Oktoberfest!

The confusion about the actual dates for Oktoberfest makes for some problems for stateside brewers and drinkers, but I think I'm just going to have to accept the fact that people here refuse to acknowledge the fact that Oktoberfest actually happens in September. At any rate, South St. Brewery has finally released an Oktoberfest Märzen, and against all odds it's quite good. It's a little to big to really fit the style, but it stays true to the standard ingredients, limiting itself to only crystal and munich malts with a healthy portion of german noble hops. With an OG of 1.088 it's the heaviest beer on the menu at South St. which is very strange for a typical Märzen, but I definitely think it helped. The Märzen style has a tendency toward boredom for the sake of drinkability (envision a beer that you want to drink a gallon of in one sitting...), but the South St. incarnation was tasty and complex while not surrendering all of it's high-volume potential. There was a hint of "bite" as Charlie says, which I think was due to some overemphasized alcohol notes from the increased gravity, but thankfully they hopped it more generously than usual for a Märzen and the dry bitterness from the Noble helped to offset the alcohol bite. Sorry to not offer a more complete flavor analysis, but I was concentrating more heavily on a friend's relationship difficulties. I do remember a sourness that was unique, and not unpleasant, probably again due to the gravity and length of fermentation. All in all, a welcome surprise from a style that I tend to expect to be pleasantly mediocre in the hands of American brewers. I'll need to get a Paulaner and a Spaten märzen to make a comparison.

More posts to come on the South St. Porter and Pale Ale.

Also, speaking of boring Märzens: Yuengling is boring. Very boring. Not much to say other than it tastes vaguely like a Märzen.