Beer Review: Paulaner Oktoberfest-Märzen

Well, it's that time of year again. You know the time...the "dog days of summer", when ski jackets and flannel shirts line retail windows, back to school sales dominate the Sunday ads, and beers with names like "Oktoberfest" and "pumpkin ale" show up at your local watering hole. You look at the calendar, check the temperature, and then you realize you're the last sane person left on the planet.

With the autumn season now here approaching, I thought I'd take a look at some of the Märzenbier/Oktoberfestbeers soon to be vying for your beer dollar. In the first installment of the Oktoberfest series, I review Paulaner Oktoberfest-Märzen.

Note: This is the bottled version Paulaner exports to the U.S., which is a different beer than the Oktoberfest-Märzen which Paulaner serves for Oktoberfest at Wies'n in Munich. German tax laws limit the original gravity of exported beer. The version exported to the U.S. is labeled "Amber" and is 5.8% ABV, while the German version is 6.0% ABV and is somewhat lighter in appearance. Since I am in the U.S., and not Munich, I am reviewing the version that is available to me (and most people reading this).

This is a 16.9 oz bottle with a "produced on" date of 11/07 (more on this later). I poured the bottle into a standard pint glass. This is tawny bronze in color, garnet around the edge, with a thin off-white head.

Nose is sweet, grassy, and perhaps a tad musty.

Taste is certainly malt-forward, as this is quite sweet. Toasted grain flavors, honey, and general bread-like qualities round out the flavor profile. There's just enough of an herbal hop kick in the finish to keep this from being candy-sweet. A bit of musty-metallic type notes crop up again. Alcohol is quite noticeable despite the fairly tame alcohol level (5.8%). However, on a crisp fall day (as this is intended to be consumed on), a little bit of alcohol warming is not an undesirable trait.

Mouthfeel is fairly slick, but I'd sure like to see more carbonation in this. As sweet and rich as this is, a little extra crispness could go a long ways towards improving the drinkability. By the time I'm halfway through the glass, this is nearly flat, and it finishes with a semisweet aftertaste and a bit stale. With the malty sweetness being the dominant flavor here, I'd recommend pairing this with rich foods, sharp cheeses, and smoked meats (in other words...typical Oktoberfest faire).

This is nice, rich beer that can help contribute to the enjoyment of a beautiful fall day. If it's fresh, that is.

My main complaint here is I get the sense this was a once better beer that has been allowed to go stale. I've has this beer many times before, and it's often very good. Occasionally, it's musty and stale. Such is the case with the bottle I sampled today. If you can't sample it in Munich, look for a bottle with a reasonable freshness date on it, and purchase it from a reputable retailer. The 16.9 oz bottles are common, but a 5 liter mini-keg is also available from many specialty retailers.

Paulaner Oktoberfest-Märzen is brewed by Paulanar Salvator Thomasbraeu AG in Muncich, Germany and is imported to the U.S. by Star Brand Imports in White Plains, NY.

Beer:Paulaner Oktoberfest-Märzen (Amber)
Brewery:Paulanar Salvator Thomasbraeu AG
Style:Märzenbier/Oktoberfest
ABV:5.8%
Score:79 (out of 100)