Schell Oktoberfest

We’ve found the key to what makes Fall so special, and its called Octoberfest. This rich, smooth lager uses a perfect balance of caramel, pale, cara-pils and black malts to create the best Octoberfest beer of the season.
Available September through October.

3.2

221 reviews

New Ulm, United States

Community reviews

3.2 Tap at Sweeney’s in St. Paul. Pint glass. Oktoberfest is in full swing so this seemed appropriate. More orange and golden than expected. Froth is white and doesn’t show interest in sticking to the glass. Aroma speaks to the malty presence about to join the party. Definitely feels like a run of the mill Oktoberfest effort. Malts. Little finish. Hops are a little bit more assertive than other efforts in the style. Still not impressed. When do winter beers kick into gear again?

2.5 12oz bottle pours amber/orange with a large off-white head. Aroma of caramel malt, slight veggies and skunk, with mild hops. Taste of moderately sweet caramel malt and veggies. Blah...

4.0 red brown pour plenty o foam. aroma slight minerality. Tastes fresh bread, cream, bitter, tobacco, wheat, very clean and balanced. rich malt flavor but it comes up dry and creamy on the palate.

3.7 Pretty decent Octoberfest. Nice malty ness for the style. Easy drinking which is the point of the style. Average beer overall (which means good because beer taste good).

3.3 12 oz bottle pours amber with a off white head. Aroma of malts, grain and some grass. Taste is caramel, malts and grass.

3.2 Pours copper with a medium head. Aroma is malty. Nice full mouth feel, tastes of caramel malts and slight good bitter. Pleasant finish. Good beer.

3.3 One of the better U.S.-made Oktoberfests. Balanced for the style, smooth throughout. Well done.

3.5 Poured a mid red-gold with a moderate head and lacing. Aroma was of sweet, fruity malts. Taste was slightly nutty maltiness with a moderate hop finish. Palate was fairly nice. Overall, a fine Octoberfest from Schell.

3.6 Bottle poured into a dimpled mug. Pours a lighter copper with slowly diminishing beige head with some moderate lacing. Aroma is mild which is typical of the style. Some light caramel, and fruitiness present. Flavor is full and rich - toasted bread, rich candy-like caramel and leaves no aftertaste (smooth from start to finish). Overall, this is one of the best US versions of this style of bier that I’ve had.

3.2 One of the better Octoberfest beers I've had. Sweet malty and a touch of bubblegum. Nice fall spices. Good beer.

3.1 a solid marzen. Nice sweet wheat and bubblegum aromas. Very malty and bready. Nice stuff.

3.3 On tap at work...really nice crisp and smooth octoberfest...not too malty...i get some lemon in the aftertaste...weird but enjoyable.

3.7 Bottle. Pours copper with slowly diminishing beige head. Nose is mild - as is typical of the style. Some light caramel, mild fruitiness. Flavor is full and rich - toasted bread, rich candy-like caramel (but not too sweet), some salt and mineral flavors suggesting well-controlled water PH and good lagering, and ending in a thirst quencing mildly herbal bittersweet hoppiness. Great for a US marzen.

3.3 Pours a nice copper color with off-white head. Caramel and roasted malts on the nose; follows onto the palate. Finishes with malts. Nice.

3.2 Bottle, pours amber with a white head, sweet taste with caramel, malt, and yeast, light hop finish, slightly above average Oktoberfest

2.9 Nothing really eccentric here, but its a solid offering from a mid-range brewery. Malty sweetness is highlighted. Caramel and bread.

3.1 Pour from a 12 oz glass. Malty and pleasant easy to drink. Not much going on here. Ok.

2.9 Poured from a bottle. Malty aroma. Thin head with very little lacing. Clear bronze color. Low carbonation with light body & mouthfeel and a sweet malty flavor w subtle hints of caramel.

3.4 Tap - small foamy head, clear light copper color, nutty malty aroma and flavor, not overly sweet like many Oktoberfest beers (that's good), full bodied, overall pretty good

2.8 Slightly underwhelming. I’ll take other Octoberfest beers over this one pretty much any time.

2.8 Orange pour from the bottle. Thin dissipating head. Earthy and Carmel aroma. Syrupy palate. Sweet and somewhat malty. Not a fan

3.0 Bottle. Pours a clear, dark copper color with no head. Flavor is very smooth and sweet, lots of caramel shines through. Minimal carbonation, very drinkable. A decent Octoberfest beer

2.9 Stanley’s Beer Fest 10/6, BOTTLE. Pour is amber to brown. Aroma of spice and yeast. Taste is a bit thin.

2.6 Little bit of bread and yeast in the nose. Lighter than many American oktos and darker than the Germans. Bitter. Ok.

3.6 Originally reviewed: 10/7/10. Cool bottle received from enelson (BA) in a recent trade. Thanks, Ed! 12oz bottle into a pint glass. Pours a crystal clear dark amber/orange. An inch and half beige head sits atop. No lace left behind. Basic tones of toasted malts, caramel, bread in the nose. The body was crisp, quasi-dry finish. Nice candied malts in the flavor. Full mouth of toffee goodness. Bitterness was low. I was getting just wisps of banana in the flavor as well. Different. Decent flavor, decent body, quite refreshing for the season. Good beer.

3.0 Bottle from the beer store. Pours light brown with a thin white head. A bit of malt on the nose. Nice amount of effervescence. Sweet malt on the tongue. Clean finisher.

2.7 Bottle. Amber color with an average off white head. Mostly corn aroma. Malty flavor with a bitter, metallic finish. Dry texture with heavy carbonation. Not one I would have again as there are much better seasonal options available.

3.2 Enjoyed a large quantity of this in New Ulm, MN recently. A nice Oktoberfest, but not as good as others I have had.

2.7 A: The beer pours a clear light amber color with a finger of white head. S: Smells of grassy and lightly floral hops. Some straw is also there. Toasted bread and toffee malt aromas with a little bit of yeast. Smells fairly corny as well. T: Heavy on the corn and light malt flavors. Toffee and toasted bread flavors, a little bit of yeast, too. Some floral hops and maybe a few earthy hop notes, too. M: Light bodied with medium carbonation. O: The corn character really wasn’t very pleasant.

2.1 Date: September 24, 2011 Mode: Bottle Source: Minneapolis Beer Fest. Full description not available as I sampled way too many beers in 4.5 hours!