Mad Bishop
DuClaw Brewing Company

Mad BishopMad Bishop
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From:
DuClaw Brewing Company
 
Maryland, United States
Style:
Märzen
Ranked #394
ABV:
6%
Score:
79
Ranked #26,598
Avg:
3.46 | pDev: 14.45%
Reviews:
92
Ratings:
321
Status:
Active
Rated:
Oct 29, 2023
Added:
Nov 02, 2003
Wants:
  6
Gots:
  61
Mad Bishop, one of our most popular and enduring seasonal brews, has been haunting the congregation with its distinct copper color, and rich toasted malt flavor and aroma since it was first brewed in 1996. This true 6% ABV German-style Oktoberfest combines complex aromas and flavors of sweet and toasted malt, a smooth mouthfeel created by an 8 week lagering process, and a clean, crisp finish.
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Ratings by JamieDuncan:
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Rated by JamieDuncan from Maryland

3.5/5  rDev +1.2%

Oct 05, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.61 by bankboy66 from New Jersey

Oct 29, 2023
Photo of hopsputin
Reviewed by hopsputin from New Jersey

3.79/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
a: dark caramel brown color with some faint ruby and amber colors. 1.5 finger solid tan head. looks like you could rest a coin on it

s: big grainy punch followed by some generic earthy hops. toffee and caramel, and sweet bready backbone

t: follows the nose pretty well. huge sweet grainy and grassy presence right away, followed by caramel dry crackers. crusty fruit bread and some faint herbal earthy hop notes. slight cardboard presence (in a good way) and more sweet grains at the end

m: solid medium mouthfeel with medium carbonation

o: it's good, but very middle of the road for the style. grainy and sweet, nothing offensive, but it doesn't stand out either. easy to drink though and is nice on a fall day
Oct 02, 2023
 
Rated: 3.5 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Jun 19, 2023
 
Rated: 3.56 by cgrunin from Texas

Nov 27, 2022
 
Rated: 3.53 by Zylod from West Virginia

Nov 19, 2022
 
Rated: 3.64 by animal69 from Louisiana

Oct 28, 2022
 
Rated: 3.52 by Taenim from Maine

Oct 23, 2022
Photo of bluejacket74
Reviewed by bluejacket74 from Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12 ounce can, canned on 07/26/22, thanks to Brutaltruth for this one! Served in a dimpled mug, the beer pours a burnt orange/amber color with about an inch off-white head that stuck around for a bit. Decent amount of lacing. The brew smells like caramel, toffee, toasted malt and some nuts. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also the addition of some herbal hop flavors. Overall flavor leans more malty as expected. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's easy enough to drink with a moderate amount of carbonation. Decent enough overall brew. Worth a try if you like easy drinking Oktoberfest brews, wouldn't mind trying this one again in the future.
Oct 21, 2022
Photo of Brutaltruth
Reviewed by Brutaltruth from Ohio

3.71/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
From the 12 oz can in a snifter. This solid marzen pours a medium
dark amber with a nice head of off white foam that settles to a thick ring, subtle
dusty layer, and sports some light lacing. Nose of toasted malts, subtle toffee,
light herbal hops, and sweet caramel. Muted but nice. Flavors surpass the
nose with caramel, toasted malts, light bread crust, faint toffee, and light herbal
hops. Nice mouth feel; medium body, medium light carbonation that offers
a nice effervescence, and a crisp balanced finish that is faintly dry.

Overall, very nice

Cheers
Oct 20, 2022
Photo of teromous
Reviewed by teromous from Virginia

2.27/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
From the bottom of the can: "MAD-13-062222 CANNED ON 07/22/22"

Appearance: The body is a darker shade of golden-brown with hints of auburn brown. The body is very hazy and upon closer inspection there are tons of suspended solids of various sizes floating in the beer. The head is slightly off-white in color with a light bit of a tobacco stained yellow. It has a short fluffy head that has good retention and it has minimal sheets of creamy lacing. The beer looks good aside from the immense haze and floating particulate.

Aroma: There is a light bit of a cola aroma with some notes of noble hops and tea leaves. It has a bit of a toasted caramel aroma. The beer smells fairly muted.

Taste: First impressions of the beer is that it tastes like old beer. The date code indicates that this is new but if I didn't know that I would think that it was from last year. Flavor-wise there is a bit of a watered down malt flavor up front with a bit of a nutty character that is dull around the middle. The beer doesn't change much as it progresses across the palate.

Mouthfeel: It is medium bodied and it is a bit on the heavier side. Drinkability for the style is a bit low; it would be fine with an appetizer but it wouldn't sit well with a standard dish.

Overall: The can states that this has a "rich, toasted malt flavor with a crisp, clean finish." In reality the flavors and aromas are very muted and don't showcase well. The beer doesn't finish crisp or clean and instead feels heavy and just isn't that enjoyable to drink. I would recommend passing on this one and I wouldn't buy it again. Generally speaking I have good experiences with DuClaw so I bought a six-pack of this and wish that I hadn't.
Oct 08, 2022
 
Rated: 3.87 by Mikeking99 from Florida

Oct 02, 2022
Photo of dkoehler42
Reviewed by dkoehler42 from New York

2.75/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
Full disclosure, I'm going into this not expecting great. I've been disappointed by this brewery too many times. In the spirit of die Wies'n, I'm giving this a go. It pours a dark amber with an off-white head. The nose is chemically sweet. The flavor is marginally better, but also has inappropriate metallic notes throughout. There are better märzen offerings out there.
Sep 26, 2022
Photo of JuanPn
Rated by JuanPn from Louisiana

4.19/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
ok, it taste medical..13 years of nursing, this smells and taste hospital..not bad..but different
Sep 24, 2022
 
Rated: 3.77 by MJ64 from Mississippi

Sep 15, 2022
 
Rated: 3.71 by travelguy from Ohio

Aug 11, 2022
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

3.57/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Clear dark amber body, full cream colored head with great lacing. Nutty malt, toasted caramel, and toast nose. Taste is much the same but more surface level however aftertaste has metal, bummer. Feel is thin maltiness the whole way. Had potential
Jan 28, 2022
 
Rated: 2.89 by WynnO from Florida

Nov 22, 2021
Photo of DrDemento456
Reviewed by DrDemento456 from Pennsylvania

3.91/5  rDev +13%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Not bad stuff the hops are a bit aggressive and spicy but it goes down smooth with toasted malt and some sweet bread. Can't really think of anything bad to say its kind of forgettable but the price was right at a couple of bucks a can. Worth picking up!
Nov 20, 2021
Photo of Dodo2step
Reviewed by Dodo2step from Pennsylvania

3.19/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
A- reddish orange not so much amber and a four finger head.

S- bready malts and nothing else

F- toasty bread malts and not much else but smooth

M- smooth and easy to put back

O- a decent lager and a nice session beer
Nov 13, 2021
Mad Bishop from DuClaw Brewing Company
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 321 ratings