Amber Lager
Marzoni's Brick Oven & Brewing Company

On tap at Marzoni's in Altoona PA this afternoon.

Mixed look to this one. Clear reddish body, very light carbonation. But no head at all.

Nice malty aroma.

On tasting, sweet, clean, crisp, malty, goes down very easy.

Mouth just about medium. Finish sweet, but there is a faint earthy touch in the back of the mouth.

Overall, decent lunchtime beer, though some flaws.

 

 

 

Traditional visual, good color and head. Not much of an aroma. Taste is ok, typical bready malt but not much else. The body was too thin in my opinion.

 

A press junket took me up to their Selinsgrove location where a mixed-six was conferred on each attendee as part of the outing. I know that The Bros. Alstrom like transparency in such matters & I have nothing to hide. I have known brewer Bill Kroft for years & Bill knows that I am equitable in my reviews.

Man, I wish that they would make the leap to CANs! Marzoni's fills what could be a gaping void in south-central PA & the fact that they have begun bottling is a step in the right direction, but there are so many outdoors activities out that way that CANs would be a natural fit.

If it must be a bottle, at least let it be a standard bevel with a crown cap that Pop!s when I open it. It was, but I still went with a gentle pour. No swirl required as it foamed up to form two fingers of foamy, light-tan head with decent retention. Color was Deep Amber/Light Copper to Copper (SRM => 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had both a caramel sweetness & a minty, but not pine, hoppiness. Mouthfeel was pretty thin, kind of watery. The taste was less pronounced in terms of the caramel sweetness, but the mintiness of the hops was surprisingly prevalent. This imparted a coolness in the mouth and on the tongue that is unusual in the style, but quite pleasant in the whole. Finish was semi-dry and kind of tea-like, another very mellow beer on a mellow afternoon.