Spaten Oktoberfest Ur-Märzen

Brewed by Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu (InBev)
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Munich, Germany

Aroma is minor, inoffensive. Pours amber from the green glass 12 oz. bottle with a modest head and lacings. Flavor is sweet malts, bitter dry hops, dry finish. The abv of 5.9% is apparent. Some in the taste. Malts are sweet and roasted for a rich taste. It has just enough character to keep you from just swilling it. Very drinkable beer, very refreshing. All told a great session beer if your budget would allow. Surprised that it wasn’t skunky due to the green bottle.

A beautiful beer, amber in color, superb bubbling, Nice complex aroma that reminds me of spring water, light malt,, a little spice and some good hops. The flavor is so good and balanced. I really enjoy this beer. Nice pleasing texture, good bite, and very refreshing with a clean finish.

Upon further review, this is very good.away. It has a nice malty aroma. A nice medium amber color. It’s flavor is hop and malt balance, with a bit of sweetness perhaps imparted by the yeast. Very refreshing, could drink this all night.

Wow, I like this... Beautiful copper in color. realy clean nose with a slightly sweet malty aroma. Tastes clean with a slightly hoppyness and a sweet malt aftertaste. Not flat but lively on the palate. Overall, I think this would be great during the summer months when a porter or stout would be too heavy in the heat. A new session beer!

This beer defines its style, so what else can be said? A beautiful amber color with dense head, to go along with a nice balance of hops and malt. I’ve found that this is the perfect beer for my "not beer snob" visitors, it’s not overpowering or complex, but not weak either. A great session beer.

Bottle poured into lager glass- poured transparent dark amber, one finger off tan head formed and stayed for a little while. Aroma of weak malt with notes of fructose and bread. Hits the mouth with low-medium body, malt is noticeable, elements of caramel and maple, finish is crisp with a tiny hop note.

The beer is a copper amber color, very clear, producing an inch of white foam only because of an aggressive pour. Despite that, no lacing at all. Faint caramel malt in the aroma. A smooth taste, with some caramel malt and a little breadiness, but nothing overly compelling. The finish is a little drier with a hint of floral hops. No aftertaste to speak of. Medium body, okay carbonation. An okay beer, true to the style, (after all, it defined the style, right?) but ultimately too mild for me.

Pours with a frothy, initially fat-two-finger thick, light tan colored head. The beer is a brilliantly clear reddish amber hue and shows a bright-metallic, deeply red tinged, copper color when held up to the light. The aroma has a mix of sweet malty notes and dry, bread-like aromatics. Light hop notes contribute aromatics of lemon zest and faint herbal / grassy notes to the nose, but this is mostly a malt focused beer. Lightly browned soda crackers, fresh bread-crust aromas, aromas of fresh crushed malt and a touch of sweet, lightly caramelized grain character seem to be the main focus here. Not a bad aroma, but somehow leaves me wishing for a bit more depth.

Dry and herbal as it first hits my mouth, it quickly picks up a lightly sweet malt sweetness and a round, rustic bread like character. Each sip finishes with a herbal hop note that gets a bit metallic and a thin malt character. The malt sweetness while light is actually fairly rich and satiating, this balanced sweet malt character is exactly what I want to see in this style of beer, though it can be a touch too muted at times. I like that the hop character plays a significant role here in the flavor; it provides a nice balance to the malt character all the while contributing flavors of soft lemon zest, some light herbal notes, more hay / grass than anything and also a nice, biting bitterness that is found from beginning to end. Light enough to be quite drinkable, but the malt provides some body and texture to it that allows for the beer to stick just a bit to the palate.

A solid beer, nothing that makes me get really exited, but a nice beer that I could easily quaff a liter of. I definitely like that malt character here, even if it could use a little boost; it provides a nice biscuit-like, browned soda cracker flavored, rustic bread crust flavor to this brew that sort of defines things for me. Tasty and quaffable, though perhaps a wee bit forgettable.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Tucson AZ