“Once I thought I saw you in a crowded, hazy bar … You are like a Hurricane, there’s calm in your eye.”  

I’ve been singing Neil Young’s lyrics in my head all day.  We are knee-deep in the thrust of Hurricane Sandy.  Schools are closed today and tomorrow and the threat of a power outage made me work in panic mode to submit a grant due Wednesday (for my day job).  I was stressing today in more ways than one.  Needless to say, Hurricane Sandy is the reason my Malt Monday post is so late.  All apologies.

Otter Creek Brewing’s Oktoberfest poured a beautiful amber color with a nice amount of lacing.  When I saw the pour I was very excited.  At a surface view it looked like a beautiful beer.  When I actually tasted the beer I was grossly disappointed.  While this Oktoberfest definitely has some fall character and flavorings I felt like it wasn’t exactly an Oktoberfest.  Something was just off; a little bitter and sometimes a little sweet.  The taste was rather inconsistent from sip to sip with mild flavors of toffee, a little fruit and maybe some sugar.  This was another beer that just sat on my counter begging for me to drink it; I just couldn’t bring myself to finish the glass.  Ultimately, I found myself pouring this beer down the drain.

I wish today’s post would have been worth the wait, but unfortunately, this week’s Malt Monday selection is another dud.  Who would have thought my October Pumpkin Ales and Oktoberfest selections would be so bad.  Sorry Otter Creek Brewing, but your Oktoberfest is a Malt Monday pass.  Maybe I should have preempted my Malt Monday post for an awesome Hurricane recipe instead.