Few beer styles are as appropriate
for the season as the Märzen, more commonly referred to by its alternative
name, Oktoberfest. Technically only Märzen
beers brewed within the city limits of Munich are an “authentic” Oktoberfest,
but let’s not get involved in technicalities. Märzens have historically been brewed in
March and cellared in ice filled caves during the hot summer months and pulled
out of storage for consumption after extended aging. Beer started to be brought out of storage late
summer, but there was always so much that full barrels were still in the cold
storage through mid-September when it was time for harvest. Every year as the grain was harvested there
was a conundrum. What better use for
grain than the brewing of beer, but there was still beer left over from the March
batch (the Märzen). What better way to
fix the problem than to drink all that beer.
Sure, the original Oktoberfest was the impressively long celebration of
the marriage of King Ludwig I to Princess Therese of Sax-Hildburghausen on
October 12, 1810, but those crazy Germans have found a reason to celebrate
almost every year since. Oktoberfest has
grown to become the largest beer celebration in the world, King Ludwig would be
proud.
Fortunately Wisconsin has a strong
German heritage, so over time Oktoberfest celebrations have become increasingly
popular here. Almost every brewery in
the state releases an Oktoberfest Märzen, or an Oktoberfest inspired beer this
time of season and it just so happens that one of my favorite Wisconsin
breweries, Tyranena has one as well, the Gemüetlichkeit
Oktoberfest.
Founded by Rob Larson, Tyranena has
been producing “Legendary Wisconsin Beer” from their Lake Mills location since
October 21, 1999. Lake Mills is situated
between Madison and Milwaukee on I-94, 25 minutes east of Madison and 50
minutes west of Milwaukee, making them an ideal stop on a drive between the two
cities. If you are near the brewery on a
Saturday, be sure to stop by before 3:30 to get a brewery tour.
Their taproom is staffed by a knowledgeable crew of
bartenders who will happily recommend a beer if you are not sure which you
should start with, or share the stories behind the beers in their Brewer’s Gone
Wild series, their line of extreme beers.
Every beer that I have had from Tyranena has been extremely enjoyable
and I am always on the lookout for their next BGW or seasonal release.
At
Beeradvocate,
Gemüetlichkeit Oktoberfest currently has a score of 82. Over at ratebeer on the
other hand, the current score is a 57 overall with a 90 for style. The two sites, appealing to different groups
of beer drinkers, often have radically different scores for the same beer, but
they seem particularly off for this one.
So much for using them as a benchmark, eh?
They
Say:
Gemüetlichkeit
translates from German as “the fondness of feasting, drinking and merry
company.”
This
is true of most everyone in Wisconsin, especially those of us at the
brewery. Each September in the nearby city
of Jefferson, Wisconsin, thousand turn out for Gemüetlichkeit Days, a
celebration of the area’s German heritage.
We invite you to celebrate the spirit of Gemüetlichkeit with us. Don your lederhosen, kick up your heels with a polka and raise a stein of our Gemüetlichkeit
Oktoberfest with a friend. Ein Prosit!
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 22
Serving Temp: 45-50°
Malts: 2-row, Pale, Caramel, Munich,
Victory
Hops: Liberty, Tettnanger
I
Say:
Gemüetlichkeit
Oktoberfest pours a very clear orange/coppery amber. With a moderately thick, creamy white head
that holds very good retention and leaves a thick collar around the edges through
the remainder of the glass and leaves light lacing in the glass. The aroma is rich and malty with toasted
biscuit and nutty dimensions. Hop and
yeasty aromas are noticeably absent, as they should be in a good Oktoberfest.
The
flavor, like the aroma, is rich, with toasted and nutty malt notes that pair
with slight floral hops. It is slightly
sweet with a subtle caramel character on the front end with very smooth,
creamy, moderately high maltiness and a moderate hop bitterness that helps to
balance out the sweetness. Gemüetlichkeit Oktoberfest has a medium body with a moderate
level of carbonation.
As
with many Oktoberfests, Gemüetlichkeit Oktoberfest has a strong malt backbone
with just enough hops to balance out the sweetness and make it especially
quaffable. I only wish I had either a 1
liter bottle of Gemüetlichkeit Oktoberfest, or a Tyranena mug to pour this
excellent beer into.
With
the inclusion of American 2-row, Pale, and Caramel malts, this is Gemüetlichkeit
is missing out on some of the soft, toasted biscuit notes of a traditional
German Oktoberfest, it also has slight caramel notes which are out of style. More importantly however, Gemüetlichkeit
Oktoberfest is a great beer that I am more than happy to drink in mass
quantities, style guidelines be damned!
If you are looking for an easy drinking Märzen lager to get you through
the early fall, Gemüetlichkeit Oktoberfest will certainly fulfill your
requirements so raise a mug and experience Gemüetlichkeit!
That’s
all for today, be sure to check back soon for another review!
Ein Prosit!