Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen

Brewed by Paulaner Brauerei (Schörghuber)
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Munich, Germany

Draft at the euro store in town. Pours a dark color, and goes down easy and smooth. Very nice to have on draft in town.

This beer greets the nose with the smell of roasted yeast. It is a rust colored solution that resides under a thick head. This beer is thin and does not hide its carbonation. The taste of roasted malt and hops fades fast after swallowing.

(500 ml bottle: $2.49 at Bottleworks in Seattle, WA) It’s been a long time coming. Seven years since I last saw this beer on shelves, and I had to drive to Seattle to find it! The date printed on the bottle label is 06.05, so I presume that means it’s six months old. This is one of my favorite imported Oktoberfests, proudly and prominently putting on display the luscious, up front German malty character that I just can’t seem to find in any domestic release. It’s a bit more caramely and earthier than I remember, possibly due to the moderate aging. The moderate hop bitterness lends perfect balance, complementing the moderately sweet malts from sip to finish. Fairly dry maltiness in the nose, not much hoppiness, but a bit too earthy. Body is medium with nice carbonation and a fairly smooth palate. Could stand to be a bit cleaner and crisper though. I have the glass of beer on a small shelf on my desk, with a lamp off to the side, and this beer is nearly textbook in appearance. It is medium amber in color, shows a stunning clarity, and a dozen or so streams of very tiny carbonation bubbles crawl at a snail’s pace toward the surface. The head is ivory in color, but doesn’t show particularly impressive retention, rising to nearly an inch in height, but then settling to a filmy layer with five minutes or so. And there’s no lacing on the glass. Some of the domestic Oktoberfest releases are tasty in their own right, but they are Americanized versions. When I pick up an Oktoberfest, I prefer the classic German flavor on display here. I’d probably prefer the draft version in Germany, but I’ve not been afforded that luxury yet. Can only imagine, and dream...

Dark orange color with minimal aroma of dark fruit. Decent palate of bread and brown sugar. Sweet and watery finish. I believe my sample of this beer was a bit stale.

Pours clear orange. Moderate head. Sweet malt bomb of an aroma with some raisen and hint of vanilla and citrus. Crisp and malty in flavor with a sweet finish. Spicy hops help balance it out. My favorite of the Munich Oktoberfests.

The aroma is malty with a strong bread like character with plenty of sweetness. There is also a small amount of hops in there as well. There is also a subtle and not to pleasant wet dog smell as well. The appearance is copper - amber with a medium head just right for the style. The taste is malty, sweet with grass and some bitterness but there is a cardboard or paper element to it that I didn’t love. The palate is rather thin but OK for this style. Certainly it’s not the best Oktoberfest out there but decent.

Pours clear copper with a big white head. Aroma is nice and malty/brown bread with a sweet similar taste.

(Bottle from http://hitimewine.com/, label marked "05.05") Pours darkish amber, foamy biscuit head which collapses and leaves clumps on surface - not good. Sloppy lacing. Aroma rich and malty, some hay. Mouthfeel kind of watery. Tastes fairly sweet, malty, but something didn’t hold together right here. Had read reports on this being bad this year and this seems to bear it out.