Once the calendar turns to September, we all think about Oktoberfest beers. The style is called Märzen or Märzenbier, which means "March beer" in German. The style originated in Bavaria, Germany, where, in 1553, brewing was not allowed between April 23 and September 29 to prevent infection from bacteria in the beer.
The color ranges from golden pale to amber. This medium-body beer is malty and bready, with a sweet beginning and a semi-dry or dry finish. Traditional Märzens are made with Munich malt. Authentic Märzens are lagered for six to eight months at a temperature close to freezing, and today, breweries lager this beer for five to eight weeks. The typical ABV percentage is between 5 to 6% and as high as 7%.
Aries Märzen
Empyrean Brewing Company Aries is amber in color and has sweet, malty notes. It has a light to medium body that is smooth and finishes off-dry to balance it out. For me, this 5.3% Märzen nails the style! It is the lightest of the three in ABV but has incredible flavor. Looking forward to having this one on some fall firepit nights.
Festbier
Pint Nine Brewing Company Festbier is deep golden in color. It has bready notes upfront and a smooth, rich, medium-full body. A hint of honey-like sweetness appears in the middle, and the finish is semi-dry. The ABV is 5.8%. Festbier is a lager you can enjoy all year.
Octoberfest
Bell’s Brewery Octoberfest has the lightest body of the three beers reviewed. It is smooth, with a peppery hop note in the middle and a hint of sweetness. The ABV is 5.5% in this enjoyable fall beer.
I highly recommend grabbing a few Märzen beers and doing your own comparison to find out what stands out for you. For the three I reviewed, I personally prefer what Empyrean Brewing Company does with Aries.
Cheers!