Märzenbier - Westbrook Brewing Co.

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

nice orange tinted light amber with a good two inches or more of head strewn across the top. A nice slow fade left behind more then an adequate layer of lace across the top and some very nice side glass lace when it was done. Smell was very nice, quite light and refreshing with a good amount of grain backing and a nice light earthy sort of hop tone. Definitely some spices mixed in as there was just that little extra kick to it. The flavor was pretty much on point with the aroma. A tight mix of grain and earthy flavors mixed in with a good amount of spice, maybe cinnamon or nutmeg, something fairly nice and had a good overall fall feel to it. Very nice light body with a huge amount of carbonation made it go down super smooth and kept it from feeling too filling. Overall this was definitely a quality selection and I am glad I picked it up. Superb drinkability and just a great overall profile. I really enjoyed this

Serving type: growler

02-08-2012 19:42:14 | More by mikesgroove

jsanford

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Growler filled at Growlers in Hilton Head, SC. Poured into a Westbrook Pint Glass.

A - Pours a Clear, dark copper with a thin white head that dissipated to a slight haze.
S - Crisp, clean aromas of toasted malt, caramel, roasted nuts, and herbal German hops. Quite nice, there's a lovely spicy/cinnamon quality to this brew.
T - Similar to the nose, nice malty flavors of caramel, baked bread, and roasted nuts with a clean Lager yeast and more German hops (Perle). Very drinkable.
M - Smooth and moderately crisp, with a medium mouthfeel and good carbonation. This would be a nice session beer if it wasn't 6% ABV.
O - Really solid Marzen from a great brewery, glad I got to try this here in mid-October, it fits the season well!

Serving type: growler

10-10-2011 02:09:42 | More by jsanford

UnderPressure

South Carolina

2.03/5  rDev -43.8%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Clear copper colored beer. Not much head to speak of. Not much visible fizz either. Zero lacing.

Sharp, slightly metallic roasted malt aroma. A little bit of spicy hops.

A balance of roasted malt and hops up front with a funky aftertaste that is hard to describe. Kind of roasty, bitter and sour (not in a good way).

Medium bodied, under carbonated, crisp, dry finish.

I was excited to try this beer. Overall, it was a pretty big let down. I'm glad I didn't buy an entire growler. Sorry, Westbrook. I'll keep drinking your beers, but not this one.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 13:48:40 | More by UnderPressure

macrosmatic

Florida

3.26/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Thanks to dogdoc for this one. Reviewed from notes. Poured from bomber into a TBBC pint glass.

A: A deep copper to light brown in color, with a three-finger off-white head that lasts remarkably well. Lots of visible carbonation.

S: Bready malt, a nondescript fruity sweetness, and maybe some caramelized brown sugar.

T: Sweet malts, some fruity esters, some hop bitterness, and a tangy, almost astringent acidic flavor. This flavor ruins the beer for me, although it did recede somewhat as the beer warmed over a half-hour or so.

M: Body is on the thin side, tons of carbonation (almost over-carbonated). Low alcohol presence.

O: It wasn't a drainpour or anything, but the astringent flavor on the palate ruined the beer for me. One of the few WB beers I've had that I didn't care for.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 16:43:00 | More by macrosmatic

chinchill

South Carolina

3.53/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle with a bottled on date of 18 Sept. 2012 poured into a Sam Adams lager glass at about 42F.
A: Pours a medium orange-amber color with a bubbly tan head that has moderate retention and leave spotty lacing. Clear with lots of bubbles.
S: Smells pleasantly malty with spicy hop tones and hints of citrus fruit and baked bread.
T: The flavor largely follows, The initial sweet malt flavor is soon followed by bitter earthy and spicy noble hops that eventually dominate the malts. The aftertaste is mildly bitter and slightly nutty and yeasty.
M: Medium-bodied with plenty of carbonation making it a bit fizzy; semi-dry finish.

O: A decent Oktoberfest beer, although a bit more hoppy, less refined, and less drinkable than usual or ideal for this style.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 22:17:40 | More by chinchill

TheDinger

South Carolina

3.3/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle into DFH snifter. A solid amber pour, cidar like with some active carbonation. A smallish off white head that faded quickly. Smell was true to the style with seasonal spices, carmel, nutmeg, allspice and pine notes. Taste was where it went bad for me. Noble hops take over the malts and put a bitter finish on this brew. A bit of a hop bomb which is not my speed. The front end is nice, but give way to over the top German hops. The feel is medium with plenty of carbonation and light on the tongue. Overall- Just can't get past the over the top hops that steal the complexity and malts. Just pretty average and will not be hitting another-

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 16:25:05 | More by TheDinger

beer2day

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22oz bomber from GBX.

Amber to orange color with streaks of red showing through. 1-finger cap of foam, with little retention. Not much in the way of lace.

Caramel and bread malts with light pine and floral hops define the nose. About right for the style.

Lots of bread malt, touches of caramel, a bit of strawberry licorice without the sweetness and a touch of pine hops in the finish. A bit hoppier than most marzens, but I like it.

Body has a touch of syrup, but otherwise very drinkable.

A solid marzen with a hoppy twist on the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 00:51:46 | More by beer2day

avalon07

South Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a mug. Had an amber color and a hazy texture. There was a small amount of foamy head that quickly dissipated. Not much lacing.

S: A somewhat muted aroma of malt, hops, and caramel.

T: Tasted of light hops, caramel malt, and a small amount of spices. This is another one of those flavors that grew on me as it went along. It's pretty vibrant and very much in keeping with the style.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a sharp, smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Even though this beer has some rough spots, it's still very enjoyable and definitely drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 21:39:45 | More by avalon07

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

3.63/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle poured into a pint glass at fridge-cellar temperature.

L – Medium amber color with a 1-finger bubbly cream-colored head that dissipates rapidly. No lacing. Clear with lots of bubbles.

S – Grainy, bready, and slightly nutty malt with some lager yeast.

T – Starts off sweet with grainy, bready, and some caramel malt. Then, the spice starts to pick up with some bitter earthy and spicy noble hops. The spice almost has a cinnamon-like quality.

F – Medium-bodied with good carbonation, a sticky mouthfeel, and a bitter and dry finish. Earthy hop bitterness and spice lingers.

O – This is a decent Oktoberfest beer. In terms of the malt-hops balance, it’s shifted a bit too much toward the hops side for my taste in a beer of this style. I like my Oktoberfests to have a big and sweet malty character. While this beer does have that to an extent, the entire finish of the beer is dominated by noble hops. Still, this is a tasty beer and an interesting take on the style. Not my favorite beer from Westbrook, but it’s still a nice and drinkable fall beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 02:57:56 | More by BlackBelt5112203

thagr81us

South Carolina

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

Served from bottle into a Spaten Optimator dimpled mug. Poured red orange with a half finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained phenomenal lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, spice, nutty, fall, and earth. The flavor was of sweet malt, wheat, nutty, nutmeg, spice, and earth. It had a light feel on the palate with medium-high carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. Nothing on this one really stood out to me if I am honest. A lot of the right flavors were there, but the nuttiness seemed to dominate this one on me. While I will admit that this isn’t one of my favorite styles as the nutty aspect can be rather overwhelming on my palate. If there was a little more sweetness to go along with this one it could definitely be something special. Worth trying at least once if you get the opportunity and are a fan of the nutty.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 10:39:36 | More by thagr81us

sachsich

South Carolina

2.28/5  rDev -36.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

On tap at Closed for Business. I dont think they brew any lagers. At least that what the tour said months back because they want to get beers out and not wait on the "lagering" process. Anyways, this beer was not malty at all like a marzen. Too many hops for the style. Didn't taste anything like a marzen. A thin IPA

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2011 11:15:00 | More by sachsich