German / Imported Märzens

Wiesn Fest style -- pale. When I refer to a "Fest" type I'm referring to the pale. I say Amber Märzen for the likes of Spaten, Paulaner (of that style), Hacker-Pschorr, and Ayinger -- that are exported, of course.

 

Welp, that explains why I haven’t seen it in a while...

 

You guys all stink! The Oktoberfest beers available here in Germany are almost all of the "pale" non-Märzen variety. Everytime I see a Paulaner Oktoberfest at my local supermarket, it breaks my heart that the Paulaner Oktoberfest my father gets in Texas is a glorious Märzen, and I'm stuck with the boring German "Fest" version.

Put differently, all of these German Märzen Oktoberfest beers are "imports" in the sense that they likely traveled across the Atlantic to get to you, but they are not beers that are actually drunk (or even available to...) by normal Germans. Hacker-Pschorr is the only Amber Märzen I can get here. Oh, and Weltenburger 1050, which is excellent.

 

Wow, that sucks. We used to only really have Marzens here, but Festbiers have been growing in popularity in the last few years. Which I'm happy with, as I like variety. There are even a few very recent US made ones that seem to be right down the middle of Marzem and Festbier, making it more of a spectrum now.

 

I agree with @JackHorzempa , Ayinger's has gone downhill for me the past few years. I used to ADORE it.

Then there was that odd year that many BA's reported detecting diacetyl in it.

 

I checked the date and it was brewed that year. For some reason that beer got 'damaged' over the 5-6 months before I purchased it. Maybe got exposed to hot temperatures somewhere along the distribution chain?

Cheers!

 

Well, that just sucks then

 

It was the year that @AlcahueteJ made reference to above: "Then there was that odd year that many BA's reported detecting diacetyl in it." Except the beer did not taste like "diacetyl" to me (I am very sensitive to diacetyl) it just tasted off/stale. Maybe just a bad batch?

Cheers!

 

That is likely the probable answer. Longer chain distribution presents more opportunities for shit to go wrong. Another benefit of drinking locally.

Cheers!

 

I was one of the ones who detected not only the diacetyl but a general downward trend over the past few years, however last year's turned me around on that. It was back to its old self and has me looking forward to it again this year. Particularly if I can get the 4 packs again.

 

You guys should probably start asking your retail managers now or whoever orders the beer at the stores you go to. They need to ask the distributor who sells that brewery if they will be getting any of the Oktoberfestbier. Even if the distributor gets it, that doesn't mean that the store will order it if no one asks for it. Anyone who is selling those brands already, let them know asap and ask them if the Oktoberfest beer will be available or not, because it will probably start showing up soon if it's not already at the wholesaler warehouses.

Totally agree with the last sentence. What could've happened there was the store might have ordered too much Oktoberfest beer the year before and wasn't able to sell it all, and might have just saved the beer for the following year, either not realizing it wouldn't be good, or just trying to not take a loss if the distributor never took it back for refund. It would definitely be better for stores to order less and get a variety, see what sells, and pick up another case of what goes quicker, rather than getting a bunch before even seeing how well it sells. I think it might be because it is a seasonal limited beer and so once it comes and stores start ordering it, the popular brands are quickly gone and then places might not be able to restock that brand after they sell out of it, so they would rather pick up more when they can to assure they don't run out too soon. It can be hard to judge these things with the different consumer trends in the beer industry and depending on who the regular customers are.

 

Even though they aren't what's served at the fest, I prefer the burnt orange style. They have a unique rich gingerbread character that really does it for me. The "real" ones taste just like a malt-forward/Bavarian export to me. While certainly not bad, it's not my favorite style.
Pretty much all of them are good if they're fresh. Ayinger's is probably my favorite, but it's pretty narrow. The ones Paulaner, H-P, and Spaten send to the US are all a bit hoppier than Ayinger's, but aren't quite as rich.

 

Did you happen to try the Paulaner last year? I thought that they took a big step forward in that regard.

 

I didn't buy any fresh at the time, but I inadvertently bought 3 bottles (in a mixed box) that were dated from last August Even almost a full year later they were tasting good a couple weeks ago. I plan on nabbing some fresher examples in the coming weeks, though.

 

Me, too.

 

Interesting that you thought this one reminded you of a Helles Bock. I thought it was lighter bodied and easier to drink than most Oktoberfests. But it did have a very rich, deep malt flavor, so I could see where the comparisons to a Bock would come in.

Have you had Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier recently? That beer is full bodied to me with a very strong malt flavor that always reminds me of a Helles Bock.

 

I believe it was newly delivered. I didn't remember seeing it in 2028 and it's a smallish store with almost all of the stock on shelves or in cases stacked on the sales floor.
When I pointed the date out to the manager he seemed genuinely surprised. He told me some customers (including me) had asked for Ayinger so he placed an order for a case. He said it had been delivered and put on the shelf a couple of days ago.
I won't speculate on his conversation with the distributor or what arrangements were made.

That was the first year Wegmans carried Ayinger Oktoberfest. My personal belief is that the distributor sent the new stock to them and a leftover case to the small store.
This was also the first year wehma

 

That, imo, is the beauty of it anyway .