Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen

Brewed by Paulaner Brauerei (Schörghuber)
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Munich, Germany

With all the high ratings this beer was a little dissapointing. Pours an univiting orange-amber color with a one-finger creamy head that dissapated rather quickly. The aroma was citrusy and slightly yeasty with the faintest toasty note. It hits the tongue with an overpowering carbonation and a medium-thin body (thinner than other Ofests I’ve tried). The taste is malty, slightly nutty with a citrus hop finishing into the aftertaste, which is mildly sweet and dry. In comparison to other Ofests, it was thin, with too lively of a carbonation, and not enough rich malt, toasty flavor. Not bad, but nothing compared to the flagship of Ofests, Paulaner.

This one was from a fairly old bottle but it tasted fresher than a lot of less out-of-date beers I’ve had. I enjoyed this one greatly. It had no sourness: just a rich malt, leaving a very pleasant aftertaste. The texture was smooth and rich. There wasn’t really much to this beer, it was fairly simple, but well done. Maybe if I had it fresh it would be even better!

Draught: Pours a honey amber color, with creamy white head. Nutty flavor, along with a good malty flavor. Overall a good oktoberfest beer.

Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest pours to a beautiful, deep amber color with a thick and creamy white head, and a good bit of carbonation. The nose on this beer is fantastic, it is just loaded with toasty/nutty malt aroma. The palate is as wonderful with lots of big, hearty, nutty/toasty malt flavors on a clean and round body. HP Ofest finishes with more of those fantastic nutty/toasty malt flavors, and ends with a touch of dry herbal bitterness to round out those great malt flavors. Perfection. It is hard to improve on a tried and true orignal marzen/Oktoberfestbier, and it is why I love the imported German examples so much. Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest just might be the bench mark example of what marzen, as a style, is all about. This beer is the perfect match with spit roasted pork, BBQ, steaks, stews, or any hearty Fall/Winter dish.

One bottle from BOTW. Not much head from the pour of this bottle. I suspect it to be a old bottle. (I forgot to check the date on the bottle) Light amber in color and cloudy. Light citrus in aroma and flavor.

Draft at the euro store in town. Pours a dark color, and goes down easy and smooth. Very nice to have on draft in town.

This beer greets the nose with the smell of roasted yeast. It is a rust colored solution that resides under a thick head. This beer is thin and does not hide its carbonation. The taste of roasted malt and hops fades fast after swallowing.

(500 ml bottle: $2.49 at Bottleworks in Seattle, WA) It’s been a long time coming. Seven years since I last saw this beer on shelves, and I had to drive to Seattle to find it! The date printed on the bottle label is 06.05, so I presume that means it’s six months old. This is one of my favorite imported Oktoberfests, proudly and prominently putting on display the luscious, up front German malty character that I just can’t seem to find in any domestic release. It’s a bit more caramely and earthier than I remember, possibly due to the moderate aging. The moderate hop bitterness lends perfect balance, complementing the moderately sweet malts from sip to finish. Fairly dry maltiness in the nose, not much hoppiness, but a bit too earthy. Body is medium with nice carbonation and a fairly smooth palate. Could stand to be a bit cleaner and crisper though. I have the glass of beer on a small shelf on my desk, with a lamp off to the side, and this beer is nearly textbook in appearance. It is medium amber in color, shows a stunning clarity, and a dozen or so streams of very tiny carbonation bubbles crawl at a snail’s pace toward the surface. The head is ivory in color, but doesn’t show particularly impressive retention, rising to nearly an inch in height, but then settling to a filmy layer with five minutes or so. And there’s no lacing on the glass. Some of the domestic Oktoberfest releases are tasty in their own right, but they are Americanized versions. When I pick up an Oktoberfest, I prefer the classic German flavor on display here. I’d probably prefer the draft version in Germany, but I’ve not been afforded that luxury yet. Can only imagine, and dream...