Paulaner Oktoberfest-Märzen - Paulaner Brauerei GmbH & Co. KG

beerman_60

4.05/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Look at the avatar, here are 2x1L glasses of Paulaner Oktoberfest, taken at yes, you guessed it, the Paulaner tent at Oktoberfest on 26th September 2012.

This was truly a wondrous surprise, it's not my favourite style, but at Oktoberfest you have to drink something ! However, you can see the beauty in those glasses. Appearance almost a 5 - clear, lovely foamy head, but of course the Marzen style has little hop aroma so no extra marks for smell. The taste was delightfully balanced, good depth of malt but not overpowering in the slightest. Overall, another total gem from 'Phil and Ted's World Tour of Bavaria'. Do not underestimate the experience of tasting the beer at source.

Serving type: on-tap

10-17-2012 10:33:16 | More by beerman_60

chinchill

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Rather dark brown for style; clear with a bone head that has medium duration and lacing.

Aroma; too faint, featuring (as expected) more malt than hops.

T: more hops in the flavor such that they are on par with the malts, and the finish is mildly hoppy and bitter. Clean.

M: medium carbonation; thin-medium body. [3.25]

O: very drinkable session beer. Relatively high ABV is well hidden.

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2012 14:32:38 | More by chinchill

elNopalero

Texas

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

An old favorite. A lacquered tan color complemented by a light, crisp aroma. Slightly malty with a clean, sharp finish—it’s everything I want in a marzen. Not sure if it’s brewed year round or the bottles that are available are old but on tap it’s fantastic.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2011 21:26:00 | More by elNopalero

scottyg354

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Typical Oktoberfest Marzen. Nothing spectacular but nothing bad either.

Overall: Malty, Bready with some fruity flavors. Decent head retention. Would be a fairly decent session beer if your looking for something darker but on the not so heavy side.

Apperance: Amber in color, decent head.

Smell: Malty, with some banana and caramel.

Taste: See Overall on top

Serving type: on-tap

10-27-2011 15:29:59 | More by scottyg354

Pintofbrown

Iowa

2.58/5  rDev -33.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance- Golden and cloudy body with no carbonation present. A ring of film surrounds the pint glass. I did not see the pour and the beer was served ice cold.

Smell- There is almost nothing here to smell. I can pick up some wheat and that is about it, moving right along I suppose.

Taste- The Maerzen characteristics are watered down at best, some herbal notes that are more sweet. It is a wheat backbone, but it is weak. Not very impressive for an Oktoberfest.

Mouth feel- It is light and watery. No carbonation to lift it up and make it fizzy.

Overall- Probably one of the Oktoberfest's you could skip without worry.

Serving type: on-tap

10-16-2011 21:49:58 | More by Pintofbrown

CaptJackHarkness

New York

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap into clear beer stein.

Came up a clear, pale, golden yellow with goodly white head.Head lasted a fair time, moderately good lacing on glass. Scent was a bit biscuity/floral. Tasted sweet, no discernable bitters, tastes better as it warms!

Serving type: on-tap

10-16-2011 01:48:56 | More by CaptJackHarkness

JRed

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours light red/amber with no head leftover. Aroma of spices, slight cinnamon bun, maple. Tastes of spice, slight apple skin, dried dark fruits, malt sweetness and some vague gingerbread. Light carbonation and light body. Some great balanced sweetness here. A fall beer through and through

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2011 23:47:40 | More by JRed

gerite

Alabama

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice one finger of off-white head that left plenty of lacing. appearance is a golden amber with medium carbonation that left small traces of bubbles. The taste is mostly malt with a hint of bitterness. A very smooth drinkable Marzen beer that in my opinion is much better that the American versions.

Serving type: on-tap

10-08-2011 19:06:12 | More by gerite

claspada

New Jersey

3.48/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On draft at Clementine's enjoyed with John Greenwood during homecoming weekend pre-Dave's Taverna Friday night shenanigans.

Poured a light rustic amber in color. Good clarity. Two-inch head settles quickly leaving a few bubbles behind.

Aromas begin with some light earthy malts, day-old biscuits and a pinch of yeastiness. As it warms, I'm smelling more and more caramel and some earthy light hops.

The tastes begin with honey and sweet toasted grains in the forefront, with a touch of yeast spice and finishes with a dry (though gentle) earthy hop finish.

The mouthfeel is medium-light bodied with medium carbonation. I am glad the carbonation was restrained a little here as some examples of the style are too bubbly and mask the subtle flavors that make this style enjoyable.

Overall this is a simple, surprisingly flavorful and quality Oktoberfest style. I would never choose to drink a traditional Marzen anytime other than with food because the flavors aren't distinct/enjoyable enough more often than not, but this makes a perfect accompnayment to any meel when you don't want the beer to shine too strong over the meal pairing.

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2011 16:43:44 | More by claspada

emmasdad

Colorado

3.55/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured a brilliant orange/amber color, with a smallish beige colored head. A little spicy on the nose, with a bit of caramel, some cereal and rye bread. On the palate, this one is sweet, crisp and medium bodied, with some caramel, toasted malt and cereal.

Serving type: on-tap

09-29-2011 03:03:27 | More by emmasdad

Bendurgin

Maine

3.2/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass at the Portsmouth Brewery. This one pours light chestnut color with no head; just a thin ring of foam around the rim of the glass.

Toasty caramel malts with a slight aroma of red fruit. Toasty malts on the pallet with just a little bit of a bitter hop finish. Hints of caramel and nuts linger on the finish.

The body is light and the carbonation is good. Overall not bad, but somehow it seems to be the American brewers are doing this style better these days.

Serving type: on-tap

09-28-2011 02:01:21 | More by Bendurgin

Herky21

Iowa

3.63/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: A pretty brown Oktoberfest. Short head, almost nonexistent, but might've been the bartender's fault. It's a perfect fall brown though.

Smell: Malt is prominent, and it has some sort of minty notes, especially after having a few of them. There's a nice nuttiness underlying that though. Kind of an earthy Oktoberfest if you will.

Taste: Mint/licorice notes are prominent after a couple of the beers, a building flavor. The malt adds some good sweetness, balancing nicely with the bitter licorice note. Hops aren't prominent.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, crisp, refreshing beer.

Overall: One of my favorite Oktoberfests so far this year. Less boring than some of the more popular ones. It's good, and much better on-tap. I've had bottles before and they're missing something in contrast to the tap.

If you aren't a big Oktoberfest person this is the beer that will turn you on.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2011 21:54:22 | More by Herky21

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a red-copper with a one and a half finger white head with some lacing and good retention.
S- The smell is malty with a toffee, caramel, nutty presence.
T- It's a bit more on the light malt than some octoberfests, but there is stil a deep caramel, toffee, lightly biscuity flavor.
M- Medium light body, medium carbonation, long, slightly sticky, but still relatively clean finish.
O- This might not be my favorite in the style, but it's still the standard by which I judge others in the style. It's a good, standard example of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

09-21-2011 19:43:04 | More by jsprain1

DrewShal9

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: light brown almost amber in color with a quarter inch white head....lots of constantly rising tiny bubbles
S: caramel, slightly metallic, hay, my buddy says it smells like a quarter haha
T: caramel, a tiny bit of fruitiness, and some hops at the end. Delicious!
M: very light and velvety. Light and lingering bubbles
O: very drinkable and would have never known this is 6%. Quite yummy! Definitely want to comp pare to a bottle and going to order another one!

Serving type: on-tap

09-06-2011 21:37:50 | More by DrewShal9

ZenAgnostic

Texas

2.25/5  rDev -41.9%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Tapped into a pint glass at the Flying Saucer in Austin.

Appearance - Clear brown body. Dull- white head.

Smell - Musky. like a Warsteiner. Corn. Corn. Corn. Musk.

Taste - Stale. Musky. Dry. Grassy. Earthy. Despite all these descriptors, not a particularly complex brew.

Mouthfeel - Light to medium body. About right for the style. Not particularly enjoyable.

Overall Drinkability - Not a very good beer; not good for its style either.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2011 18:10:29 | More by ZenAgnostic

Anthony88

Alabama

4.18/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- This beer has wonderful color of light brown and a soft white head.

S- A bit on the nutty side, but you can tell this is a malty, sweet beer as it is an Octoberfest.

T- The beer has a nutty taste to it with a strong flavor of malts. This is not the beer for the hop lover, but has a nice sweet flavor of spice and nuts.

F- The feel of this beer that of a creamy, not extra thick feel

D: smooth, full of flavor and low achohol. This would be a good session beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2010 06:10:40 | More by Anthony88

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clean yellow to orange-ish color with a white head. In the aroma, earthy with hints of fruitiness. In the taste, earthy, dry hops, and ends with a fruitiness. A smooth and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry to clean small fruit in the aftertaste. Nice balance and earth, but a bit too fruity.

Serving type: on-tap

10-22-2010 21:26:44 | More by OWSLEY069

jmbranum

Oklahoma

4.58/5  rDev +18.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Enjoyed on tap at McNellie's Public House in OKC (beer #3 in my quest to enjoy 200 beers at this fine establishment)

Clear amber brew with fluffy white head. Aroma is nice and malty. Flavor is nice. Clean and crisp. Reminds me a lot of Paulaner Salvator but maybe a tinge lighter and cleaner. This one also reminds me just a little bit of Warsteiner in its flavorful clean crispness.

Everything is in balance. There's some malt richness, some coppery/minerally notes. Some hops. Very clean flavor. One of the other reviewers said this one had a "cracker like grain finish." That seems pretty accurate to me.

Mouthfeel is good. Just a little carbonation prickle on the tongue.

Excellent session beer. Very drinkable. I think I've found my new favorite Oktoberfest beer.

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2010 20:21:23 | More by jmbranum

BeerisfoodLLC

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this served in a liter mug at Oktoberfest in Munich:

A - Deep golden clear color, medium head, fair lacing

S - Sweet malt grains dominate the scent.

T - Malty sweet backbone well balanced with a small hoppy bite.

M - Medium/Light bodied, decent cargonation

D - Very drinkable...I can attest after 5 liters of this at Oktoberfest!

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2010 19:33:06 | More by BeerisfoodLLC

jampics2

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap @ The Beer Engine.  Served in a pint glass.   

The beer looks nice in the pint - it's a copper color with some orange and gold. Some slight film of head on top.  Good color for sure.  Not the greatest head but decent lace.  Paler than many Oktoberfest beers, but still attractive    

The main component of the smell is toasty Munich malt. There's also a touch of caramel sweetness.  Earthy noble hops finish the bouquet with some depth, flowery notes and light spiciness. 

The taste follows with nice toasted, bready malt.  A kiss of sweetness from caramel malt.  Lingering toast and noble hop earthy bitterness.  Mild pleasant fruitiness emerges mid way through the pint.  

The mouthfeel features a nice crisp carbonation and light to medium body.  It all wraps up with some lingering sweetness with a touch of bitterness that's perfect for the style.  Almost a touch too carbonated, but drinkable thanks partially due to a dry finish.  This is a great Oktoberfest beer, very tasty and enjoyable.   

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2010 00:00:09 | More by jampics2

drtth

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served in a tall Paulaner dimpled mug. Glass of cold water on the side to sip from periodically.

Appearance: As served the beer is a nice golden yellow color with lots of visible streams of carbonation rising through the beer. The ¼" white head leaves a thick ring and a nice layer of foam on the surface. Sipping produces leggy lacing that slides back down to the liquid. Some ring persists for much of the beer.

Smell: The aroma is fresh, clean, lightly malty and floral but faint

Taste: The flavors include light sweet malt with some crisp but gentle hop flavors.

Mouthfeel: The mouth feel is light to medium bodied with some nice prickly soft carbonation. The finish begins with a touch of malt sweetness and then trails off into a dry, gentle, but definite hop finish, but one that could be dryer.

Drinkability: This is drinkable enough. It would be easy to have a second, and I'd be happy to have this one again. But that being said I found it a bit lightly favored for the style and thought both the color and the malt presence should have been more definite. There are others I'd choose in preference to this one.

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2010 18:04:53 | More by drtth

1759Girl

California

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance> Lively dark golden, with a white head that dissipates quickly. no lacing.

Smell> malt, alcohol, molasses

Taste> leads with a toasty burnt malt. Really there isn't a lot to write about here since it tastes like the majority of beers made in this style. It's average to good as far as marzens go. nuff said.

Mouf>smooth, easy.

Drinkability> Good.

Serving type: on-tap

09-29-2010 01:08:19 | More by 1759Girl

nickadams2

New York

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Uptown Grille Commerce MI.

A_Bronze amber body with a thick white head that settle into a thin lacy ring. Spotty lacing.

S_Toasted malt,caramel and toffee notes. Spot on for the style.

T_Caramel malt upfront. Bready/bisquity in the body with a touch of spice and hops.

M_Very smooth and creamy.

D_Delicious easy drinking. Perfect example of the Okto style.

Serving type: on-tap

09-26-2010 01:44:57 | More by nickadams2

musicman575

California

4.88/5  rDev +26.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This has quickly become one of my favorite beers. I can't stop thinking about it. Rich amber goodness is my friend. It's hearty and has a high alcohol content, but that doesn't stop it from going down better than any beer. I have put off writing anything about this beer, because I like it so much that I really don't want to try to isolate all the flavors. Paulaner Oktoberfest is more of an experiential brew for me. One day I shall make a pilgrimage to Munich.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2010 03:47:36 | More by musicman575

pants678

California

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The body's clear orange with an eggshell white head.

Smells sweet and malty, picking out maybe caramel but still fairly spicy.

It's rich, a toffee base that's made of a musty bread/biscuit and the same caramel from the nose. Flavors stain and linger but still has a spiced, sort of herbal rough finish.

Seems like a thick beer despite the color, very smooth with carbonation that's just present.

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2010 18:42:13 | More by pants678