181. Spaten Franziskaner Bräu – Oktoberfestbier Ur-Märzen Draft

We were having our ABNormal Brewers meeting at Fat Jack’s in downtown Bloomington, and I was trying to take a look at the board to see what my next beer would be.  I had tried many of the options, so I thought I’d go for the Spaten Octoberfest, since I hadn’t written that one up yet – despite the fact that it was not yet October.  However, it did give me an idea for the month of October, which I’ll explain on October 1.

It was a light brown/copper color and extremely clear.  There was a very thin head on it, but it still had some nice lacing on the glass (as you can see here).

The body was very thin and light, and the mouthfeel was watery with a little bit of carbonation tingle.  The flavor was a light malty flavor up front with some slightly more caramel flavors coming through in the finish.  There was just a little bit of caramel aftertaste, but it was very clean and crisp.

Maybe it’s because it’s an Octoberfest beer, but I think the lightness of this one would go well with some thick heavy German dishes such as schnitzel or sausages.  However, it still has a nice light caramel flavor to bring out the richness of the meal.

I guess you can’t get much more Octoberfest than a beer from Munich.  This was a very nice example of a lagered beer with some nice light caramel flavors.  Overall, I’d say that this is a good beer that is pretty much the quintessential Octoberfest brew.

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