Brewed By: Brauerei Aying in Aying, Bavaria (Germany)
Purchased: 500ml/16.9oz bottle bought at Trader Joe's in IL; 2012
Style/ABV: Oktoberfest/Märzen, 5.8%
Reported IBUs: 21
Reported IBUs: 21
October is over, Oktoberfest is over...it's okay though, you can put the gun down. It turns out that you can still buy authentic, German-brewed Oktoberfest beers in November! Yay!
The beer pours a lovely dark orange color, with 2 to 3 fingers of lovely, off-white/eggnog-colored head. The head is thick and foamy, and looks like porridge. When held to bright light, the body takes on a golden-orange color. This is a clear, transparent beer, with a lot of carbonation in the form of large bubbles. There's some nice head retention for a Lager, with a thin coating remaining atop the beer. Overall, the orange color certainly gets you in that Oktoberfest mood. The bottle cap is really cool on this.
The aroma on this is crisp and clean. I get a grain/wheat Munich malt thing, some sweet malts, and some fruity esters like apple or pear, or even some grass/wheat. There's a mild hop thing going on.
I really like the way this beer tastes. You are greeted with malts up front: some hint of toast, big Munich malts, malt sweetness. There's some grass and mild hops in the back balancing things out mid-to-back palate. I get a pretzel-like biscuit/bread note in here, and I have a feeling this beer would pair fantastically with a sandwich on a pretzel bun, or a brautwurst.
At 5.8% ABV, this is a drinking beer. That is to say, you could probably drink a whole liter of this stuff, and then a whole liter more. That's the point. Palate depth is great for the style, and this has a wonderful malt complexity about it. This is medium-bodied, slightly creamy, and well-carbonated. It does drag on the tongue nicely, and terminates with a nice dry finish. You get sweet malts up front; that rolls into more sweet malts, some hops; the back end is hops, sweet malts, drying malt finish. Nice.
Rating: Above-Average
I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this beer. This isn't a beer that's going to blow you away. Well...maybe. This is really good shit, and it's an authentic German take on the style. This beer absolutely rocks the Munich malt complexity out of the park, and this beer has a GREAT body that is creamy, dense, and smooth. Food pairings: pretzels, pretzel buns and stuff you put on things with pretzel buns, sauerkraut, clam chowder, chicken, pork, sausage, and even a good ol', sacrilegious, American burger.
Do I love Ayinger or what? Ayinger is a German brewery that has been around since 1877 and is located a couple miles away from Munich. Their website can be found here. I'm a big fan of the Ayinger Bräu-Weisse Hefeweizen, but today I am drinking their Oktoberfest.If you check out the US version of Merchant Du Vin, the exporters of this beer to the US, you can get some additional info on tonight's beer. The Oktober Fest-Märzen clocks in at 5.8% ABV, and packs 21 IBUs. The beer is described as sweet, malty, and dry. Suggested food pairings are boiled beef, pretzels, radishes, goulash, clam chowder, bock-wurst, weiner schnitzel, roasted chicken, pork, and sauerkraut. Let's get this beer into a mug, and see how it stacks up.
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| Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen |
The aroma on this is crisp and clean. I get a grain/wheat Munich malt thing, some sweet malts, and some fruity esters like apple or pear, or even some grass/wheat. There's a mild hop thing going on.
I really like the way this beer tastes. You are greeted with malts up front: some hint of toast, big Munich malts, malt sweetness. There's some grass and mild hops in the back balancing things out mid-to-back palate. I get a pretzel-like biscuit/bread note in here, and I have a feeling this beer would pair fantastically with a sandwich on a pretzel bun, or a brautwurst.
At 5.8% ABV, this is a drinking beer. That is to say, you could probably drink a whole liter of this stuff, and then a whole liter more. That's the point. Palate depth is great for the style, and this has a wonderful malt complexity about it. This is medium-bodied, slightly creamy, and well-carbonated. It does drag on the tongue nicely, and terminates with a nice dry finish. You get sweet malts up front; that rolls into more sweet malts, some hops; the back end is hops, sweet malts, drying malt finish. Nice.
Rating: Above-Average
I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this beer. This isn't a beer that's going to blow you away. Well...maybe. This is really good shit, and it's an authentic German take on the style. This beer absolutely rocks the Munich malt complexity out of the park, and this beer has a GREAT body that is creamy, dense, and smooth. Food pairings: pretzels, pretzel buns and stuff you put on things with pretzel buns, sauerkraut, clam chowder, chicken, pork, sausage, and even a good ol', sacrilegious, American burger.
Random Thought: Beer mugs are fucking awesome. They have handles, they are sturdy, and you feel like a badass holding them. There's something...primal...about holding a beer mug. You feel like a viking, or some sort of medieval person. It's a damn shame that all those fancy tulip glasses and snifters detract from what is, largely, a super cool drinking vessel.
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