German / Imported Märzens

You know, there are a few beers called Dunkel Fester... we can really string this along!

 

Oh, man.... I've been laughing since I read this! LOL (literally).

 

As an addendum to this post I may add that according to the city of Munich's website's chronicle of the year 1949, from December 8th (the website quoting the chronicle):

"The department of nutrition and economics in the city of Munich will bring charges against the brewer in charge at the governmental Hofbräushaus for violations of the food law. The Hofbräuhaus had sold blended beer of 12.5% to 12.8% under the name Märzenbier at the Oktoberfest. Beer with less than 13% is not allowed to be called Märzenbier. The association of Munich breweries is of the same opinion."

Verschnittbier, or blended beer I take to mean beer which has been diluted with water post fermentation. 1949 was the first year post-war when full strenght beer could be sold in Germany, and the first Oktoberfest of the post-war period. So clearly there existed at this time legislation, in Bavaria at least, which required a minimum original gravity for beers labeled Märzenbier. Though the question then becomes, when was it put in place? Was it a product of the pre-war era, or post-war era? That's yet to be established. But we can now conclude that this lower limit had been in place since at least 1949.

 

Just trying the Warsteiner Oktoberfest now. It is a touch sweet for my opinion, but probably the best of the four different versions I've tried so far. Spaten is on deck and I've got high hopes for it.

 

What were the three other Oktos you tried besides Warsteiner?

To my palate Warsteiner's Okto is pretty lackluster compared with the other German brands; Festbier & Marzen alike.

 

I tried the Von Trapp which I really liked and would be right there with Warsteiner. I also had Brooklyn, but that was a complete miss for my taste. The last one was Sierra Nevada, which fell solidly between the Brooklyn and other two. However, I can now say the Spaten is the leader in the clubhouse with a lot more to come.

This was my first import and has already been knocked off by Spaten. I have a lot to get through in the coming weeks/months.

 

Well this was my first year seeking out German made Oktoberfest biers. I may have had some in the past but I'm not positive as I've generally held a mild negative association with the style that I suspect came from my only having tried us versions (which I have come to think of as generally overly sweet).

So far I have tried Ayinger, Paulaner Oktoberfest-marzen, and Hofbrau Oktoberfestbier.

The Ayinger is far and away my favorite of the three, just a great combination of rich complex malts and a touch of noble hops packaged in a remarkably crisp and drinkable brew.
Paulaner had its own charm, found it much sharper and finally found that "struck match" flavor and aroma that I had heard referenced before. It was more enjoyable than I would have guessed
Hofbrau is not a bad beer but feels like a slightly too malty pilsner. I prefer the other too

 

I think we have the same reaction to the hofbrau, just phrased differently (likely due to my total lack of experience with festbiers) but ya it just feels bigger than it "should"

I haven't seen the weihenstefan but I'll see if it shows up. Oktos are apparently not very popular in my area, there aren't many examples available

 

Wow. I can't even recall the decade I may have made that statement.

Glad you found the experience enjoyable!

 

I came of drinking age in the post import world. Bell's and lagunitas were my two earliest influences in seeking out better beer

 

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I just gotta ask what is meant by "post import"? The number of German brands is a lesser amount at my local beer retailers vs. say 10 years ago but they are still there (albeit often times too old). The number of Belgian brands are still a lot (maybe even more than 10 years ago?). Are imported beers a 'no show' at your local beer retailers?

I am confident that Mexican imports are well represented.

Cheers!

 

I saw way more imports in the 70s when I lived in California. Of course, living in the second most populated city in the least populated state is not a magnet for imports.

 

Today I found some Erdinger and Benediktiner in the store - got the Beni, left the Erdinger. I'm also talking to the manager about when their Ayinger is coming in; he says hopefully next week, and I already can't wait!

I've tried the Paulaner Märzen so far. My list of Oktos that I still want to get before the season is out is as follows:
Spaten
Weihenstephaner
Ayinger
Paulaner Oktoberfestbier

I considered HB's, but I find theirs to be kind of boring, if I can be honest.

 

Time and time again I realize that I love boring beer.

 

Then I recommend you skip the Weihenstephaner -- it's much less robust.

 

Of course they're still present but they were very much a niche thing in my experience of fancy beer. I remember my dad and uncles treating European beers as very special and the pinnacle of quality beer. By the time I came of age they were a niche within a niche and the beers I was presented as " the best" beers were always US brewed craft beers, usually in very hop forward styles.

It appears to me that there was a time when US drinkers who sought good beer held European stuff in the highest regard, that attitude was largely absent in the broader craft beer scenes that I first encountered and the import section of most shops even to this day that I visit are dusty graveyards of once fine beer.

 

Found it interesting that Hofbräu has come out with an amber Oktoberfest beer called Wiesnbier, which from what I gather is new for this year. The obvious difference is the dark caramel malt used which gives it the amber color. The marketing blurb talks about it being on-trend in offering a handmade, characterful speciality beer.

 

Out of 9 festbiers I could find nearby that were old world, this year I really enjoyed Paulaner O fest the most. Had this beguiling molasses meets honey note that stood out from most. Prost!