100 Beers, 100 Days: Day #23
We go once again to Germany for tonight’s beer, the land of the dreaded German Purity Law that is both a great source of pride and a straightjacket for commercial brewers. Luckily it is no longer in effect. This beer claims to be a Maerzen or Oktoberfest beer, but it is like none I have ever had.
It pours a straw color with a decent white head and a good amount of carbonation. I was a little too enthusiastic with my pour and ended up with the sediment from the bottle suspended in the glass. Right off, this strikes me as a very odd beer. Oktoberfests are usually a deep amber color, not straw. That’s weird. The smell, taste, and texture only make this stranger. It’s not nearly the malt showcase that an Oktoberfest is, nor is it as light of body. Instead it’s a much creamier, hoppier (well okay, only mildly hoppy), and even has a little touch of citrus to it. It’s actually a pretty good beer. It just doesn’t make any sense from the style perspective.
So I just don’t get it. This is supposed to be the oldest commercial brewery in the world. You’d think they would know how to make a German beer that fits into the style guidelines, especially when they mention the Rheinheitsgebot on the bottle. And German styles are usually pretty strict. Surely even by the loosest interpretations, this is no Oktoberfest. While I did like this beer, I think I would have preferred to get one matching the style even more. Oh well, I guess you can’t always get what you want. Bottom line: this beer is worth a try and you may even like it. You will not, however, be getting what’s promised on the label.
Anyone want to shed some light on what’s going on here?