Gordon Biersch Märzen

Brewed by Gordon Biersch Brewing Company
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Palo Alto, California USA

Bottle. I have remarkably little to say about this beer. Pours clear amber with a small, dissipating head. Aroma and flavor both reflect gentle caramel-earthy malt and not much hop presence. Palate is creamy, but thin. A good deal uninspired, because “German-style” does not have to be synonymous with “boring."

Pours a coppery amber into the glass, with a thinning beige head that leaves window-wash lacing. The nose is of toasted caramel. Flavors are similar, not overdone (light), with some burnt toffee, well-integrated malts, and a finish of lightly toasted caramel, slight yeast sours, and hints at nutmeg and Allspice. The mouthfeel is not quite thin, and the body is medium-light, which just shows me that it isn’t trying "too hard" to push any one aspect down my throat. Are there better Märzen’s out there? Sure.... but all-in-all, this is a solid offering that pulls off what’s it’s trying to accomplish well. It won’t get the highest rating from me, but it is certainly appreciated and would be a fine "go-to" session brew.

This is a really good amber beer, nice and malty and sweet. I really don’t know why it ranks so low here.

Tap at Gordon Biersch, Palo Alto. An amber beer with a small white head. Aroma is sweet and caramel. Taste is malty and sweet with some roastiness. Medium bodied

A copper colored brew that had a smooth, rich feel. Very sweet, even sugary and almost cloyingly so. Light spices including a bit of nutmeg. This was a very light Marzen that could have used some pizzazz.

This one poured a nice copper color with a normal sized off white head. Aroma was nice and sweet malts like a marzen should be. Flavor was sxweet malts, a bit nutty and not much else. Ok for the style but not too great.

Dark orange pour, with a medium fluffy head. Intrigued by the color, I got close to sniff...got some sweet, some nutty, VERY malty smell. Taste was still malty and slightly sweet, but had a bigger hoppy finish. Not as creamy as other marzens I’ve tried. I liked the Blonde Bock better, but the Marzen was still good.