Ayinger Oktoberfest Marzen
By John & Dad on February 28, 2007 @ 7 PM (No Comments)
Note: The Ayinger Oktoberfest Marzen was reviewed by both John and Dad on different days and originally posted as two separate reviews. We usually do our combined reviews together in one post, so this post has been edited to bring you both reviews on one post.
Son Beer Love Review (February 28, 2007):
I was a little disappointed with this one. Compared to the Ayinger Jahrhundert it didn’t rate nearly as well.
The initial pour was great – the color is beautiful – a remarkable dark orange and amber color with a strong, long lasting head. It is a little cloudy towards the bottom. Really looks great in the glass. Not a lot of aroma – hard to discern the smell but it was a little fruity and floral. The taste was a little sweet and fruity (and even a touch floral) – I could pick up hints of honey and caramel (which I like) along with some other ones I couldn’t place. It was a bit sharp – like there are too many other competing flavors to truly enjoy it – not enough complementary flavors. The finish was a bit bitter for me – maybe too much hops to compensate the sweet edge. The word astringent comes to mind – like a too acidic glass of red wine that violates your mouth and makes your face pucker.
Overall this was a disappointment. The thought of an amber Oktoberfest beer from Ayinger got me salivating. They make so many damn good beers. At the $3.50 for the bottle I paid I would recommend leaving it on the shelf. Go with an Ur-Weisse, Brau-Weisse or Jahrhundert instead.
Father Beer Love Review (April 20, 2007):
Beer temp. 48.2 F – 9.7 C. Pours medium amber with large light amber head with fairly large bubbles. Slight caramel aroma with some sweetness and maybe a touch of wheat. First taste is of marked sweetness and light caramel taste and a nice clean bitterness of the hops with a clean finish. Head lasted pretty well but not much lacing. The balance is good. Nice rich mouth feel. I feel it should be colder than I had it. The harmony I’ve found in all Ayinger biers is still there. Although not as good as the other Ayingers I’ve had, it’s still good. Secondary flavors lean toward toffee. Flavors last well and work the back of the tongue.
As a youngster caramel was about the only candy I could have so I’m not too big a fan of it. Just a tad too much sweetness for me, kind of like a dessert. Repeatability, not really.
