Bottle from the Packie. Mostly clear deep golden color bordering on amber with a wispy white head that persists. Bready toasty caramel maltiness with hints of spicy floral hops. A bit sweet for the style but most American brewers struggle making this right.

Very crisp and ever so slightly hazy copper and bronze coloured body with a thinnish off-white head that fades fairly quickly one centimetre tall, slightly off-white head that fades quickly to just about nothing. Aroma of malt, cardboard, light nuts, earth, flowers and a dash of caramelised sugars with some toffee on the finish - fairly nice and robust throughout, especially for a lager. Medium-bodied; Strong earthy notes dominate with a lot of robust caramel and toffee flavours with a light cardboardie and floral aspect that shows the lager yeast and herbal side without much complexity or depth. Aftertaste is rich from the malts with a lot of earthiness and especially a caramel and sweet quality, but a light cardboardie finish, but a pretty nice balance of subdued, German hops without much alpha acids/bitterness and a good earth and rustic malt flavour. Overall, a pretty nice marzen that has somehow escaped me for many years (at least in terms of rating this), but is a crisp and enjoyable beer to sample during the season, especially for a Michigander. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle, purchased from Harris Teeter in Arlington (Columbia Pike), Virginia on 18-September-2021 for US$1,87 sampled at my house here in Washington on 17-October-2021.

Bottled 8/2/21, drunk 9/25/21. Clear, light-maple-orange with a small, white head that slowly fades to a ring. Caramel and toasted malt in the nose with pleasant, grassy/floral hops and light spiciness on the end. No booze or anything weird going on. Light and zippy with moderate bitterness, lots of red fruit and honey. Light caramel on the finish with spicy hops and good cleanliness overall. Very expansive carbonation is kind of a turn off, but I suppose that's a minor complaint. No alcohol noted. A bit lifeless, somehow too watery and at the same time too sweet/syrupy on the finish. Kind of just there. Reminds me of an amber ale at a chain brewpub. Generic and wholly uninspired.

Draught @ Albion (10/7/19). Clear amber with large foamy light beige head, caramel malt aroma, high carbonation, medium bitter caramel taste, faint toffee flavor, thin body, longish finish. A good 'fest bier.

On draught at Old Chicago.

Pours a slightly hazy orange gold with a healthy head of foam, healthy amount of lacing.

I notes of bread, a light fruity character, my nose doesn't pick up very much.

Taste is bread, grainy, earthy, no sweetness light bitterness.

Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

An okay example of the style.

Bottle from Village Beer Merchant. Clear golden. Grainy, caramel, hay, light citric. Some sweetness, slightly bitter.

It is that time of year for a marzen and Bell’s is usually on top of it. I picked up a 12 oz bottle from the neighborhood HEB and have a very cold beer mug to put it in. The back label says the brew was packaged (?) on 8/10/2018. The bottle delivers a light orange body with a thin, off-white head, vigorous carbonation though. A sniff gives cereal and malt. But it is the taste I am here for. A bit light here too, grain, sort of malty, toast, but a nice bitternss at the end. I expected something fuller obviously.

On tap at Hamilton Tap & Grill in Hamilton, NJ. Amber orange color. Small creamy beige head. Light grain and caramel nose. Sweet toasted malt flavor. Light body and flavor. Light bittersweet finish.

Taste at Trail's End. Pours a nice, clear, orange color, with a big, foamy, khaki head. The aroma is dry grass, walnuts, toffee, and some heavy floral notes. Sweet and malty, with a dank bitterness. Medium body, with a syrupy, sticky mouthfeel. Pretty nice.