The Pursuit of Hoppiness

Welcome to the first installment of Christian's "The Pursuit of Hoppiness" Blog segment! Each week, I will be featuring a new review on a craft beer that you should probably try out.

Allow me to first introduce myself; I work as the Marketing Coordinator for Katz Americas and during my time here, I have been exposed to a lot of new beers and breweries that I most likely would never have known existed. I've developed a bit of a taste (okay, more like a love) for craft beers, and have been trying new brews ever since. The goal of this segment is to hopefully provide you with some insight into new beers and get you to reach for something different the next time you're at the pub. Having said that, I'd also like to note that my thoughts are my own, and in no way do the opinions expressed in this segment reflect Katz Americas directly or the brands that I'm reviewing. Okay, lets get tasting...

This week I am reviewing Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen, a classic German seasonal brewed for the famed Oktoberfest celebration in Germany. I will rate the beer by Appearance, Taste, Finish, Body, and an Overall Rating.

Appearance - Medium-dark amber with a thick creamy head, dissipating evenly over time. The beer coats the glass nicely, and as you drink you can see the lines of foam ringing the glass. The beer itself is very clear despite its darker color, and you can see the carbonation streaming upward.

Taste - The first thing I noticed about taste was the delicious malty flavor. There were notes of sweet, caramel, and a heavier tone from the the wheat aspect of the beer. There wasn't much of a hoppiness, but just enough to balance the beer.

Finish - For a darker malty amber, I was surprised by the cleanness of the finish. The sweet malt lingered a bit on my palate, but aside from that, there were no tones that had lingered.

Body - Paulaner Oktoberfest was a very full bodied beer, but was not heavy. The carbonation was at a moderate level, and I would have enjoyed it a bit more had it been a less carbonated beer, similar to a cask-style brew.

Overall Rating - I thoroughly enjoyed this beer, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a beer to celebrate Oktoberfest with. I give Paulaner Oktoberfest Marzen a rating of 8.5/10

Thanks for reading! Check back next Friday for more craft beer reviews!