Gone but not forgotten
Have you ever heard of Pennichuck Brewery? If you have, you know how special their beers are today. If not, don’t go looking for them at your local bottle shop: this little New Hampshire brewery closed it’s doors last year and the few remaining bottles in the wild are quickly snapped up by beer nerds like yours truly. I was fortunate enough to come across a 650ml bottle of The Big O Ocktoberfest Lager at Smiley’s in Dover when I stopped in there on Kate the Great day. The label describes the Big O as such:
An award winning Marzen style Oktoberfest that presents a dark color and pours with a lacey tan head. Aromas of Vienna and Caramel malt which balances well with its slightly sweet & fruity palate. Oktoberfest takes place during the 16 days before the first Sunday in October in an area named the “Theresienwiese,” and is called “die Wiesen” or “the Meadow,” in Bavarian dialect for short. SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Pairs well with German food, of course. Serve in a pint glass, mug, stein or seidel at 45-50°F. Cellar at 45-50°F but not recommended for extended cellaring.
That last sentence is one that stood out to me. I knew that Pennichuck was defunct when I bought the beer, but I was hoping this bottle was from the past fall and only a few months old when I bought it. Since Kate Day I’ve had the bottle in my cellar, and every time I venture down to select a beverage, I return to that extended cellaring warning. Not able to take it any longer, I cracked the bottle open tonight, and I am glad I did.
Pennichuck The Big O Ocktoberfest Lager
A / 4.3
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | drink: 4.5
Poured from a cellar temp bottle into my old Binga’s Winga’s hand-thrown ceramic mug (a relic form the Portland Street location’s mug club days). Because this is a ceramic mug, I can’t look in to see the beer, but while pouring, it appeared to be pretty rusty amber color. I poured a couple ounces into a juice glass to confirm this, and I can now see that there is more of a brownish color to the Big O. I can also see numerous streams of tiny bubbles rising. Back to the mug, there is a good tan foam head. The beer leaves good lacing. It has a sweet, complex malty aroma; it certainly reminds me of autumn. I can pick out brown sugar, banana bread, and caramel. There is a real hearty sweetness to the smell. The taste starts out bready, but it’s a darker bread, like Irish soda or honey whole wheat. It’s sweet, slightly nutty and has some caramel to it. There is a hint of estuary alcohol as I swallow, but it doesn’t really linger. I can also taste raisins in the finish; this flavor, along with some brown sugar sweetness remain after swallowing. It has a heavy body, it feels slightly thick and creamy. It leaves a good coating behind. The easily visible carbonation doesn’t play much of a role in the mouthfeel. This is a very drinkable oktoberfest. I can see it working very well on a rainy fall evening (it’s certainly working well on this raining spring night). It’s a little strong, but I don’t see that being a problem. This is a beer that calls out to be drank by the mug full, ABV be damned. It’s too bad that this beer is no longer being produced. I’m glad I was able to find this forgotten bottle.
