Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen

It’s football Sunday. I’m parked on the couch watching the Jets game. So far, they don’t look awful. I made brunch this morning, which was a sweet potato and shishito pepper hash with barbecue brisket and fried eggs. It was really, really good. The other half was quite happy with it, especially since I haven’t made brunch in awhile. Anyways, I had this beer at The Pour House to pair with my pretzel bites. I haven’t had a beer of this style since January of this year. Let’s see how this one went.

ABV: 5.8%

Style: Marzen/Oktoberfest

Trivia: According to merchantduvin.com, “Bavarians have been celebrating the harvest with beer festivals since before the 1400s. Märzen is brewed in March to be ready for the September and October beer festivals.”

Random: This is only the second German beer I’ve had of this style. I definitely have to get to trying more of the classic ones as opposed to the American ones I tend to pick up.

This beer poured with a two finger, off white head that dissipated slowly and left lots of lacing on the glass. The body was a clear, copper color with high carbonation. The nose was really inviting, and had toasty malts and caramel malt. The taste was sweet with a touch of apple and caramel malt. It had some toffee too. The body was medium thickness with low carbonation. It had a long finish with caramel sweetness. This was a really good and classic Oktoberfest beer. I would definitely have this one again.

Untappd Rating: 3.0/5.0

Ayinger Jahrhundert Bier

The last beer from my run of beers that I haven’t had before. For some reason, I tend to ignore German beers, and I don’t know why. Almost every time that I have one, I really enjoy them. I have to start forcing myself to get out of my “hoppy” comfort zone. This beer is a dortmunder/export lager, which should be a pale golden beer that is crisp with some biscuity malts. Let’s pop it open.

ABV: 5.5%

Style: Dortmunder/Export Lager

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “This beer was first brewed in 1978 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of our brewery. It has a golden-yellow color with a slightly flowery yeast, honey-ish aroma, tastes a little spicy and is full-bodied in initial taste, mild before swallowing and soft with a refined sparkle and fades with a well-balanced hint of bitterness. It is an especially drinkable and harmonious beer. Conrad Seidl, known as the Austrian ‘Pope of Beers,’ on the Jahrhundert-Bier: ‘It is a malty beer that pronounces the precious earthy quality of malted barley.'”

Random: The Rangers look nasty. Darvish is absolutely sick and the rest of their lineup is really impressive. I think they may be one of the nastier teams in the American League. I love watching their games.

This brew poured with a three finger white head that was incredibly thick and left lots of lacing on the glass. The body was a cloudy golden color with significant visible carbonation visible through the cloudiness. The nose was…interesting. There was a floral characteristic to it with pronounced biscuit. The taste was almost exactly what was on the nose. It had the interesting floral characteristic and biscuit. After a few sips, I couldn’t figure out if I liked it or not. It was definitely weird. The body was on the thicker side with moderate carbonation. The finish lingered with the floral notes. Although the brew was definitely different, I’m not sure that I liked it. I wouldn’t rush back to have it again.

Untappd Rating: 2.0/5.0

Ayinger Celebrator

Given that when I purchased this beer, it was early October, I figured a nice German beer would be a good choice. The bottle comes with a charm that reminds me of a goat. There’s also some cool looking art on the label. Hopefully what’s inside the bottle is as good as what’s outside.

ABV: 6.7%

Style: Doppelbock

Trivia: [Doppelbocks were] originally brewed at a monastery in northern Italy, “double bock” was quickly introduced by Bavarian brewers to compete with bock. Doppelbock names end with the suffix “-ator.”

Random: This is a beer that I’ve heard about for a long time. I’ve heard nothing but good things. It also gets an A+ from the Alstrom brothers on beer advocate.

This beer pours with a very dark brown body with heavy carbonation. The head is a two finger off white color that leaves significant lacing. I’ve never had a doppelbock, so I really don’t know what to expect. The head dissipates at a moderate rate. The nose hit me with a lot of malt with some burnt nuts. The nose was quite pleasant, but not overpowering. The taste has some coffee and burnt notes on it and again, the carbonation also hit me up front. The body is more watery than I expected. You would assume that I would have learned by now that color isn’t indicative of the body of a beer. My brain knows that, but instinctively, I feel like a dark beer should be heavy. I really have to get over that whole thing. The finish lingers with a bit of sweet nuttiness. I would definitely have this beer again. It had a nice malty fall taste and would be a great change from a pumpkin beer.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0