom Line: I like this beer well enough as an amber ale, but it doesn't quite fit the real Oktoberfest model (where the malt should dominate with a heavier body, even in ales).  Then again, just about any beer would suffer in comparison to the fresh Hacker-Schorr Oktoberfest I was enjoying last weekend at a German bar in NYC.

Rating: 5.5 / 10