Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen

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

Not one to fiddle-fart around, I went straight to the top, the standard setter, the big honcho, the head cheese of the Oktoberfesten-Marzen model, from the makers of the world’s top rated Doppelbockenbrau. My first O-M. Which presents me with some apprehension: Did I get a good bottle? Is this really what Oktoberfesten-Marzen bier is supposed to taste like? I can only go on the basis of what I know. This does strike me as, well, German in character. Germans like those malts. Put some more malts in it and you’ve got a bock. Soft and sweet, some sort of fruity sugariness. I think I must be missing out on something -- maybe it’s that I’m not tasting this in the properly designated month. For some gawdawful reason, I always associated O-M with the color orange, and now I guess I know why.



Aw, heck with it, I’ll cut to the chase: give me some HOPS for crying out loud. Do ze Germans give us brau other than heavily-malted or lagery ones? I’m trying to think here . . . well, I guess they give us wheaty ones, too. Damn. Der Weizendunkelbock mit de Kritik der Reinen Vernunft. Ja. Oddervize vee kill ze girl. Seems you hef forgotten our little deal, Lebowskhee.



Come on, Donny, they were threatening castration. Are we gonna split hairs here? Am I wrong?

Pours pale amber with a thick antique lace head that stays on. Aroma is sweet malt and fresh hop flower. The taste is buttery along with the sweet liqeur of lightly roasted malt. Has a delicious dry-hopped bitterness as well. A fantastic example of the style.

bottle. hazy orange pour with a sturdy off-white head and sudsy stick. aroma is light hints of sweet malts and cookies. slightly slick medium bodied. sweet bready taste with caramel, apricot, light pumpkin spices and mild hops. dry finish. a little sweet for my tastes, but a really well constructed brew.

Pours a clear caramel colour with a dense white head that fades to a small cap. The aroma is sweet roasted malts, ripe fruit, caramel, light peat, honey and a hint of barnyard funk. The flavour is lightly sweet roasted malts and bready malts with yeasty and peppery overtones. The tingly, thin palate and long, mildly bitter and spicy finish make this one very drinkable. To me, this is what an Oktoberfest should be. It is subtle, refined and reminds me of flavours from the autumn harvest.

Pretty solid Octoberfest. Solid malt presence....crisp flavor and good finish. Overall a good octoberfest.

This beer pours a massive head and has a golden amber color to it. There are smells of nuts and toffee malt. as you drink it it has a bitter toffee flavor with mild hops on the back of the palate. It is mildy spicy with nice fall smices like pumkin and hints of all spice.

This guy is beautiful, with a huge long-lasting head. Unfortunately, it tastes like bread. If I wanted that, I would just eat bread. I prefer a strong, sweet malty character, this was dry and doughy. Only worth it for the bad-ass looking cap. Updated rating= Wow, I have really come to want the crisp, clean tasting mouthfull of bread. Unfortunately, it makes me more thirsty. But I guess that’s the point.

50 cl bottle, Fargo. Cloudy deep orange colour, Thick frothy head. Equal parts malt, citrus and floral aroma. Sweet smooth malt taste, long finish that lingers at the back of the throat. Very nice.