Strange Days Brewing Co Märzen

Nice roast malt aromatics of coffee, toffee, caramel, toast, and bread crust balance well with some subtle but pleasant floral hop notes. The sip leans quite hard into the roast and toes the line of becoming heavy handed. The caramel, toffee, and coffee notes are well balanced and enjoyable, but they seem to come across a bit more reminiscent of a dunkel or a brown ale. The finish is clean, lightly bitter and crisp. A clean, easy drinking, and enjoyable roast forward lager that doesn't care what style you call it. It will be consumed rapidly nonetheless. Bright copper color with sticky off white foam. Some lightly roasted malt aromas followed by coffee and bread crust. Really nice grassy malt flavors throughout. The bitterness matches the sweetness really well allowing for structure and drinkability. Finishes quick and clean. This beer may be a bit roasty for Vienna Lager but drinks like a great brown ale.

“Chocolate notes with a kind of distractingly effervescent bite in the nose. Aromatically, it has a lot of lift; moderate roasted character with esters that push through. Chocolate and coffee with noted roast harshness and hints of smoke. Light to medium body with higher carbonation. Leaves a bit of a chalky mouthfeel. Spicy-grassy hop character balances well on the clean finish. Pleasant, but a bit rough on the edges.” 

**Aroma:** “Big dark chocolate and coffee aroma. Big plum, dates, moderate cherry, light acidity, moderate caramel, light umami, light earthy hops, some brown sugar notes. A backbone of bready malt. I’m sitting by the fire with a snifter of...not barleywine, but this beer. Rich malt complexity with sherry, dried figs, and raisins, and warming alcohol. More caramel than roast, but the coffee and chocolate are there.” **Flavor:** “Lovely complex malt sweetness—like chocolate-covered Fig Newtons, or maple syrup, with a touch of earthy hops to help balance. Like a shot of strong expresso, no cream. Complex and deep, but a bit intense so sessionable is not part of this section. Big cherry, light plum, big chocolate, moderate coffee, light hops bitterness, touch of alcohol, moderate caramel. Aftertaste: big chocolate, touch of coffee, light bitterness. Starts out like a thinner-bodied barleywine, but the hops and roast bitterness crack that illusion. The promise from the nose is here, but it doesn't quite mesh as well in the flavor because the lingering hops and slight astringency add some harshness. Hops flavor is as big as the roast. Sherry, malt, dried fruit and esters are still nice, though.” **Overall:** “Very tasty, but could use a bit more carbonation to help the flavors pop. Love the fruitiness. Fun dark-fruit dominated imperial stout. The chocolate, caramel, and roast notes are present throughout with just enough hops to balance. It is fairly well carbonated, but that works to bring out the brighter fruit notes. The nose had me, but the flavor not so much.”