Before I am judged for my lack of imagination when choosing this week’s beer, let me preface by saying that I was really, really thirsty.

When it’s unexpectedly 89 degrees in early September – the time of year when all you want to do is just put on a sweater – the only thing that helps is beer. Lots and lots of beer.

I compromised: As much as I wanted it to be 65 degrees and appropriately autumnal, I was – as my Jewish friends always say – shvitzing. So I drank a cold beer, but I made it a Samuel Adams OctoberFest.

I felt guilty drinking OctoberFest on Sept. 10, especially when I had promised myself that my first seasonal beer would be something pumpkin related. But desperate, hot, sticky times call for desperate measures. I needed something light and thirst-quenching that didn’t actually have the word “light” in the name and isn’t typically served in a Solo Cup.

The OctoberFest did not disappoint – at least not in the category of thirst satiation. I will not disclose how many of these beers I consumed, but let’s just say I certainly didn’t leave the bar thirsty.

But about halfway through my first brew, I realized something: I wasn’t actually that impressed. Sure, it tasted pretty good. Yes, it contained alcohol, which is something I very much enjoy. But was it anything more than a step above average? I’m not so sure.

At first, this beer tasted pretty delicious. There were hints of caramel and it was vaguely spicy — think nutmeg and cinnamon. I instantly found myself craving pumpkin pie and a day of touch football – wearing a sweater, of course. The OctoberFest is a blend of five malts, after all, so it seemed full-bodied and delicious.

But there wasn’t much depth to it, nothing to keep me hooked after the first sip. It faded from my palate almost instantaneously, so I had to keep sipping to remember what it tasted like.

In fact, it actually got worse the longer I waited in between sips, as if the fairly bitter aftertaste took a second to kick in. Now that I think about it, this might just be a clever ploy by Sam Adams to get you to drink more beer more quickly. I am clearly a sucker, judging by how I felt upon waking up the next morning.

For a while there, I was really disappointed in the OctoberFest. I had heard good things from people far more educated about beer than myself. So when one of my drinking companions offered me a sip of her Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, I went for it, hoping to be impressed by something, anything.

But after drinking that concoction, which tasted nearly identical to Robitussin, I appreciated my OctoberFest a whole lot more.

Will it become my fall drink of choice? Probably not. Did it do its job? All too well, my friends. All too well.

Published on September 12, 2013 at 1:01 am

Contact Avery: avhartma@syr.edu | @averyhartmans