Von Albrecht
Bull N Bear Brewery

Beautiful beer, very dark for the style but quite appealing.

Nose is inviting and rich. On the palate, it's wonderfully bready yet clean. Notes of tarragon, pumpernickel, toffee, parsley, caramel, prune. An absolute flavor bomb of an Oktoberfest despite the modest ABV.

A dark amber color with a small off-white head.
Aroma of caramel and brown bread, with some herbal hops.
Taste of caramel, brown bread. Late hops.
A rather hoppy Marzen. I like it.

No canning date (released on 9/9/21, so presumably canned within a few days of that date); consumed on 2/5/22

Pours a deep, clear golden copper body capped with a finger of fluffy and of fluffy, beige foam; solid head retention yields a paper-thin veil of cap, a moderate, creamy collar, and an array of webby lacing layering the walls of the glass.

Aromas of brown bread open to doughy yeast and sweeter caramel malts as touches of brown sugar cut with wispy minerality over the middle engage with lemony/grassy hops invigorating the back end of the bouquet.

Taste opens with brown bread crusts and a soft, developing minerality over the mid-palate, where a tinge of burnt sugar amplifies toasty malts to subtle caramel accented with straw and hop undertones on the back end.

Mouthfeel offers a medium-light body with moderate carbonation imparting the mildest spritz of grit to a clean, taut mid-palate, with a brighter, light, and sessionable texture lightening to a dry finish.

A rounded malt profile becomes progressively plain, refined to simplicity while hesitating to extend beyond a comfortable minimalism; thus, a solid Märzen, clean and consistent, though with little memorable factors present.

This one pours a clear brillnt amber color. A two finger tan head forms on the beer. Aroma has notes of sweet grain, caramel and brown sugar, some nutty malts, and a hint of bread.

The taste on this is really interesting. So first off I took a long swig and immediately thought it was far more reminiscent of an altbier or something rather than a märzen. Then I re-read the can and realized that this is an Oktoberfest style *ale* ... so yea, its actually not a bad comparison. The flavors are malty with notes of grains, nutty malts, caramel and some fruity notes. There is a certain fruitiness to the flavors overall that I suspect comes from the ale yeast. All that said, its just a nice easy drinking beer - the flavors are perfect for the cooler weather. Feel is medium bodied, smooth, moderately carbonated.

Overall a very nice, enjoyable beer.

2021-11-03
16oz can served in a Kane tulip. Received from MacMalt in NBS BIF #14. Don't see a date on it.

Pours a dark, pretty, clear amber with a smallish head. Smell is raisins/dates, dark toffee, brazil nuts.

Taste is moderately sweet, maybe a hint of molasses, more of the dates and maybe a hint of raisin. Nuttiness is there, but somewhat different, more of a nutty bitterness. I think the sweetness I get is almost a grain syrup, it seems condensed or reduced (in the cooking sense, intensified by the reduction of water dilution). The bitterness is pretty substantial. There's a lot going on here. In some ways, it reminds me of Spaten's Oktoberfest, but better (I'm not a huge fan of Spaten's Oktoberfest). Thinking about it some more, I could also describe some of the flavor as "sweet dark bread" (I'm thinking of a specific bread that Outback gives you with your meal, but I don't know the name of the bread).

Mouthfeel is medium or a bit thicker, avoids being sticky and skirts the boundary of chewiness. Overall, this is an interesting and good beer, not a particularly common take on the oktoberfest in my experience. I am liking it more as I acclimate.

Thanks MacMalt!
Pours a burnished amber with a fluffy sandy head. Great retention, with layered curtains of lacing.
Nose is caramel, nutty brown bread, hints of apple, and a most nuanced floral herbal pop.
Flavor starts off with a solid malt foundation, caramel up front. Then the malt and hops work together to tame the richness just a bit, deep brown bread and some slightly herbal spice and bitterness.
Mouthfeel is perhaps a tad fuller than many Märzens. But this is fantastic. Slightly creamy and almost slick on the finish, this is brilliant.
Overall, an amazing Oktoberfest bier.

Reviewed 6 days after canning. Poured into a seidel mug. It pours a translucent, dark amber color with almost a finger of creamy ecru-colored head and thick lacing. The appearance is spot-on. On the nose there is caramel, barley, and nutty, earthy malts. The taste opens with a good deal of initial caramel sweetness but it's quickly matched by the bitterness of the Tettnanger hops. and the spicy, herbal notes of the Hallertau. As it ages, there is also a really pleasing touch of chocolate. It's a very well-balanced Märzen and has the depth of flavor typical of Bull n Bear's European styles. The mouth feel is appropriately creamy and the 6% ABV is just right. Overall, Von Albrecht is a fine Märzen - just what I would expect from Bull n Bear. This is right up there with Ramstein as a premier New Jersey-brewed example of the style.