[hopfenundmalz]

That cheese and some dark dense bread along with a couple beers sounds like a meal. And the cheese looks perfectly doable.

The wife does that for a club meeting sometimes.  She says it is pretty easy to make, while I find it easy to eat.

[punatic]

I just pour the beer and drink it with no preconceived expectations.  It is a tasty beer at a good price. I like it.

Cheese-wise, I ate some Swiss cheese cut into 1/2" cubes with a dab of wasabi on each cube.  The flavors of the beer, cheese and wasabi went very nicely together.

[majorvices]

I've been slowing consuming the case I got . . still have 12 left. I discovered something last night when I decided to quick chill a bottle and placed it in the freezer. I left it in a little too long and the beer was almost slush. It still poured and I drank it literally ice cold. I preferred the flavor more at that temp than the 45 degrees I normally would drink it. I guess it subdued the caramel a little.

I get that it may be a bit more "caramelly" than one's from Germany, I don;t find it offensive at all. It's still a well balanced take on the style. Best Oktoberfest out there? no, but probably the best mass produced US made Oktoberfest.

[dhacker]

Perhaps I've given the impression that I really dislike this beer. That would be overstated and I apologize if that's the way I've come across. I guess my idea of a superlative O-fest is a malt bomb without much residual caramel sweetness. This is a style I tend to scrutinize more than most. I'm probably being too nit picky, but I have been spoiled by better commercial examples . . and my own creations!  

Now, as far as the Innis & Gunn Scottish Beer I mentioned in a earlier review . . I meant it when I said it was pancake syrup, and I make NO apologies!  

[The Professor]

Was out to dinner tonight and had a few pints with my meal.   
As in past years,  with its somewhat dry character and lacking in malty richness  it bears little or no resemblance to a German maerzen bier (not to me, anyway...) , but it's still  a very solid beer in it's own right.

it went down very nicely with my meal, and it's still a relative bargain.   Technically very well brewed (like most of the SA products) , and an interesting interpretation of the "style"...I think that it's probably a notch or two above a lot of the other American attempts at this sort of 'fest bier'.

[Rhoobarb]

I look forward to trying the SAOF each year.   Three weeks ago or so I stopped at BWW and ordered some wings to go for the family.  I had some time to kill while they whipped up the order, so off to the bar I went.  They had just put a keg of SAOF on tap that day, so I order one.  The keg lines must've needed a cleaning because when the glass arrived it was murky and tasted like a not very good dunkelweizen.  Damn!  I sent it back.  So far, I haven't tried the 2011 version.

I know this adds nothing to the conversation.  Just thought I'd share.

[blatz]

I look forward to trying the SAOF each year.   Three weeks ago or so I stopped at BWW and ordered some wings to go for the family.  I had some time to kill while they whipped up the order, so off to the bar I went.  They had just put a keg of SAOF on tap that day, so I order one.  The keg lines must've needed a cleaning because when the glass arrived it was murky and tasted like a not very good dunkelweizen.  Damn!  I sent it back.  So far, I haven't tried the 2011 version.

I know this adds nothing to the conversation.  Just thought I'd share.

they did release a dunkelweizen this fall IIRC - one of the Beer Lover's Choice - sure they didn't just mix that up there?

never had it so I don't know if its any good, but it was in the newsletter a few weeks ago and I think I saw it in the mix pack for fall.

[Rhoobarb]

... they did release a dunkelweizen this fall IIRC - one of the Beer Lover's Choice - sure they didn't just mix that up there?...

No, this was on tap and I saw the O'fest tap handle the bartender poured it from.  If it was their DW, it was pretty lackluster.

[bluesman]

Picked up a six pack of SA Ofest and just finished a bottle. Nice bready and toasty aroma. Rich German malt with a toasty note. Pleasant hop bitterness with a low Noble hop flavor. Smooth and very drinkable. Seems a tad low on body but otherwise good example of an Ofest. I give it a 34.

Nice job by SA. 

[euge]

I was on my third 12 pack and it turned in my mouth. Maybe it was overkill but I lost my taste for it. I'll take a stab at making my own next year.

[The Professor]

Picked up a six pack of SA Ofest and just finished a bottle. Nice bready and toasty aroma. Rich German malt with a toasty note. Pleasant hop bitterness with a low Noble hop flavor. Smooth and very drinkable. Seems a tad low on body but otherwise good example of an Ofest. I give it a 34.

Nice job by SA. 

Yeah, they really did alright. 
if I were going to be picky, I'd say there was a bit too much Caramel (which really wouldn't be in a German O-Fest at all) and maybe they could have dialed back the hops just a bit to let the malts come through more ...but overall, it's a good product and one of the best of the stateside interpretations on a Mäerzen.   
In any case, it's a good buy.
Definitely on my short list of commercial beer buys.

[MDixon]

Had it several times on draft lately, pretty good, so when I spied the case for 24 beans at Costco it somehow jumped into my cart and made it to the house and into the fridge...funny how that can happen...

[theDarkSide]

Had it several times on draft lately, pretty good, so when I spied the case for 24 beans at Costco it somehow jumped into my cart and made it to the house and into the fridge...funny how that can happen...

Finally...someone to corroborate when I've been telling my wife all these years!!! 

[weithman5]

saw it at costco and it was next to the leinenklugels.  went for the leine. i don't normally buy more than a 12 of something and didn't want the big case of sam's. maybe next year

[tygo]

GABF bronze for this one.