Lemon Elderflower Marzen
Payette Brewing

a special edition of their oktoberfest lager that they did for their oktoberfest, a brewery only release i believe, which is where i enjoyed it. a real neat take on an already solid base. the elderflower isnt subtle, its fragrant and sweet and obvious, almost like a liqueur or a simple syrup with it was blended into the beer, and it has an almost astringent element too, like elder berries, not flowers, are here, its also a half shade darker than the original, at least to my eyes. i like the way the flower element freshens up a toasted cold weather sort of grain profile, and i like the little bit of citrus making it pop, but the lemon aspect was not real obvious to me when i was drinking this. the elderflower is cool with the classic german yeast profile this has, and it still drinks more like an oktoberfest than anything else, the extras dont take it over or throw it off style or anything. it seems drier to me, faster finishing, and even more crisp than the original, and is nuanced enough to really stand out. i kind of wish the lemon part wasnt here, subtle as it is, i know what its doing, and a little bit of acidity and tang kind of breaks down the richness i want in one of these, although only slightly. a really cool twist on a classic, this is a style that doesnt get messed around with nearly enough, so i was stoked on it!