Märzen (Oktoberfest) & Vienna Lager

The term Märzen derives from the German word for the month of March. Before refrigeration it was difficult to brew beer in the summer months, so beer would be brewed over the winter and stored in caves (lagers)to keep it fresh. (For more detail on this, see the blog post on lagers).

Some of the lagered beer, brewed in March, would be saved until the harvest festivals in October, maturing and fermenting over the summer and into the early autumn. This märzenbier became an important feature of the Oktoberfest held in Munich each year. Originally the Oktoberfestbier was a dark lager, but over the last 150 years have tended to lighter hues. The predominant Oktoberfestbier has been a Vienna lager style (think Sam Adams, Dos Equis or Yuengling) for many years. Since at least 1990, Oktoberfestbiers in Germany have been golden, while American versions tend to have an amber-red cast, similar to an Irish Red. Märzens tend to be low in hop character, with a slightly sweet maltiness. 

A Vienna lager is a style that is very similar to a Märzen, having originated in the city of Vienna in Austria, south of Munich in Bavaria. They tend to be reddish in color and malty sweet, with a low IBU (hoppiness) count. many Mexican beers like Dos Equis and Negra Modelo are Vienna-style lagers, in large part due to immigration from Austria in the 1800's. 

Bock

Bock beer is another type of lager, that is considered a Spring seasonal, but unfortunately, you don't see too much of these days. As lagers, bocks use bottom, or cold, fermenting yeasts, and are lagered, or allowed to mature in a cool environment. Traditionally these were the first beers brewed in the Spring, and were used as a celebratory beer at the end of Lent, but there are also traditions which speak of monks drining bocks during fasts as sources of nourishment. In general, a bock is stronger than average (6.5 - 7% ABV) and tends to be darker than most lagers. Hop profile is low, usually around 20-25 IBU and has a sweet malty character. Other versions of the bock include the maibock, brewed in May. Maibocks tend to be lighter and hoppier. A dopplebock, or double bock can be up to 10-12% ABV. Right now bocks for some reason are not very popular, so they're not being brewed in great numbers; that and the fact that lagering ties up a small craft brewery's equipment longer than does an ale is also a factor.

Avery's Liliko'i Kepolo

Last beer of the night at Yia-Yia's, this one was a passion fruit flavored Witbier. It poured a brilliant hazy yellow, with a decent sized bright white head. Very refreshing - I recommend it highly for summer drinking. In addition to the passionfruit, one might detect some lemon and coriander. Perhaps even some orange and lemon peel. Of all the beers that I tried, this one was probably the most approachable for the beer novice. I rate this pretty high on the IGB scale.

Avery's Uncle Jacob's Stout

It was Avery Brewing night at Yia-Yia's last night and this was the first one that I tried. At 17.1% ABV I had it in a six ounce glass. I pint glass would have probably put me in a coma. It's an oak bourbon barrel aged stout, but felt kind of like a chocolate quad. The aroma reeked of alcohol, but it didn't assault the tongue as I expected. It was one of the smoothest brews I've experienced in quite a while. The mouthfeel was very thick and heavy, I might even say...stout. there was some definite bourbon character, as well as a melange of dark fruits: black cherry, figs, raisins. Asit warmed up the chocolate notes came to life, as well as some vanilla. It really stretched this one out, partly out of respect for the high ABV, but also because it was so complexly tasty, I just couldn't rush it. Head on down to Yia-Yia's and get some for yourself.

Leinenkugel's Heart of Oak Vienna Lager

The best way to describe the Vienna lager style is to compare it to Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Negra Modelo and Dos Equis. Heart of Oak pours a coppery hue with a three finger tan head. Low IBUs, but there is a bit of a hop bite lurking at the back of the taste profile. Sweet maltiness predominates, with some caramel, and some smokiness, presumably from the oak. I'd say it would be a great Autumn beer, similar in some respects to an Oktoberfest. Works pretty well as an early Spring beer as well.

Leinenkugel IPL (India Pale Lager)

It's an IPA! It's a lager! It's neither! It's both! Hoppy as advertised, IPL pours a coppery amber with a pinky-width of a head...scanty, but it doesn't go away. The hops give a predominantly citrus feel, with some hidden pine notes. It somewhat reminds me of a good pilsner...not those Americanized, mass-produced LCD lagers, but a good Czech pils. Might not have been what they were going for, but other than the color (a true Pilsner will be a bright golden hue) they have it nailed.

Leinenkugel Big Butt Dopplebock

At one time in the life of Ill-Gotten Booty, Leinenkugel was my favorite beer. I had graduated from Budweiser, but had not yet discovered the vast universe of craft beers. Leinie's Red was my regular at O'Rourke's and I usually had some Honey Weiss and Creamy Dark in the fridge. Since I liked to try the darker brews I picked up some Big Butt Doppelbock. Bocks are Spring seasonals, a style of lager that in my opinion you don't see enough of these days. Originally brewed as the first beer at the end of Winter/beginning of Spring. It's typically dark and malty, lower in hops than average. The "butt" in "big butt" comes from the association of mountain rams head butting each other with bock. Who knows why there is such an association?  Doppel  or Double bock tends to be stronger and a bit darker. Leinie's version pours a nutty brown with a two-finger tan head. Big Butt has a sweet, malty character with overtones of apple and pear. There's a hint of chocolate, but just a hint. The body is lighter than I remembered from days past. Fairly decent bock, but not the best out there. Nonetheless, I'm glad that they brought it back. A little Leinie's trivia: Leinenkugel pulled this beer from their seasonal rotation because  of low sales, not anticipating the fad for darker craft beers that was to come.