Notes from April 2009 I dust off my Warsteiner liter+ sized glass mug for this one. There were a couple surprise leftover Snickers minis waiting at the bottom for me. I think I remember drinking a good portion of a case of Spaten Ofest while giving out candy that night. Before I forget, 22oz bottle courtesy of SuperWhite92. :) Straight pour quickly builds a condensed milk-colored head to about an inch under the rim. The deep honey amber beer gains momentum & eventually levels out halfway, leaving a good two inches of slowly seceding felt-like head. Lacing is pretty sticky. Diving into the mug, I get the impression of tangy sourdough, salt, peppery yeast, a touch of grassy bitterness, & just a hint of clove. I quickly notice that the carbonation is low here. Taste is definitely sourdough-like, but with a little extra crustiness, paired off nicely with a backend of tingling bitter greens. Crackers on the finish help dry it out. Mildly sweet, hintingly bitter. A good bit more carbonation is all it needs. :)

From Apr 2007

This pours from 12oz bottle(2006) a clear deep amber with a smallish head of foam. The foam shrinks quickly leaving just a bit in the middle and around the edge of the glass. There is some lacing.

The smell is a nice caramel malt with a side note of grain.

The taste is big on the caramel malt on first sip but it also has a nice earthiness to it. Judging from the smell, I thought this would be sweeter than it is but there's some hop bitterness in the background that balances out the flavours. Further sips in and I'm getting some good bready tones midway through with the finish being slightly bitter and quite crisp. The mouthfeel is good and the carbonation is on the light side. Nice brew.

Bottom line: This is a nice Marzen that is quite drinkable and has enough flavour to hold one's interest. I recommend it.