Spaten Oktoberfestbier Ur-Märzen | Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu

3.94/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

So I got this beer on tap at a very traditional style, German restaurant, in the heart of the octoberfest season. There was a bit of a wait so I got my first on at the bar while waiting to be seated.

The beer looks very good. The color is a nice deep amber brown, like an octoberfest should. Tan head that dissipated but left some nice lacing.

Didnt notice much of a smell but then again I didnt particularly look for one. Cant imagine it smelt bad at all.

The taste was really fantastic. Ive had my sahre of octoberfest style beers, and this one I i think may be a great example for what an octoberfest should be. Not too strong, somewhat mild but still a very present and delicious flavor. Not too hoppy. Really very good.
I ordered Sauerbraten with Red cabbage and potato dumplings, and this beer just complimented the traditional German fare fantastically. Recommended with food, especially hearty, meat centered dishes.

Felt great in the mouth, not too carbonated, smooth and delicious, goes down quick and easy, like I said, a real great beer to have with food.

Overall fantastic beer for enjoying with a meal shared with friends. I had to drive so only had two, but I could have easily down 5 or 6 of these.

★ 1,238 characters

3.52/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep amber with a fizzy white head. There is almost no retention and almost no lacing. The aroma is dark bread malts and earthy hops. The taste is a little bland, with just a little nondescript malty-ness. The body has a nice smooth feel and the a little thicker weight to it.

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3.81/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottle dated 05-2016 into pint glass. Pours a clear deep amber with a modest off-white head that dissipates rapidly. Very slight malty sweetness initially, then roasted malt flavors take over. Very smooth - little if any bitterness. Clean and refreshing. Dry finish. Excellent example of the style.

★ 304 characters

4.34/5  rDev +21.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours brown amber with a voluminous cream head. Not picking up the grassy floral aroma others have described, all I get is caramel and grain. Tastes like an oktoberfest should, smooth and sessionable without any detractions on the palate. Many U.S. versions of this style are over hopped or too much malt. They try to be different but they are missing the point.

★ 362 characters

3.91/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a single into a willi becher (tasted side-by-side with a New Glarus Staghorn)
a: chestnut with 2 finger puffy off white head on top that subsides after a minutes and leaves little lacing
s: lots of grainy dark bread here (a little heavier and sweeter than the NG), as well as some almost roasty/burnt notes, faint floral hoppiness
t & m: this is a malty bad boy, with a some dark non-cloying sweetness that is both bready and caramel...also some kind of dark fruit (raisin or prunes, maybe) and apple as well. Tastes like fall! Hops aren't very bright, but there is some mild earthy spicy notes there that give it a little edge. A little heavier and less carbonated than the NG, but very much within the range that is right for the style.
Good solid Ofest, probably not at the top for me, but I'm always happy to have one. It is an interesting contrast with the NG...if I had to choose, I'd probably take the Staghorn, but they have fairly different profiles.

★ 971 characters

3.75/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

You want a German brewski with a lot of malty flavor? Here it is amigo. It is smooth, sweet and not very carbonated. I like it for what it is. Every Oktober, I will drink some of these. But that's about it.

★ 206 characters

4.25/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

From Bottle, Pours Pale crystal clear gold, thin white head. Aroma grassy, Grain and malt. Taste Sweet apple and caramel. Light bitter finish. Really great.

★ 157 characters

5/5  rDev +40.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Oktoberfest is a Munich celebration whose origins date back to Ludwig and Therese's wedding in the 19th century. The celebration included horse races which became a festival that added food and beer in later years. The German beer purity law and the requirement of the beer served at the fest to have been brewed in Munich make this a prime example of the gold standard of Oktoberfest beers. Spaten, and its Oktoberfest March lager, has been there since the beginning. All the other swill you are slurping is a knock off.

I think we learned something today.

"Only beer conforming to the Reinheitsgebot, and brewed within the city limits of Munich, can be served at the Munich Oktoberfest. Beers meeting these criteria are designated Oktoberfest Beer.

The breweries that can produce Oktoberfest Beer under the aforementioned criteria are:

Augustiner-Bräu
Hacker-Pschorr-Bräu
Löwenbräu
Paulaner
Spatenbräu
Staatliches Hofbräu-München

Oktoberfest Beer is a registered trademark by the Club of Munich Brewers, which consists of the above six breweries."

★ 1,067 characters

4.33/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This is the quintessential Oktoberfest. Its beautiful red appearance is followed with its sweet aroma and mild finish. My one knock on the beer is it is hard to drink more than a couple since it is quite filing.

★ 213 characters

4.2/5  rDev +18%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

This is more like what I perceive (and taste) a 'fest / Marzen style bier to be. Pours a medium to dark brown color, has that richer and more malty body, more meaty presence that I expect to have at this time of year. Fall is coming and I will drink these all day while the leaves fly around me!

★ 297 characters

3.2/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Had on draft.

L: Brown with a slight magenta hue. Little to no head (not sure if that's because of the glass).

S: Spent grain, slight fruit punch essence.

T: High-gluten wheat bread, a hint of prune juice.

F: Proper carbonation, but a little too light-bodied for the style.

O: Was hoping for more depth and complexity.

★ 323 characters

4.07/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle. Pours a light copper color with great clarity. Creamy, off-white head. Massive bready malt aroma. Light toasted, rich malt flavor balanced out by a touch of floral noble hops. Medium bodied and dry for the most part, despite a bit of initial malty sweetness. Clean and drinkable. An enjoyable Märzen for sure. I can see myself buying multiple 6-packs of this throughout the fall.

★ 394 characters

3.77/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Dark amber, clear, with a thick off-white head that lingered. Muted aromas of dark bread, biscuit and spicy hop character. Taste is rich malt up front with a mild sweetness and some floral/spicy hop notes. Medium carbed and full bodied with a clean finish. I liked it but prefer others in the style.

★ 299 characters

3.84/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours clear dark amber with foam head settling to a thin ring

hop presence detected, slight burnt carmel smell

malt forward and hop infused and a touch carmel

medium on tongue with slight sweet linger, waters mouth

a good example of marzen, I will drink again

★ 263 characters

3.13/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a tulip glass this beer has a clear brown orange look with just a tad bit of amber and a inch and a half thick white foam head. Smell is skunk, some sweet malt, bit of citrus, some cider/white wine like aroma. Taste is rotting vegetable, lightly metallic (good), it has some citrus, sweet malt, and a bit of spice. It'd be a lot better if it wasn't skunked. It has a nice crisp moderate mouth feel and body.

★ 421 characters

4.52/5  rDev +27%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

This is what Oktoberfest beer / Marzen should taste like. All other breweries take note! This is just about as authentic as it gets.

Poured from bottle to glass. Color is a dark copper. Minimal off white head. Smell and taste both of caramel and bready malts. It's like fall in a glass! This is a wonderful beer. Enough said.

★ 327 characters

4.25/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

L: A brilliant amber pour crowned by a 1” off-white foam collar. S: Bready, malty nose with some kettle sugars. T: A malt forward beer featuring kettle sugars and a mild hop accent. F: Medium to medium full body, medium to medium low carbonation. O: A true classic.

★ 267 characters

3.57/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Beautiful caramel color with some light carbonation and a beautiful fall smell. Although I don't see a lot of bubbles in the carbonation, it tastes very fizzy to me, and I don't like it. Other than that, the taste is good and a pretty good Oktoberfest.

★ 254 characters

4.03/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

From bottle at Rattle n Hum, NYC. Takes me back to college day when I would seek out alternates to the standard dreck. This is a very well made beer. Just the thing to ween one from the familiar. Robust yet polite. Welcoming. Good. What else can be asked?

★ 255 characters

3.84/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured a small white head, which did not last long. Overall, the flavor was excellent, with only the lack of a nice head holding it back. Enjoyable.

★ 150 characters

3.59/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours deep, clear amber with thin head. Aroma of bread and taste of caramel. Finish is clean and cleansing. This is highly drinkable in quantity and my go-to for the style.

★ 172 characters

3.33/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

L - Medium amber. Clear. Tall off-white head. Good persistence.
S - Bready malt.
T - Sweet and malty. Mainly bread and toast, a littlle vague spiciness.

★ 156 characters

1.5/5  rDev -57.9%

Drank 2 poured into pint glasses.

Smells like a macro lager but with the addition of an unpleasant wine-like astringency. This carries into the taste which seemed like nothing more than a basic macro on (weak) malt steroids, and tainted by an unavoidable sour/spoiled note. Barely any hop bitterness, and medium carbonation. Honestly would prefer a macro over this, and certainly would prefer almost any other Marzen over Spaten's offering.

0/1

On a side note: I bought a 6 pack of this beer because I had a couple drafts of what I thought was Spaten Oktoberfest in NYC that tasted great. Unfortunately I can't remember for sure if it was Spaten or someone else's Oktoberfest on tap... Reading the reviews here many people say this is a decent Marzen, but there is at least one that notes the macro/sour quality I found. So it's entirely plausible that I had a bad batch along with the other reviewer, but it's also entirely plausible that what I remember as Spaten on tap was actually another beer... Oh well

Edit: Just had it on tap and it's just as bad as in the bottle. Slightly less sour but still nasty.

★ 1,115 characters

3.25/5  rDev -8.7%

This pours with a thin, carbonated hue of barley brown. Strangely, it has a Euro-skunk aroma with an Apple cider like scent. The flavor is an Euro barleylike taste. It tastes like Spaten lager but with more graininess. It's very light, easy and quenching. This is not my go to Marzen but if I'm looking for a beer to cap off the night it's certainly worthwhile.

★ 361 characters

3.73/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 50CL bottle into a pint glass. Aroma- Has a nice smell of malt, caramel and grass. Appearance- A clear amber color with a small white head. Taste- Hops, caramel malt and some fruit for a backdrop, good flavor. Palate- A light to medium bodied beer with light carbonation and a dry finish. Overall- A nice Oktoberfest beer, I would drink this again.

★ 362 characters