Andy asked about Dogtoberfest, so I took it upon myself to seek it out. Well, more accurately, my wife happened to find it but she knew I was looking for it.

It pours with a nice, deep caramel color and a prodigious head. Over carbonated, perhaps? Perhaps a bit, but not overly so.

There’s a pleasing malty aroma, but the hops convey an aroma of…grass? Not unpleasant, but seems a bit surprising for this style.

The taste is fairly lightly hopped, so I guess they’re going for more of a German style than an American style. It has a nice mouthfeel to it and is, predictably, suitably malty, although the finish is a little sour. Not unpleasantly so, but unusual in this style. I’m not sure what that is about.

All in all, it was just okay. I expect a little more from Flying Dog. As this was my first encounter with their Octoberfest offering I wonder if perhaps I didn’t get a bad batch. Everything else I’ve had from them is excellent.

Update (7-Aug-2007): I take it all back. It had to have gone bad. A “fresh” Dogtoberfest is actually quite good. See: Wild Goose Brewery.