Oktoberfest Märzen
Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH

 

Look - amber and clear, small head, lacing was minimal
Smell - woody, spice, grassy, bready
Taste - fruity sweetness, toasted malts
Feel - medium light body, medium light carbonation, dry finish
Overall - The body feels a bit light and this brew does not seem too filling. You can probably pound the hell out of these all day. There's a good fruity sweetness and toasted malt taste that really makes you want to take another sip. This is a good starter brew to crank up the jams and Oktoberfest. Pairs well with My Sharona by The Knack. Prost!

Poured from a 330 ml bottle into a pint glass.
L - Pours a medium amber color with a white head.
S - Smells of bread and malty.
T - Tastes malty, sweet and of caramel.
F - Medium body with carbonation on the lighter side.
O - Really tasty Marzen.

Meh. Not cheap.

 

 

 

There it goes, a grand slam for Hacker Pschorr.

 

 

11.2 oz bottle poured into a willi becher glass. Pours a light amber color with a large fluffy head. Aroma and flavor feature bready caramel malt and light floral/spicy hops. Spot-on for the marzen style. Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy. Overall a great late summer/fall beer.

 

 

First day of Oktoberfest!

11.2 oz bottle acclimated to 41°F and poured into a dimpled stein.

Pours a clear, vibrant, and darker rust color, very nice color. Produces a 1.5 finger frothy, barely cream colored head, lasting a while and leaving a ring and spots of lacing. Beautiful beer.

Initial aroma is caramel and butter solids that have been separated from the oil, it's also slightly reminiscent of dough. I seem to get some hops in the floral, peppery range as well. After agitating I notice a mild feta like smell, really does smell salty.

Initial taste before swallowing is mildly bitter and sweet, having trouble noticing anything else. After swallowing it's yeasty, with ample caramel malt and pleasant bitterness. I notice some hops in the back of the mouth, tasting floral like white and green. I also get that butter solids smell in the taste which I highly enjoy, and a note of bready dryness. In there I get a big hit of caramel, tasting honestly like real caramel, not just caramel malts, there's sweetness to it too. I get butter notes too, so it's approaching butterscotch, genuinely excellent. Heavy note of damp grass with a little hay(?) in the aftertaste, as well as almost a cheesiness, definitely umami, whatever it is.

Mouthfeel is not incredible but still very nice. I would say it's very easy to drink, and it feels great while drinking it. Not the smoothest I've had but absolutely full feeling. The carbonation can be reconstituted through agitation, although I don't find it adds a huge amount.

Overall I'm very impressed. It's been a while since I've tried a märzen and I need to try more now. This excels in every category. I'd say my favorite overall part of the experience was the butter solids in the taste and smell, and the big hit of caramel, which tasted like real caramel and really wowed me. This could be a rare example of beer I'd drink while eating, although I'd stick to uncomplicated foods. I could easily drink several happily, especially in the late September weather as intended. I love it!

I will definitely buy again, 6 packs. I'll happily recommend it as well.

 

12oz undated bottle.

Pours clear copper with an in of white head. Moderate retention and lacing. Toasted bread crusts in the nose with proofing dough. Medium bodied with a soft mouthfeel. A bit tacky. Sweet, plump malt on the palate with a balancing bitterness. Finishes malty and fairly sturdy without excessive sweetness.

 

Good Marzen, happy to find on tap. Up front I was getting tons of malts and bitter hops. About half way through I was picking up a lot of banana esters and alcohol sweetness, a bit of caramel on the finish. Kind of played with my mind. I’ll have to revisit this again to sort out my thoughts.

This is the Oktoberfest you want if you like malty beers. My guess is that this is the maltiest Oktoberfest you will find anywhere at any price today, and it's certainly the maltiest I have had in many, many years. It pours a vibrant copper color and sports a good head that lasts.

Side Rant: This is precisely the Oktoberfest I wish more small breweries would brew. It is unapologetically roasty and malty, and I don't know if it is too expensive and/or too hard to brew for less experienced brewers, but if you own or work at a small brewery, taste/analyze this year's Hacker-Pschorr's Oktoberfest, and then try to make it. There's a difference you can taste in this beer. This tastes like "old-school" Oktoberfest (let the price of malt in 2023 be damned!). I honestly don't think there's any margin on this brew, so I'm just going to conclude that this is Hacker-Pschorr's gift to us this fall. So just enjoy it. Prost!