I once got a free glass for drinking Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen.  I mention this not only for disclosure, but also because it had a very happy looking duck on it.  It seemed odd to have a duck, but, because of the cap on the bottle, I’m beginning to think this is an Ayinger thing.

Regardless, Ayinger is a medium sized German brewery, who specializes in a few beers, one of which is Oktober Fest-Märzen.  This particular märzen is the recipient of the Best 2007 Vienna-style Octoberfest award.  Vienna-style of course isn’t really different from Munich style, but an award is an award.  Can Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen win a second round of praise here, or is it at one trick pony?  

 

Sight: Leaning toward gold / yellow, but with plenty of orange tint.  A good sized head, slightly off white.

Smell:  A malty, biscuit and caramel driven beer, with light clove and floral characteristics.  A few grassy, earthy, and hoppy notes.

Sip:  Oh how smooth, but still pleasantly carbonated, foaming slightly.  The moderate to light body and subtle sweetness, is tinged with grassy notes, red apple skins, caramel, and biscuits.  The malt is very predominate, complementing the other flavors with buckwheat honey and rye bread. [A.B.V. 5.8%]

Savor:  It gets a little more hoppy, but the bready and malty flavors keep it pleasant.

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen is a good example of a traditional style märzen.  It manages to pack a lot of flavor into an easy drinking and fun beer.   In terms of balance, Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen takes aim, and gets pretty close to the bullseye, with the only real short coming being the length and depth of the finish.  If you haven’t had a Märzen or only have had an American style Märzen, this is a good classic example to try.

Verdict: Malty Caramel, Light Hops, Smooth
Price: $3.49 / 16.9 oz bottle
Aying, Germany
http://www.ayinger.de

Looking for a second opinion?
Check out this guest post from Adam of FanBrew on Blog About Beer