Mӓrzen
Part of our Style Series!
Mӓrzen or Mӓrzenbier (meaning March Beer in German) has been around before the 16th century but has evolved over time. The Mӓrzen that we see today was first brewed by Sedlmayer of Spaten back in 1841.
A mix between a Munich Dunkel & Bohemia’s pale lager brewed with more hops and a slightly higher ABV than most beers at that time. Brewed with a festive tone, this style was more for harvest time than as an autumn beer which had more of a sunny warmth tone than crisp and chill.
Usually brewed in March then lagered or aged in the cool caves from April until late August it was then bottled for the celebration of the harvest and changing of the season. Lager yeast or Saccharomyces pastorianus, are perfect in fermenting at colder temperature such as the 12℃ or 54℉ this beer was fermented at. These strains prefer cooler temperatures compared to ales which allow low yeast expression accentuating malt and hop character.
At lagering stages, temperatures can hit as low as 1℃ or 34℉! This stage which can range from weeks to months allows the remaining yeast to clean up any unwanted off flavors, producing a clean crisp beer.
Each beer shows the uniqueness of each yeast strain through our split batching process.
Our two strains we chose for this brew include a traditional Mӓrzen lager yeast strain and Germany’s neighboring country Belgian’s lager yeast strain. As both beers finished with the same Alcohol by Volume(ABV) and attenuation(73%), you would think they would taste the same.
GUESS AGAIN, our traditional WLP820 Oktoberfest/Märzen Lager Yeast has a sweet aftertaste with a caramel and nutty aroma really letting the roasty malt shine. Meanwhile, WLP815 Belgian Lager Yeast tastes drier with notes of brown sugar and spice.
This refreshing beer is accented with a smooth caramel sweetness to encourage generous gulps but still crisp enough to refresh the palate. So come to our taprooms and experience our side-by-side Mӓrzen’s with a traditional Mӓrzen lager yeast strain and Germany’s neighboring country Belgian’s lager yeast strain. PROST!!!
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