Märzen Lager
Aksarben Brewing Co.

This one looks pretty good in the glass, smooth and ruby red with a smallish white head, creamy tan in color....nice. The smell is non-existant...really nothing at all....maybe a bit of sweet malt. The taste is wildly sweet, with a following of flat grain and no balance of hops/spice. The mouthfeel is all water. Lots of stinging carbonation with no body at all. I give this one a decent drinkablility because it is absolutely bland....much like many other unheralded offerings that the masses drink.

NOT GOOD.

Clear, amber-bronze in hue; the liquid looks pleasant but not too Marzen-like. Off-white head, at the apex the foam was one finger tall. Head retention was fair; the bubbles steadily fell to a soapy cap. There was no subsequent lacing. Overall, this isn’t a bad looking beer; nothing wrong with average.

The nose is clean, no it’s empty with a background aroma of caramel “malt” and dark fruits. Marzens should be malty with some earthy/spicy hops in the background. Not too surprisingly this version lacked this; it doesn’t smell like a Marzen. Not inviting. Frankly I found it offensive to my principles, don’t call this a Marzen! Yuck. Is this really even a lager?

Vaguely malty upfront with some nice but fleeting caramel notes. Some dark fruits as well. Hey, not bad… but the finish is clean and empty with metallic notes. Any sense of maltiness falls apart as well. Again, the fact they brew with extracts is way too obvious. In a blind taste test I would never call this a Marzen. I would never call it good either. There just isn’t anything here; bland, empty, and lacking direction. Of the dozen beers from “AK” I’ve tried this is one of the least offensive but also further from the style they are aiming for. Whatever…

Medium-light in body, heavy carbonation, the mouthfeel is grating yet rather watery. The mouthfeel is unpleasant.

Drinkable? No. Do I foresee a reason to drink this again? No. Should you? No; this beer sucks. Sadly, this was one of the more “praised” beers at the opening day tasting. By “praised” I mean least insulted. I purchased a bottle at the brewery. Avoid.