New Beer Weekend #113

What is an Austrian Märzen beer?

Today’s beer is labeled as being an “Austrian – style Märzen".

I have consumed a lot of beer in my beer appreciation avocation but this is the first time I have seen this sort of beer branding. So, the question remains: what is an Austrian Märzen. From a quick web search:

“Austrian Märzen

Arguably the national beer of Austria, Märzen shares some similarities with its cross-border cousin, the Bavarian Helles. While Bavarian Helles is the light golden seasonal favorite at Oktoberfest, Austrian Märzen tends to be more golden and amber in color; although lighter than a Vienna lager. It also has a sweeter taste due to the (often) caramel malts. A Märzen from Austria generally has a stronger malt character than the Bavarian variety, too. As a result, you’ll taste things like bread and spice more than grassy herbs and citrus fruit.

Märzen is the most popular style of Austrian beer

As the most popular style of Austrian beer, it’s not difficult to find a Märzen at most bars throughout the country at any time of year. Indeed, the default beer on tap is probably a Märzen, not a pilsener.

The tastiest Austrian Märzen beers include:

Augustiner Bräu Kloster Mülln’s Märzen (Salzburg)

Brauerei Hirt’s Hirter 1270er (Micheldorf, Carinthia)

Schnaitl’s Gundertshausner Bräu (Eggelsberg, Upper Austria)

Stiegl’s Stiegl Spezial (Salzburg)”

https://www.expatica.com/at/lifestyle/food-drink/austrian-beer-106181/

So, from the above it seems that an Austrian Märzen is a more malty version of a Helles?

Below is how Schilling details this beer in their website:

“Konstantin

Austrian-style Märzen

Konstantin is a rich, light-ruby colored seasonal lager. Double-decocted for complexity. Drier and lighter in color than most German-style Märzens, biscuit and bread-like malt note shine in the flavor and aroma.

ABV: 5.0%”

Given the above ABV value of 5% this is similar to a Munich Helles in this regard.

Let’s do some drinking and see if this Schilling beer is consistent with the above website description.

Served in my Sly Fox Willi Becher glass:

Appearance:

Amber colored with a BIG fluffy off-white head.

Aroma:

Mostly a toasted bread aroma but there is a hint of caramel on the nose as well.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with a notable toasted bread flavor accompanied with subtle caramel in the background. There is a low-moderate hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel

Light - medium bodied with a dry finish.

Overall

I enjoyed drinking this beer, it is very good! It has the quality that the Germans would describe as süffig (drinkable).

FWIW if I was presented with this beer as a blind drinking experience I reckon I would state this beer is a Vienna Lager.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet

 

Dogs have been walked and I'm working on the grocery shopping list.
I'm watching Georgia/South Carolina, and it could get ugly.
I'm drinking Saison from Funkwerks in Fort Collins, CO.

A clear gold color, small white head.
Yeasty aroma, some citrus, some fruit, a hint of spice.
Taste of apple, lemon, and yeast. Some pepper late.
Crisp finish.
Nice beer!

 

I’m early today, mostly because I was able to add a beer for Founders! Their ArtPrize beer this year is a BA Lime Gose. That’s sessionable.
This is one of the rare ones that has the total as better than the individual parts as it makes no sense otherwise.
A lime Gose aged in Tequila barrels and still comes out at 5% ABV.
Served while volunteering at ArtPrize.
Poured light amber color and sported a nice ivory colored head. Compared to the others we were serving, this one was a dream.
The aroma was faint, but for me that is the norm. I did get some funky lime (which is a bad description, it was pleasant)
The taste shines. I got no Tequila but the lime is light and faintly accented by the salt. Some mellow malts and a touch of funk round it out.
The feel was a double take for me, at first I was put off by the body but then I recalled the BA aspect and was then impressed by how quaffable it is.
Another beer that shouldn’t be that is and it is good! I hope they package it.
Apologies for no pictures, I didn’t think to take a photo of one of plastic “glasses” we served them in. I’m not sure if there is even art for the label yet.
Cheers all!

 

I do really appreciate your posts here, I always learn something.

 

Cheers to learning!

 

I am excited to try this beer. I believe it has the pedigree to be one of the greatest NEIIPAs ever. The color is perfect. Golden sunflower honey sunshine yellow. Just how I like it. Minimal foam, which quickly disappears. The smell is strong. Mango, orange, papaya, and honeydew scents are clear. The flavor is a true hybrid of Toppling Goliath Brewing and Equilibrium Brewery at their finest. It has the electric butter of Toppling Goliath Brewing, with the mango candy of Equilibrium Brewery. It tastes like a sweeter version of King Sue. It is delicious. Flavors of mango, orange, papaya, and honeydew come through, just like with the scent. The mouthfeel is soupy, juicy, smooth, and full. The carbonation is light. Overall, this is a very delicious NEIIPA. One of the best.

 

Notch Brewing is slowly arriving in Vermont. This is such a welcome counterpoint to the over-representation of sludgy hop-crammed beer and joins other regional brewers that specialize in lager.
Welcome Tenner, Czech style Pale Lager, 4% abv, canned 9/7/22! Triple decocted Moravian floor malt in the hands of skillful brewers, yes please.
It pours a bright and completely clear golden honey color with a white quickly receding foam. Such a beautiful beer. Aroma of rich sweet malted grain, citrus pith, grassy dandelion flower. The taste is so rich in that malt flavor and offers a firm but not overbearing bitterness to finish dry and clean. You want to drink more because it is just so damn pleasant. Hoping they have a festbier showing up in state soon.

 

Does your can say where that beer was brewed? I know that some Notch beers are brewed via contract brewing at Zero Gravity.

Cheers!

 

Can says Salem, MA brewed and canned. Thanks, Jack, for this revelation though. Zero Gravity is one of my favorite VT breweries with a wonderful lager portfolio. Contracting with Notch can only bring great things to such good things. Cheers!

 

Oddly enough, not at first, i must have grabbed one of the first run throughs while i was up there. The Salem lager was quite hoppy, in fact it was more pils than helles; which it is labeled as.

They later confirmed the IBUs were off on the cans but “that happens when your dialing in…”

It was a good beer but not the beer it’s supposed to be according to them. Hopefully they ironed it out by now.

I can’t wait to join later with Big Hoppy

 

Thanks for the information. I’ll certainly check cans on future purchases. I wonder if your insight regarding dialing in is spot on so current cans will be MA brewed to maintain brand presence.
I too picked up a single Big Hoppy. I’ll join you later. Cheers.

 

Can the Zero Gravity brewhouse conduct a triple decoction mash?

Re: "Triple decocted Moravian floor malt..."

Cheers!

P.S. FWIW I have had the Zero Gravity Green State Lager a number of times and I thought those beers were OK/good; not a beer I would regularly choose to purchase but maybe I am spoiled by the lagers we have brewed in Pennsylvania.

 

This is my 2nd Toppling Goliath Brewing collaboration NEIIPA today. This one is with North Park Beer Company. The look is a nice sunset orange/breaded chicken color. The is a 2 velociraptor finger foam top, which is slowly and digested into eternity. The smell is sweet and fruity. The are scents of pear, grapefruit, apple, orange, and cherry. The taste is sweeter than it is juicy, but there are fruit flavors of starfruit, guava, pear, apple, and cantaloupe. There is a touch of bready bitterness. The mouthfeel is soupy, thick, rich, and full, with medium carbonation. Overall, this is a good NEIIPA, but I don't think I would seek it out again.

 

Was at Great Heights Brewing today. After having some of their wonderful Oktoberfest, I went with their new and really big English Barleywine.

Jamaican Legend, Rum Barrel Aged Barleywine. 14.2% ABV.


Pours a dark, almost opaque murky ruby/brown color. A small beige head forms, and light lace left behind.
Aroma is of rum soaked raisins. Dark fruits of cherries as well. Molasses, toasted malts and brown bread. Some warming alcohol heat.
Taste wise, like the nose, toasted wood and rum soaked raisins. Dark fruits, burnt caramel sugars and molasses. Toasted malts and brown bread. Alcohol is certainly there, and is more warming than burning.
A full body that is syrupy and thick. That and the alcohol makes this a for sure sipper. As this warms the alcohol takes over just a tad too much for me.

I guess I don't gravitate towards these huge beers as much as I use to. I think I would score this much higher if I reviewed a handful of years ago. Still an enjoyable big barrel aged Barleywine that I can come back to on occasion, but I will have to be in the right mood.

Overall score is 3.86 which is a very respectable B+ for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50326/618796/?ba=champ103#lists

 

Fresh Hop Ripe at Great Notion

New notebook!

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Quick post here from the Oktoberfest at Back Shed Brewing in Waite Park, MN. I will be headed after this to @Alefflicted 's wedding reception.

https://imgur.io/a/6bPYebB
Oktoberfest - Back Shed Brewing - 5.5% ABV

First off, this is a traditional Oktoberfest, not made in the American style. There is no caramel flavors going on here that I get in the American style. This is full on German here. Lighter in color, but full on biscuit flavor, with a hint of bitterness on the back.

Very well made, and I am happy as heck with it.

Review:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/61553/621547/

3.99/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Clear golden pour with a bit of a white head when poured from the tap. Some lacing on the glass. Carbonation bubbles rising in the glass, not too fast, but there.
Nose is not too powerful. I do get a bit of biscuit from the malts.
Taste is malty. I get biscuit. There is a bit of earthiness here as well. The finish has a slight bitterness from the hops. This is brewed in the traditional style, not American. There is no caramel that the American ones have. This is good.
The body is quite solid and full for the 5.5% ABV.
Solid well made traditional Oktoberfest.


Ok, got to finish up my pint, and head on out. Hopefully I will be back on tomorrow. Cheers all.