Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Märzen

Pretty amber appearance, which can be seen through the green bottle before you even crack it open. Tiny sediments can be seen. A mild maltiness, subtle sweetness. Restricted floral hop aroma. I must admit, I did not realize this beer had 5.9% alcohol at first.

Appearance: Pours out a clear, basic brown body with a thin cap of white foam. Gee. A bit of an inauspicious start, I must say. Smell: Meager, dull maltiness with light notes of spicy, floral hops and fruit. This is both tragic and heartwrenching, like receiving news a dear friend has died recently. Taste: I fought to keep a troubled, even wearied look off my face upon the realization that blandness would be the order of the day here. Sweetish, vague malts with, perhaps, even some pilsner malt hints to it. Very light fruity undertones of apple and grapes. Mildly bitter, faintly spicy European hops. Sadly, it’s just more of the same until the abrupt end. The finish is semi-dry and lightly crisp. Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: I’ll admit, I was taken aback by how surprisingly bland and ho-hum this one was, being Spaten is one of the propagators of this noble style. I’m simply left wanting more (any) malt depth and complexity and even just a tiny bump in overall body to keep that nagging though of drinking brown water away. Perhaps I’ll give this one a re-visit sometime down the road so I can hopefully put this disheartening experience behind me.

Not a bad beer, but not a great beer either. Slightly skunky flavor and smell knock the rating down in my book. Yet still crisp and refreshing with a sweet undertone.

Good clarity from sienna pour. Malty aroma with sour note. Residual sugar in flavor, lean body and moderate carbonation.

Hmm, the bottle on the picture on here is brown and my bottle is green. And with a green bottle comes… skunk. The skunk is noticeable the moment you pry off the cap. There’s a bit of malt mixed in with it. The beer itself isn’t black and white, but a light amber with a thin airy light tan head that goes away fast. Taste of skunk, Munich malt, toasted malt. Thin body has a gritty texture and finishes up with a vegetal/corny/dirty sox mixture.

Great amber-orange crystal malty color. Aroma is fresh. Flavor is well balanced hops, with some fruity overtones. Malt is delightfully understated. This was a pleasant surprise.

Amber pour with average white head. Aroma of corn pudding, and slightly sour taste as typical of malt liquor. So so.

On tap. Not much aroma. Golden brown in color with no head. Malty and sweet, with a bit of a bready taste. There is a mild hop finish. This is a great beer, especially on tap.