Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Märzen

Brewed by Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu (InBev)
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Munich, Germany

Tap @ Oak Cafe. Wish I could score this higher as it’s one of the first "good beers" I ever drank. Amber with little head, fades to a ring of film, decent lacing. Bready sweet malt aroma with some funky euro hop character in the background. Flavor is all caramel malt up front, fruity esters through the middle? Spicy hop character helps to finish clean. Decently balanced for an october/marzen.

Bottle. Pours a glowing dark amber with a one finger creamy white head. The nose is heavy malt, some spice and light grassy hops. The taste is toasted malt, some sweet caramel and grain with a slight peppery hops finish. Medium creamy body. Nothing exciting, just a well put together beer.

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.

Dark golden with subtle hints towards orange. I would not call this amber, but then again I’m not a color expert. Aroma is delightful when first poured and exhibits mild hop flavours. But once the head recedes the beer emits a light malt aroma. Has a great deal of body and feels very rich on the tongue. Well balanced between sweet and roasted malt flavours. Malt rules the day, but it doesn’t have much else going for it. A session lager, but nothing special.

Malty, but has enough hops to make it a great beer for me, flavor is rich. I like paulaner better, but this is good too.

Not as sweet as some other Marzens. Easier to get through a few.

From a 12 oz. green bottle with no freshness date, but I know this is the fall ’06 release. Poured a clear amber with a foamy white head with good retention, slowly settled into a thin lacing, minimal amount of sticking. Clean aromas of toasted grain, sweet malts with a little fruitiness and spicy hops. Moderate carbonation and a crisp, slick and smooth light-medium bodied mouthfeel. A nice Oktoberfest taste, toasted grain with a little huskiness, a subtle fruitiness, herbal spicy hops that are very mild, a little malty sugariness in the middle and a grainy and sweet malty finish. Not a great, but a bad Oktoberfest beer, tasty enough, good quaffability, a seasonal well worth trying.

Bottle. Body is a brownish amber and has a two finger high head when I get done pouring. Aromas are a little on the skunky side (think Becks) but not unsettling. Flavor is malt heavy and thin, at the same time. The caramel and bready malt dominates the palate with the hops picking up the finish with a slightly skunky and bitter note. Not bad, but a little thinner than my tastes would dictate.