Avery Brewing The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest Lager

Avery The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest, an Imperial Lager from Avery Brewing's Dictator Series, poured a burnt, red-orange into the glass with a large, sticky pale orange head.  A bomb of malt aromas wafted from the glass, with caramel, cereal, toast, and sweet-bread Marzen mostly covering a heated alcohol note.


Avery Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest opened big, flavorful, and surprisingly smooth.  A bit of spice (I'm unsure if it could be attributed to the hops, the alcohol content, or some addition I'm unaware of) came through and helped keep the lager from getting too thick, supported by a slight, prickly amount of carbonation.  


The flavor is all in the complex malt profile in Avery's The Kaiser, and the hops, yeast, and carbonation serve to highlight, not detract from, the experience.  The Kaiser is one of the biggest and booziest lagers I have tried this year, which may be why it sticks out in my mind, but it's a nice break from the hop bombs one typically finds in the West Coast.