Waddle
Off Color Brewing

On tap at The Mouse Trap. Look was on point. Smell is nice and sweet and malty, just like a marzen should be . Tastes delicious. Sweet malty taste with nice spicy hop finish. Overall great beer.

No can date
Pours a fizzy foamy 1+ finger off-white head with moderate retention, no lacing, very hazy amber reddish-orange color

Nose brings sweet malt, a bit of caramel toffee, biscuity toasted malts, bread crust, hinting at syrupy note,

Taste brings more semi sweet malts, a bit of caramel toffee flavors again, toasted biscuity bread crust, a little sweet bread crust, mild herbal hops, fair sweetness up front and lingering on the soft finish

Mouth is med bod, med carb

Overall meh, way too sweet and too much of the caramel toffee characters for a Marzen, def for the American palate

 

 

 

8/30/25 - (Home) (Chicago, Illinois) Can Notes: Purchased a single 16 oz can at Beer on the Wall at store temperature on 8/23/25 for $3.41 including tax. Canned 7/8/25. 6.5% ABV Oktoberfest Lager, German Style. Malts: Pils, Dark Munich, CaraMunich, Dextrine. Hops: Nugget, Herbrucker. Secret Techniques: Step infusion and Polka Lagering. Brewed and canned by Off Color Brewing, Chicago, Illinois.

Appearance: Poured 2/3 of the can into a tall large mug, yielding a dark caramel base, generous egg white bubbly head that lingers for several minutes before leaving just a light bubbly ring around most of the rim and razor thin cover over about a third of the base. Carbonation slow but steady. 4.0

Aroma: Caramel malt, fresh bread,. Medium to full strength and enjoyment. 4.0

Taste: Consistent with the nose with caramel malt and fresh bread front and center, with hints of nuance with honey, citrus and cinnamon. Nice blend. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Drinks at the higher than expected 6.5% ABV for the style. Carbonation faint and gentle, sweet, no bitterness or dryness detected. Drinks somewhat easy, caramel malt the star from Go! 3.5

Overall: This is a good Marzen, perhaps a little sweeter than my preference, but within style guidelines. Would order again if in the somewhat rare mood to grab a Marzen in the future. 3.75

Pours a very nice rich amber, robust 2" head with very good, thick retention and lace. One of the better-looking Märzens I tried this year. Nose is nutty, dark caramel, earthy and spicy hops, brown bread, Melba toast. Taste is spicy honey and malts, baked apple, bitter and herbal hop, light caramel. Certainly on the sweet side, but rather balanced. Feel is creamy and relatively soft. Definitely on the much maltier side of the spectrum, and one of the standouts from this year.

Hazy copper color with a moderate off white head and some bits of lacing.
The aroma is caramel malt, fresh bread, hazelnuts and a hint of grassy hops.
The taste is likewise nice nutty caramel malt, brown bread and herbal hops, slightly sweet, mild bitterness, nicely balanced.
The body is light/medium, good carbonation level, creamy smooth and very drinkable.
Altogether, this is a very nice marzen style brew, tasty, smooth and refreshing, very well done.

 

 

 

 

 

16 oz can into a mug. Clear amber-copper color with a small off-white head. Toasty caramel malt and lager yeast aroma. Caramel, bready, nutty malt flavor with some mild spicy hop bitterness to complement. Medium body, smooth, easy drinking. Prost!

 

 

16 fl oz. can, no date. Was excited to spot this one at the local beer spot, a little late, but better late than never. One of my favorite seasonal styles, and from a brewery who consistently puts out top notch beer.

Pours a burnt copper orange body, finger of off-white head falls to a surface skimming. Appears sticky & well carbonated.
Fresh, malty, nutty aroma - tons of roasted nuttiness, brown bread, bread crust, caramel malt, a slightly herbal leafy hop note resides in there as well. Smells exceptional. Perhaps just a slightly phenolic note on the end with some hints of mineral / well water.
Taste follows: deliciously dark & nutty malt blend - tons of caramel, roast, brown bread, crust.
Feel is exceptionally smooth, crisp, & easy-drinking. Excellent carbonation.
An extremely classic interpretation of the Oktoberfest style from Off Color, probably one of my favorite Oktoberfests ever.

Off Color Brewing Waddle -----4/5.

Brief Review:

O: As far as Oktoberfests go, this one leans more towards what I like. It's full bodied, malty but not too sweet, nice smooth finish. Think it could maybe use a teeny tiny extra hop addition for a touch more crispness, but other than that it's pretty well rounded and true to style.

Recommendation: Slowly becoming one of my favorite annual Oktoberfests, this is a must-try if you like the style.

Rich caramel malt leading the way with malt profile going towards a lightly toasted cereal grain. A lager yeast note intermixing with that glorious complex malt profile. Light earthy hop finish. Big creamy texture with a crisp finish that is just right for this beer. This over exceed my expectations and impressed the heck out of me. I feel like this beer is what you would be getting to drink when ordering a Marzen from any proper brewery in Germany that knows how to brew great lager.

Clear amber brown body, big khaki head, spotted lacing. Sweet caramel malt leads powerfully, brown bread, nuts and general yeast make up the smell. Taste makes the caramel malt more subtle, which is good to allow the brown bread and rising grainy yeast in particular to shine. Cool, malty, full bodied, and sneaky crisp. Could see how this is polarizing, but I found it to be enjoyable