Märzen Amber Lager (6A)

Toasty malts, just a hint of caramel, and a little bit of background sulfur are in the aroma of this beer. There are no fruit or ale-like aromas; instead it is clean and lager-like in its yeast expression, as desired for this style. The color is reddish-copper, very clear, with the faintest of heads just gathering on the top and edges of the glass. The flavor belies a touch of caraffa or some other dark roast malt with a relatively rich and malty flavor dominating up front, then drying out in the finish. You might describe the malt flavor as toasty more than bready in terms of mid-malt character. Hops are well balanced and appropriate for the style, but apparently on the high side both in terms of bitterness and hop flavor. The flavors of the hops are distinctly "noble", hinting at mint and earthiness. The mouthfeel is medium with a touch of astringency from either grain or carbonation (the lack of a head would suggest the former). Overall, this is a quite tasty Märzen that carries a little more roast and a little less mid-malt character than one wants for the style, but it is only just a little too much roast and just short on the malt. I am still quite enjoying it for what it is, and would gladly drink this as a counterpoint to the hop-dominant beers that are much easier to find these days.