If You Drink One Oktoberfest Beer This Year, Make it a Paulaner
Written: Oct 24 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nutty malty, chewy, slightly sweet, a perfect fall beer.
Cons: None come to mind.
The Bottom Line: Wouldn't be fall without it.
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| Bruguru's Full Review: Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen |
If there’s one thing that you should know about Paulaner, it’s the fact they brew one of the world’s very finest Oktoberfest beers. Paulaner Oktoberfest is a rich and malty brew perfect for cool fall weather. This is how Paulaner describes their Oktoberfest Bier:
This seasonal specialty lets you take the beer-tent atmosphere back home with you. It's difficult to resist its golden yellow color and light, hoppy malt flavor. The original Oktoberfest beer comes from Munich. And only from Munich.
Hey, wait a minute. Golden yellow color? Light, hoppy malt flavor? That’s certainly not the beer I’m drinking. What happened here? Actually, Oktoberfest beer has undergone a drastic change in Germany. Oktoberfest dates back to 1810 when the Crown prince of Bavaria decided to tie the knot, an event that coincided with the annual rolling out of the last kegs of Maerzen Bier.
The rich, malty Maerzen became the style of beer associated with the event until recently, when the six official Munich brewers of Oktoberfest Bier switched to a lighter brew similar to a Munich Helles. Paulaner is one of those six, actually two of them since it bought out Hacker-Pschorr. The others are Augustiner, Spaten, Lowenbrau, and Hofbrau.
A few years ago, as I was writing about Paulaner Oktoberfest beer I was also deeply engrossed in a feature piece for New England’s beer periodical (or beeriodical as we like to call it), the Yankee Brew News. As I was chatting on the phone with brewers across New England about the wonderful fall seasonal beers they had to offer, I was inevitably drawn to reflect upon the classic German examples of Oktoberfest beer, most notably Paulaner’s version.
Some people claim that as time goes by many things they hold near and dear just aren’t as good as they used to be. That’s as true of beer as it is of anything else. Perhaps part of that has to do with changes in the way our senses perceive things over time and does not necessarily indicate a change in the things themselves. Of one thing we can be sure, and that is that Paulaner Oktoberfest has not suffered at all over the years, and if anything seems to be even better than I can recall. I’m glad they’re still shipping us the classic Oktoberfest beer.
A few years ago, I wrote this about Paulaner Oktoberfest:
Paulaner Oktoberfest Maerzen pours to a deep mahogany color with a thick, creamy head formation and an intensely nutty malt nose. The palate is rich with a thick and full mouth feel, lightly toasty and very nutty, slightly sweet and hinting at molasses. The finish leans to the sweet side in this remarkable classic brew. This year’s brew is a bigger, maltier concoction than several of the other German Oktoberfests I’ve been drinking this year, most notably Spaten and Ayinger.
And I’m happy to say that this is still my favorite Oktoberfest going. Sure, I enjoy the others, but Paulaner seems to be the act to follow. That was again the case this year as I drank a wonderfully fresh one-liter Maas of Paulaner Oktoberfest at Helen, Georgia’s annual Oktoberfest celebration. The beer was simply delightful, rich and chewy, nutty-malty, toasty, with just enough hops to balance and just the thing for a cool fall day.
Delicious with bratwurst and knockwurst, sauerkraut and red cabbage, spaetzels and schnitzels, or homemade sauerbraten and potato dumplings with a garden salad. This is a classic beer you’re sure to enjoy. It’s a shame they’re drinking lighter beers in Munich these days, but as for me, I’ll stick with the original Maerzen style. Just like Paulaner Oktoberfest.
Recommended:
Yes
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