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

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle poured in a Weizen glass.

A: Pours a clear golden yellow color forming a big white creamy bubbled head. Good retention. A small layer remains for a moment and many lacings are formed and left around

S: Very grainy in the nose. Plenty of Lager yeasts which makes it really bready too. Notes of flowery hops

T: A simple Lager which is, at the same time, extremely well done. Slightly sweet upfront. Lots of grains. Really bready. I little bit metallic. Mild but nice hops bitterness

M: Light body and good carbonation. Excellent grainy aftertaste

O: Excellent drinkability. A perfect German session Lager. Paulaner quality. Prost!

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 19:13:42 | More by eduardolinhalis

kawilliams81

Illinois

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

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into imperial pint glass.

A- pours a dark caramel itch a 1 finger white head. Nice trails and blotches of lacing remain on the glass.

S- slight skunk smell was first noticeable. Caramel, toast and toffee.

T- sweet caramel and toffee, toasted malts and slight spice.

M- medium body and carbonation. Nice drinkable slick, creamy feel.

O- good Oktoberfest. Wish the skunk aroma wasn't there but still is a very tasty beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 23:25:26 | More by kawilliams81

Serge

Alberta (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a tawny brown with about an inch and half foamy head. Nice bubbles coming off the bottom of the drink. Clear as crystal. Weak retention and lacing. Smells of spice and floral hops. Some citrus also. Nice malt sweetness pulling through. Taste of slight spices. Good balance of malt and hops with low bitterness at the finish. A little watery, but smooth nonetheless. A pretty good marzen

Serving type: can

10-09-2012 05:00:09 | More by Serge

GMB

Japan

3.15/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Paulaner's Oktoberfest Märzen pours a deep tawny amber with a head that is slow to rise. The color of this Oktoberfest is darker than most.

The nose is appealing. Roasted malts toss up aromas of butterscotch and dark caramel. But there is also a faint tinny smell, which has me worried.

The taste follows the nose. The malty flavor of this beer is delicious, perhaps the best I've had in the style. The beer finishes much drier than most Märzens. In the upper-right corner of the label is written the word "Ale." Anyone who knows the history of Märzen brewing knows that Märzens are lagers. I am confused by the language, but delighted by the unexpected tastes I find in this beer. However, despite the perfectly toasted malt and interesting yeast-derived characteristics, the tinny flavor does gradually take over and ruin the beer's appeal. The last few sips were chores.

The mouthfeel is lovely. The beer's full body coats the palate with the rich flavors of caramel and butterscotch. A gentle roll about the tongue whips up a gentle froth that enriches the feel of the liquid without overpowering it. If only that tinny taste weren't getting in the way...

Some aspects of this beer suggest that Paulaner's Oktoberfest Märzen may be one of the best Märzens out there. I suppose I'll have to travel to Munich before I can say for sure.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 18:25:13 | More by GMB

edfish

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Got a six pack in late september.
- poured in a tall lager pint glass, rich dark golden color with a 5/8" head.
- smell was not overwhelming but had a traditional german malt smell, light bread/biscuit smell just what you would expect
-taste, is very smooth ,slight bitterness/crispness with a definite heavy barley malt accent perfect malt linger
- mouthfeel is not quite full but has a great malt fullness to it.
- overall this is one of the best German Ocktoberfest beers you can get

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 21:29:08 | More by edfish

garuda

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Crystal clear deep copper, off-white head has good retention and good lacing.

S/T - Bready, toasted malty goodness. Grains, fresh baked biscuit sweetness, touch of noble hops in the finish.

M - Light body, medium carbonation, smooth, crisp, clean finish.

O - Such an easy drinking beer with a delicious malty profile.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 18:26:53 | More by garuda

alexipa

Colorado

4.35/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Crystal clear red-amber color. Nice thick white head that turns to a film after warming.

S: Malty, earthy, maybe even grassy. The smell reminds me of going to various oktoberfests, which is a very great thing.

T: The malt is pronounced, as it should be. Very earthy notes with a caramel back end. Enough bitterness to balance it out, but it's not detectable really at all.

M: Fantastic carbonation, enough to keep it from becoming too sweet but not enough to overpower the maltiness. Can taste a bit of hotness, but overall insanely drinkable.

O: Got a twelve pack of these, I would be very surprised if I didn't knock back at least 6 tonight. I'd like to freeze it in the winter so I could skate on it and melt it in the spring time and drink it.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 23:24:07 | More by alexipa

Hoptometrist

Oregon

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served from the bottle into a nonic glass

A- Poured a very clear medium amber color with visible streaming carbonation, nice frothy head that left some spotty lace

S- Lots of toasted malt, grassy notes, breadiness, grains, and light fruitiness

T- Lots of grassiness and graininess, toasted malt, some earthy and fruity notes

M- Lots of prickly carbonation, pretty smooth, lighter to medium bodied, finished semi-dry

O- A pretty good Oktoberfest beer with a little more sweetness than I typically like for the style. Highly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2012 01:24:16 | More by Hoptometrist

barczar

Kentucky

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

Pours a brilliant amber brown color with a dense half inch cream head that dissipates slowly.

Caramel, toffee, toasted bread, and almonds comprise the aroma, with a hint of floral hops.

Flavor is nutty, slightly sweet, with caramel malt forming the backbone. Floral hops complement the toasted caramel malt character and keep it from becoming cloying. The hops finish the flavor profile with an herbal tone. Rich kettle caramelization surfaces as it warms.

Body is moderate to full, with carbonation on the high side of moderate, keeping the flavor from becoming offputting.

Overall, a fairly malt forward beer that has good malt character and a decent amount if hops to keep it in check. Very drinkable brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 04:00:55 | More by barczar

wedge

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Crystal clear copper colored liquid topped with a good sized frothy white head. Lightly sweet, doughy aroma...fresh grain and floral hops. Fresh, grainy sweetness, nuts, and earth. There's some kind of dry, dusty blandness that follows each sip and drags the good qualities down with it. Nice, firm, medium body. Not the greatest - could use some more rich, toasty malt to counteract the cleanliness.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 00:20:33 | More by wedge

SnowFlowMfg

California

3.8/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz cool bottle into a Guiness pint glass.

A: Mostly brown, slightly amber. Little head that disappears quickly.

S: Light malty smell but not much in this department. Pretty neutral really.

T: Malty goodness, but not so much that it is overpowering. Balanced out a bit making it have a good refreshing flavor that's easy to drink.

M: Crisp feel with medium carbonation that fizzes just right all the way down. A very refreshing beer.

O: I really liked this one but there are better marzen's out there. However, I found this to be really refreshing and a good drink nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 17:44:55 | More by SnowFlowMfg

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

1L behemoth of a can, sold inside an even more gargantuan, solid-ass German beer stein.

This beer pours a clear pale golden hue, with three fingers of billowing, pillowy white head, which leaves a dense spatter of painted lace around the glass as it slowly sinks away.

It smells of grainy, somewhat sweet barley malt, a bit of sour breadiness, some soft orchard fruitiness, and tame earthy, leafy noble hops. The taste is sweet bready malt, with a significant edgy, metallic swath cut through it, origins difficult to surmise, some slightly rancid buttery character, and herbal, leafy hops. A meek, probing booze essence arises here and then throughout this whole deal.

The bubbles are rather restrained, and given the general purpose of this particular style, that's a well-planned result, the body a decent medium-light weight, and smooth, but for a hollow metallic twang. It finishes mostly sweet, the graininess riding out the now fallen away mineral and booze twinges, and the hops do a commendably cute job of providing eine kleine, er, um, balance!

Not the biscuity, bready, softly balanced, moderately ABV-enhanced standard-bearer that I was expecting, but adequate enough in what it offers, once those awkward umami moments have passed. And nice of the manufacturers in the republic to allow we foreigners to experience the overindulgence they do, via that crazily over-sized serving size. Prost, I guess.

Serving type: can

09-20-2012 04:47:35 | More by biboergosum

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

11.2 fl oz bottle into tulip. best before 05/13.

A: very clear caramel color. slightly off-white tightly bubbled head. retention and lacing are reasonable.

S: woody. caramel. crystalized brown sugar. earthy hop undertones.

T: malty and chewy. the grain is rich and is the main attraction. lingering sweetness doesnt last too long, but does create desire to return to the glass.

M: moderate carbonation on a medium body.

D: pretty solid oktoberfest, no frills, true to the grain.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 01:52:01 | More by Jimmys

Hopswagger

Oklahoma

3.73/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

P:  Pours a dark copper color with a full finger of frothy none colored head that vacates quick but leaves a nice creamy layer behind. Delicate lacing surrounds the glass. 

S:  Sweet dark fruits, plums, cherries, raisins, prunes, doughy yeast and a gracious spice aroma. Banana and clove and toasted caramel and toffee malt. Timid oak and spice bitterness. 

T/M:  Creamy and velvety mouthfeel with delicate carbonation. Toasted caramel and toffee malts base followed by stale wheat bread, molded wood, and a generous amount of spiced rum soaked persimmons.  The finish is semi dry lingering honey and spiced hops.  A musty taste surrounds the bouquet of flavors and is well fitting. 

O:  A solid Munich Marzen that has the spicy hop profile to back the toasted caramel and toffee malt base.  Not overly complex but great flavors that provide a delicious October brew.  The dose of hops may be a tad too much for the style but I liked it due to the fact that I love hops. Be sure to add this to your Marzen line up to try. Cheers! 

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 23:10:55 | More by Hopswagger

Bockrules

New Mexico

3.13/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

poured from the bottle into a pint glass

A - Pours a light, perfectly transparent copper with a steady stream of bubbles rising to the off-white one-finger head. Head is disappearing rather rapidly. Head is just a thin ring of bubbles a quarter of the way down the glass. Leaves behind virtually no lacing.

S - Caramel malt and spicy saaz/noble(?) hops reach the nose upon opening the bottle.

T - A bit of dark cinnamon and saaz hop spiciness upfront. Weak caramel malt makes its way into the flavor profile in the body, but spicy hops still dominate. A quick flash of bitterness as the beer passes over the back of the tongue quickly fades away to spiced rum and caramel finish.

M - On the lighter side of medium bodied with ample carbonation. Suits the beer fine although the body could stand to be a tad thicker.

Paulaner's Oktoberfest commits the deadly sin of being under malted in what should be a toasty and complex brew. The result is a weak tasting beer, who's only saving grace is a nice dose of hop spiciness. A decidedly average beer overall that is not worth the premium price tag. I don't plan on purchasing this again. I'm 0 for 2 on German Marzens.

Note - best by 9/12, so the beer wasn't over cellard .

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 05:46:18 | More by Bockrules

TheSixthRing

California

3.7/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a clear, dark golden amber with a thick, silky looking 2 finger head. Excellent retention. Resulting lace is thick and with good stick.

Smell - Notes of grain, sweet honey and floral hops.

Taste - Sweeter in the mouth than on the nose. Lots of honey bread character dancing around subtle notes of soft caramel and some distant euro floral hoppiness. Finishes with lingering honey sweetness.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, but somewhat chewy on the back end. Decent carbonation.

Overall - This is a total honey bomb, with a greater emphasis on malts than hops. I don't know that I could session this, but it's certainly good for a try here and there. Would I buy it again? IDK... so many god beers, so little time (and money).

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 02:21:54 | More by TheSixthRing

pkalix

California

4.43/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

beautiful candy-brown color, or dark copper if you will. no head; no lacing. well, unless that is considered lacing....
sweet malty aroma, sweet malty taste.
commercial as heck but kicks butt over any american commercial. always a good selection with friends or watching sports. not terribly spectacular, but the quality is always there and i CAN drink 3 of these. i mean, what do YOU consider 'session'? and of course, if i'm limited to only ONE type of beer, i'm bringing in the side whiskey chasers. (i'm a big guy- i need the volume of alcohol...).
mouthfeel is light, but deceivingly so due to the dark tint of the beer. overall, it's a 'standard'. something you can go to and always know it'll be decent. good ol' germany. decent beer, bratwursts, and beautiful long-leggged blondes. what the heck else do you need to be happy?

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 00:00:37 | More by pkalix

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

A-amber with a thin white head

S-honey and dough. Good Oktoberfest scent. Medium to faint scent

T-comes in with a very light taste of honey and adjunct grains. It's got some bitterness to it as well. Matching after-taste. Not too great.

M-medium carbonation with a dry finish

O-a bit too adjunct tasting for me. This really isn't how I like my German oktoberfests. It doesn't have a good taste and it isn't something I could drink all might long.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 01:32:04 | More by AdamBear

bump8628

Oklahoma

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

Fresh bottle. Pours a clear copper amber with a solid dose of white foam that laces nicely. Bready, toasty, caramel - pretty standard Oktoberfest profile. Clean with a mild floral bitterness. A touch of grape-like fruitiness. Dry with above average carbonation. A nice example of the style. Worth picking up a bottle or two this time of year.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 01:53:27 | More by bump8628

troysoy2

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

11.2 oz. bottle, best by 5/13, poured into a Lagunitas mason jar.

Big, finger and a half of bubbly, white head over a deep amber body. Decent retention, but not a ton of lacing.

Very aromatic, biscuity malt. Caramel in the background, as well as laid back citrus.

The taste is definitely interesting. Very biscuity, bready up front. Buttery caramel hides in the middleground, along with maybe a hint of oxidation. The citrus freshens up what would otherwise be a drab, biscuit-bomb of a beer. Crisp, if a tad watery on the mouthfeel.

Not my favorite, but I can definitely see what this beer has going for it.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 23:45:03 | More by troysoy2

secondtooth

Indiana

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep amber with a lush, thick head of fine, creamy bubbles. Loopy, beautiful lacing, too. Splendid!

Nose is grainy and malty, with hints of caramel or toffee.

Taste is sweet, with a hint of roastiness. Drinks quite smoothly, with a slight citrus tang at the finish. Superb, rich in flavor, and an ideal Oktoberfest. A winner!

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 20:20:42 | More by secondtooth

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

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Another beer for Augustfest. 11.2 oz bottle poured into a stein.

A: Pours a darker copper color with good clarity. The head is a two finger offwhite color with nice retention. There's even some lace on the glass, which the other two marzens didn't provide.

S: Caramel malts and light noble hops. There's a cream-like scent I find enjoyable. Not the most interesting nose, but this isn't a RIS, so it doesn't really matter.

T: The toasty caramel malts and faint hops are typical, but what really sets this over the top is its note of almost milky cream, which helps give it a fantastic smoothness and drinkability. Not much complexity, but it doesn't strive for that, rather it aims to be drinkable yet extremely satisfying. In that regards, it's a roaring success.

M: The cream flavor pervades the mouthfeel a little, and dare I say it has a stout-like feel to it? Very smooth and downright delicate feeling, yet with the healthy carbonation and crispness typical of a marzen.

O: By the standards of the style, it's outright fantastic. Both wonderfully malty and smooth at the same time, this one is a joy to chug. One of the best marzens I've had not from Schlenkerla (which is a whole other beast entirely...)

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 21:51:59 | More by ThisWangsChung

ShiftBeer

3.53/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Kind of an odd brown/bronze color. Kinda ugly. Clear. Solid head.

Really nice smell of fresh noble hops. I appreciate how German octoberfests remember that octfests are meant to be balanced, sessionable beers and, thus, retain balancing characteristics like moderate hopping, instead of becoming malt bombs like many American octfests.

Body is smooth and somewhat fruity with a definate malted milk ball characteristic and just a light touch of crisp hops on the finish.

Pretty nice, balanced Octoberfest.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 04:08:29 | More by ShiftBeer

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

11.2 oz bottle poured into a pilsner glass.
5.8% ABV, Best Before 03/13

A - Shining with gorgeous clarity, the polished copper color remains relatively lifeless below a tall, but quickly fading, off-white head. Small wisps of lace leave traces of it's former self on the glass.

S - Paulaner's Oktoberfest-Märzen has a voluptuously bready, toasted malt aroma that oozes sweetness, meanwhile earthy hops impart a sort of crisp herbal scent, balancing it out.

T - Toasted Vienna malts are prominent, giving the beer a toasted wheat bread with honey flavor that sits kind of thick on the tongue. Mild hops are much like the aroma in that they impart a mildly earthy finish that touches on herbal tones.

M - Paulaner Oktoberfest is one of the lesser drinkable beers of the style; with less hop balance, it's medium body and stronger maltiness rely solely on the dry, mildly crisp and faintly sulfuric finish to keep you're lips parting for another sip from the maaskrug.

O - Malt-driven to a T, Paulaner's Oktoberfest-Märzen is tasty and masterfully brewed, but it departs the style solely in that I don't find it as drinkable as other German oktos of the same ilk. Very good indeed, I quite enjoy it, I just wouldn't choose a liter of it.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 22:54:31 | More by BeerFMAndy