Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen

Brewed by Brauerei Aying
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Aying, Germany

Amber-orange pour with a frothy head. Bread, orange, and malt in the nose. Light mouthfeel with a lot of flavor. Buttery is a good description, with a nice hop profile that balances the sweet malt character. Delicious.

Clear golden brown color with foamy white head. Bready malt aroma with some toasted notes and the slightest hint of honey. Toasty, bready malt flavors, underlying earthy fruit notes. Light sweetness and a well balanced finish. Good example of the style.

What can I say, the bottle cap gives away the "special" nature of this Oktoberfest. Massive, foamy head settles down to about 3/4". Penny copper color and some sparkling carbonation. Aromas are caramel malt, wheat bread, and honeyed toast. I’ve gotta say the taste of this beer lives up to it’s aromas, except for some lilac aroma from the hops -- which are very muted here. Palate is silky smooth with a sweet honeyed finish. The beer is a bit cloying, but it works as an excellent representation of the style.

Found this one in the cooler of a nice little packy in Jersey. Though it was way after October I couldn’t help myself given my appreciation of the style. Poors a hazy gold with significant bubbles and a big loose white head. Aroma is primarily fruity yeast (apples), malty undertones, and some flowers. Sitson the tongue well, not a ton of body, but good for a Marzen smooth needless to say. Malt and cereal/bread flavor seeps into the tongue and mouth. A little bit of spice (maybe peppery?) perhaps coming from the floral hop tastes. Towards the end, I felt like I was getting bits of toasted malt flavor too. Relatively high amount of complexity for an Oktoberfest. Even though this isn’t the optimal age for this beer, the flavor is still exceptionally clean with only the hops lingering and then trailing off. This September I’ll keep an eye out for this one to rerate!

500 ml in pint glass. Bright amber with nice off-white head. Caramel and grass aroma. Exceptional smooth mild caramel flavor. Mild pleasant bitter finish. The best Oktoberfest I’ve had by far.

Poured a hazy orange, mild white head. Nutty aroma, flavor was definelty malty with a bitter hop taste. Not my favorite Oct fest but a good one none the less. Thanks to Stegosaurus for this one.

MY favorite of the Ayinger offerings. Malty and nice. Great color and head.

Pours a murky yellow-green the color of almost dry hay and smells roughly the same way. The typical billowy head with good retention and lace that sheets, leaving the inside of the glass looking like a victim of tectonic drift. Smells pretty floral with a touch of alcohol. Finishes clean and dry. Good firm body. Very slightly spicy to complement the sweet. An interesting Octoberfest, perhaps a little past its prime in January.