Munich recently held the world’s largest festival, namely Oktoberfest, which is ironically held in September. The festival traditionally runs for the 15 days prior to the first Sunday in October, ending on that day, but the schedule has been modified to extend the period to always include German Unity Day (October 3rd). This year the festival was extended an additional day, October 4th, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the festival. Munich only allows beers produced within the city limits to be served at the festival, which has led many other towns in the area to set up smaller versions of the festival to accommodate their local breweries. From what I have gathered by talking to German expatriates and people who spent extended periods of time in Germany, these smaller festivals are actually the best to visit for authentic beer and food, as the large Munich festival now caters to the large number of tourists.
The beer most frequently associated with this festival is the Oktoberfest or Märzen style. The traditional brewing season in Germany is from St. Michael’s day, September 29th, to St. George’s day, April 9th, at which point brewing would be stopped to decrease the chances of fires spreading from the brewery in the warmer weather. This meant that beer meant for consumption during the summer months had to be stored, or lagered, which was usually done in ice houses to slow the spoilage of the beer. Oktoberfest is traditionally brewed towards the end of the season in March and was designed to be stored until the end of the summer, with the last of the stock being consumed during the festival. The style dates back to at least 1840 when Gabriel Sedlmayr adapted the Vienna style to allow for the longer storage period. Generally the Oktoberfest version of this style is slightly stronger and served during special occasions, while the Märzen is an everyday beer, but this is a blurry distinction at best, and certainly does not hold true in American versions.
The beer I’m reviewing today is the Oktober Fest-Märzen produced by Ayinger Brewery in Germany. Ayinger is a mid-sized brewery located in the town of Aying about fifteen miles outside of Munich producing about three million gallons per year, but only about ten percent of that is exported outside of Germany. The brewery has won numerous awards over the years, and this beer in particular was the highest rated Vienna Märzen at the 2007 World Beer Championships.
First, this beer is traditionally served in a beer stein, but a standard pint glass will do it justice due to its clean lager character. The beer poured a crystal clear deep amber, which is to style, but many non-export German versions tend to be a lighter, more golden color. The head was large and off-white with a fine texture and good retention, leaving a little bit of lacing when it finally dissipated. The aroma had a very rich malty sweetness, and I detected a little bit of fruitiness in mine, although the style generally excludes any fruity esters. The flavor was surprising sweet up front, which largely masked the bitterness in the beer. The body was moderate but paired with a creamy texture, giving a very smooth character. The finish is slightly drier, but leaves a thick feeling without a lingering aftertaste. Overall, this beer is a clean lager that is surprisingly creamy and sweet throughout, although the sweetness was offset by the slightly drier finish. The style, or at least my reading of the guidelines, calls for a drier beer overall, which is in keeping with most American examples that I’ve had, but I found the sweetness to be quite pleasant.
I thoroughly enjoyed this beer, and due to the clean lager character paired with the sweetness I will be adding this to the battery of beers I give to people who “don’t like beer” or are just beginning to learn about them. I honestly prefer it to any other Oktoberfest I’ve had at this point, with the previous contenders being Victory’s Festbier and Samuel Adam’s Oktoberfest on tap, although I’ve had very bad experiences with both these beers when they have been in a bottle for more than a couple of weeks.
Stats:Price: $3.99
Size: 500 mL
ABV: 5.80%
Appearance: 4/5
Aroma: 4/5
Flavor: 4.5/5
Mouthfeel: 4/5
Drinkability: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.2
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