Hofbräu München Oktoberfestbier

Brewed by Staatliches Hofbräuhaus München
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Munich, Germany

Light straw color; Medium body; Aroma of hops, grain & spice; Flavor of malt, light hops, caramel, and some citrus as well; Very slight bitterness; Overall, an ok seasonal brew.

330ml bottle. Very clean and clear pale honey colour with a large white head with big bubbles. Malt and hop aroma with a salty seawater aroma thrown in. Light and dry in the mouth with a mellow smooth briny taste.

It’s warm golden with a white head and the aroma has notes of malt and straw. The flavor has a light sweetness and notes of malt, alcohol, straw, light fruit and the finish is dry.

Pours a particularly pale color with a nice head that recedes after a bit. The aroma is bready and lightly nutty with some honey and fresh hay. The flavor is grainy with some cereal notes. Better flavors include a nuttiness and some mild but effective noble hop character. The beer is a tad sweet and a bit bready.

Bottle from the LCBO. Light bright golden with a large white head. Aroma is quite grassy and grainy, a but of sugar, some alcohol as it warms. Full mouthfeel, a bit sticky. Flavour is quite sweet to start, followed by wet cereal and dried grass, hints of overripe fruit. I enjoyed this at first, when it was fresh from the fridge and still quite cold, but it becomes less pleasant as it warms. A pretty poor Oktoberfest/Märzen - reminds me more of a strong lager from the former Eastern bloc.

Flaska 8 grader U: Champagne gul, krämig hög krona D: Fruktig humle S: Skön beska, humlig, helt enkel god i sin enkelhet ES: Liten Passar bäst till: Winerschnitzel Förslag på öltyp: Münchener Helles Provdatum: 2009-09-21

Pours a light coloured body with initial significant foam. Aroma initially a bit repelling, but is normal after the bottle has been open, warmed up, and sampled somewhat. A bit of lace foam sits in the glass. Carbonation is deterimental, and adds to the drying out of the palate by the finish, and beyond in the aftertaste. Some malts, a hint of roast, some decent features. Still, all in all, 500 ml is too much, rarely have I said this about a German beer.

500 ml bottle from LCBO, served cool in a tulip glass.

App.: Clear deep golden with an ample white meringue. Aroma: Grassy, peppery wet hay, some cereal/grain, pretty standard and not up to my expectations. Palate: Medium body, fairly soft and sparse carbonation, smooth and a touch slick. Flav.: Cereal/grain, a little grassy/peppery wet hay, a little cardboard, some biscuit/toast malts, a light vague sweet fruitiness reminiscent of a European Strong Lager; dry with a touch of bitterness.

Hmmm, would this taste better in a massive tent, sitting at a long table, surrounded by thousands of drunkards, music, roast chickens and general Bavarian atmosphere? Maybe.