Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Märzen

This beer is almost as good as the Optimator!! with a liitle less KICK - same price $10.99 a 12 pack.. if you are looking to try Spaten for the first time....DO IT!!! you will not regret it, all the Spaten products are kick ass

love it .wish the head lingereed a little longer. great with food. nice dark amber color. medium body. the malt raost is just right.doesnt get much better than this. been told this is one of the oldest octoberfest beers.

Elegant! Noble hops balance the malty sweetness. Nutty, bread-like aroma is in counterpoint with mild hops aroma. Lace on the glass, though the head does not linger. Wonderful mouthfeel and finish. The best Wies’nbier I’ve ever tasted!

sweet full bodied taste, light hoppiness, clean finish made me want another one the FINEST GERMAN MARZEN OUT THERE

What is marzen as a beer style? Marzen is a reddish to deep amber, malt accented, hearty brew, that was traditionally brewed in March, and consumed in the Fall. Wild yeasts would reek havoc with brewers yeast centuries ago, the conditions, and state of brewing beer, at the time, made it impossible for German brewers to brew in the summer months. So they would brew huge batches of beer in March(which is Marzen in German), lager (the German word for store), these huge batches in cold caves, containing natural ice, in the Bavarian Alps. Spaten was the first brewery to do this beer style, UR meaning original. So why go with the Germans? The reason is simple, a step in the brewing process, called decoction. All the German brewers of marzen use this step, and in my opinion, it is a vital one. It gives marzen its signature malt character. Decoction is a process where a portion of the mash is taken from the mash tun, heated to a higher temperature in another vessel, and returned to the mash tun. This step gives marzen very deep, toasty and nutty malt flavors that are the soul of this beer style. Some will argue that these flavors can be achieved through the use of special malts, but I have to disagree. That is why I think the German examples of marzen are by far my favorites, and the best examples. There are domestic breweries that do take this extra step, and their beers rival the Germans. Breweries like Old Dominion, and Victory use the decoction method, and you can really taste the results in their versions of marzen. Other domestic breweries choose not to, and you can tell. That is not to say that these versions are not, delicious, hearty lagers, or excellent brews. They just are not the best examples of marzen. Some breweries feel the need to put an Octoberfest beer out, but do not even bother to use a lager yeast strain. Breweries such as Harpoon, and Otter Creek make Octoberfest "ales". I fail to see the point of these beers, and I really think they should be avoided if you are looking for a true marzen. In fact, if you check my reviews from September and October of last year, you will see I did a series of reviews on marzen/Oktoberfest beer. Spaten UR Marzen, the original, and the one marzen I believe you should start with, pours to a deep amber color with a thick white head, and a moderated amount of carbonation. The nose on this beer is very malt accented, with aromas of sweet malt paired with toasty and nutty aromas. The palate is firm with more good malt character with lots of toasty and nutty flavors. This beer finishes malty up front with a nice bit of hop bitterness to balance this beer. Spaten UR Marzen is not at all cloying, it is a delicious, hearty lager that is smooth, drinkable, and has plenty of great malt flavor. Again, these signature deep malt flavors come from that extra step, decoction. This beer matches perfect with spanfekel(spit roasted) pork or chicken dishes, sauerbraten, and of course grilled bratwurst. Enjoy this beer, and this great beer style during the Oktoberfest season and beyond.