Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen

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

Poured a beautiful copper penny color with a tight white haed that lasted most of the way through the glass. Aroma of fresh bread, and although on the sweet side, it really has a great body with well disguised alcohol. A really good Oktoberfest that I will be buying with regularity.

On tap at Club Tavern in Menasha, WI. Pour was medium clear golden with a white head. Aroma was of sweet malt, light hops, and light caramel. Flavor was very floral with a strong biscuit malt flavor. Very well blended and smooth. Good brew.

corn husk yellow with an exceptional head: fluffy like a burst down pillow. good nose, but disappointing: ive been disparaging a few of this season’s other marzens for being craven and scrawny. while this shows some musculature, it ain’t no ’arnold’ (i mean the weightlifter, not the pig). decent clover floral bouquet, ’barenjager’ liquer honey alcohol notes, but seemingly sniffed through a veil. smooth carbonation on the tongue, bitter finish; malt surprisingly understated, so only modest sweetness is noted. likewise, with my rating, i’d like to be sweet with flattery, but the beer is as embraceable as a faithful but wet dog.

The aroma is caramel malts, with an earthy, hay/grass character. The color is true to the style, an ornage/gold, although slightly closer to gold. Malty/fruity flavor, medium mouthfeel. The finish is malty, with a slight amount of hops. Good Marzen overall, still not the best.

In fairness, I will have to try this one agiain this fall. I drank this Oktoberfest beer in May, and it possibly just outlived its life. As for this one, it had a nice copper color, but a thin, white head and no lacing and little aroma. Taste was slightly hoppy, but mostly watery. At mid glass, hints of malt were trying to enter, but were mostly overcome by stale taste. Metallic finish left me not impressed at all with this. Again, given the high ratings by others, I’ll try a fresh one this fall.....as fresh as I can get in Atlanta, GA.

Clear amber pour with a thick frothy off-white head. Strong semi-sweet aroma of caramel and toffee, with just a touch of hops. Flavor follows the aroma nicely, but a bit more watery than expected. Palate is medium, feels big but very smooth. Very easy drinking, but one-dimensional, although that’s somewhat expected from this style. Certainly one of the better Marzens

Surprisingly, I found this diamond in the rough at a local farmers market. I was pleasantly surprised because I know that it is one of the highest rated Oktoberfest beers. I am looking at it right now. The head is nice. It doesn’t fade away fast. The color/appearance is a light caramel/orange/brown color. This beer is very transparent. Decent looking marzen, but I wish it could be a bit darker. VERY malty. This beer has a very sweet aroma. The beer is still pretty cold and the malt aroma is jumping out at me! This is a very pungent Oktoberfest beer. I can’t get over how malty the aroma is. Smells great! The beer has a nice dry hop flavor. The beer is balanced well with caramel malt flavor. Jeez, this beer has a wonderful hop profile for being as malty as it is. I am very impressed with this balance. I just can’t get over the dry hop flavor at the end. It is great. Not too many brewers are able to achieve this balance in a beer this malty. As the beer warms up, the hops and the malts come out even more. Overall, this is an excellent Oktoberfest beer. Probably one of the best that I have tried. I would definitely drink this more often if it were more accessible.

Pours a clear, orange-gold amber with a decent white head. Aroma is fairly strong and malty with yeasty and fruity hints. Mouth-filling malty flavor has a slight fruity undertone and just a touch of caramel. Texture is nicely smooth and fairly tingly. Prosit!