Marzen
Black Flannel Brewing Company

 

On tap at Black Flannel Brewing in Essex, VT.

This one pours a light golden amber color, with a small head and lots of lacing.

This smells like a dark toasty breadiness, with some light fruitiness and vague hop character.

This is really solid, not quite as deeply and richly malty as I want the style to be, but still well done. It’s nicely toasty and bready, with a slightly fruity and mostly spicy hop character.

This is lighter bodied, pretty crisp, and super drinkable.

First beer from Black Flannel here - this has been very much off my radar until this point.

 

 

Pours relatively clear golden amber, but very brief head with no retention or lacing; lots of active carbonation at first before quickly fizzling out. Not sure if that's by design or I got a bogus can. Nose is rather fruity and yeasty - at first, I would have guessed this as a Belgian IPA; big Melba toast notes, toffee, red apple; touch of grassy hop. Taste is likewise big with toffee and light caramel sweetness, canned brown bread, Melba toast, rye crackers. Feel is on the full side and a little slick with very fine carbonation.

 

It definitely looks the part, really nice deep rich looking amber and for the most part a very clear beer. The head was all perfect circle larger bubbles that dissipated pretty quickly, no lacing left behind or present as I drink. A spotty layer of white remains, it is islands of marzen and islands of white all over. Updating, as I finish there is no head or white at all present any more.

The first smell oddly enough hits me as almost fruity, it sort of masks what is underneath. The aromas underneath are the aromas of a style that I love so much. All the rich dark bread smells, along with some toast and almost a whole grain like smell to it.

The first initial taste is comes off as a dark caramel/toffee but then quickly turns back to the rich baked bread that I was getting on the nose. The last taste present is a very pleasant just ever so slightly burnt/bread crust.

This beer drinks very nice, its going down very quickly...there is no sweetness at all. It is a clean, dry finishing beer, there is no perceivable bitterness.