Great Dane Marzen

Brewed by Great Dane Pub & Brewery
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Madison, Wisconsin USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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I finally get a chance on this one. Amber beer that exudes malt top to bottom. Enough head for a lager, if that matters. Toated malts and on the sweet side, but well balanced and very drinkable. Seems to have a bit of a warming glow to help us throught these last cold days (weeks?). Nice to have a March beer in March for a change.

Dark orange with no head. Aroma of caramel and fruit. Taste is of caramel and sweet malts. Dry hop finish. So-so marzen.

Draft at the brewpub. Poured a clear medium orange color. The head was thin and left only minimal lace behind. I smelled biscuity malt and a whiff of grassy hops. Crisp, dry, and light bodied with toasted bready malt and noble hop flavors. So so.

On tap.
Pours a deep copper with a thin but long-lasting white head of small bubbles that leaves small bits of lace. Aroma of bread, honey, caramel, alcohol, and a surprising dose of hop bitterness. Flavor reveals that the hop aroma is more bark than bite, though there is a modest hop presence on the tongue. Sweet malts, bready grains and caramel also show in the flavor. Yet the flavor also has a sharply rounded, grainy crisp dryness similar to a Vienna lager, a very close style cousin to the Marzen. Finishes with a thick nearly cloying palate. This tastes like something that could have been made at the nearby Capital brewery which specializes in full-bodied German lagers. Yet another solid hit among dozens from this gem of a brewpub.

Copper color with a moderate off-white head. Sweeter malt aromas, with a touch of caramel, but seeming to lack the toasty scents I would expect in this one. Mild leafy hops also in the mix. Flavors also include the caramel and a light herbal hops touch. This seemed like a slight mistake. An Oktoberfest that did not quite make the mark and after some conditioning was passable, but than again what do I know.

On tap at Fitchburg Great Dane. The caramel colored body had no head. Upon taking a sniff I was reminded at once of cherries, honey, caramel and crushed nuts (almonds and peanuts). The taste was malty and sweet with more honey flavor combined with hazelnut, almond, cherry syrup, vanilla and oak. It was pleasing to the palate and easy to drink It’s not an ideal summer drink for for those early spring or late fall days, this one may hit the spot.

Growler from Madison. Poured a fiery orange with a short-lived beige head... fair amount of visible carbonation rising. Toasty caramel, light floral, and dark bready malts in the nose.. maybe a little cinnamon if you stretch it. Flavor followed suit, adding a stronger caramel concentration and light astringency on the backend. Bitter floral across the palate picking up tacky sweet maltage midway through. Body was light-medium. Not bad.

Dark copper color with no head. Light aroma of a dusty wheat field. The taste follows suit, staying with a light brushing of wheat instead of turning into a wheat smoothie. Malt is nearly non-existent. Interesting maple lurking in the background to add some sweetness.