Oh, is it that time again? For those who want to take on the classic seasonal, this is a wonderful “first lager” if you’ve never brewed one. (And as for the British malt in a traditional German style … well, we won’t tell if you won’t.)

“Moist dark-bread nose with some brown-sugar accents. Fresh and malty in one of those obvious but enjoyable ‘they’re brewing today’ ways. Sweet, grainy flavor on medium body, with minimal bitterness. Leans sweet, more like artisanal spent-grain bread than malt beverage.”

Lovely clear amber color, excellent foam and lace. Pleasant nose, malt-forward with some lighter caramel, integrating well with a subtle orange-fruit ester and getting a slight push from sweet alcohol—it works, altogether. Nice balance in the flavor, with a light, slightly caramel-like sweetness that that rolls pretty quickly through a soft, smooth, herbal-earthy bitterness into a dry finish. Medium body, good carb. Attractive, nicely balanced, and quite drinkable. Freshly toasted, but not too toasted, bread on the nose. Flavors the same in the mouth, herbal character from hops more apparent. Malt/hops flavor nicely balanced, but hops finish with a bit of a thud. Beautifully light copper-colored pour with a khaki head that just sticks around. An initial whiff of petrol dissipates to allow nutty, heavily caramel-toasted malt to lead the aroma; red apple skin esters contributes a sweetness that doesn't seem completely integrated. On the sip, malts are clearly present in terms of sweetness and brioche crust. A wisp of near-roast alongside this soft sweetness compliments more mid-tone flavors of bread, caramel, etc. Finish dries out to a degree but again could use some more supportive bread effects in the retronasal.

“Aroma dominated by toast, bread crust, pie crust. Soft floral hops with an herbal-spicy pop. Very light caramel. Big toast, moderate caramel dominate the flavor with slight floral and moderate herbal notes. Adequate bitterness. Clean finish is surprisingly dry for the malt depth, with mild hop bitterness lingering a short time.”

“Bread and caramel aroma. Bready malt leads the sip with a slight sweetness and very light hop bitterness in the background. Hops help it finish dry, as they pull the sweetness from the lingering caramel malt flavor.”

“Nice blend of herbal Noble hops and bready malt, verging on toasty. The malty flavor is on the sweet side, with suggestions of caramel and toffee. Nicely rounded flavor and fairly lively mouthfeel. Sweetness continues into the finish. Pretty elegant märzen-like lager—balanced and fairly delicate.”

“Mild biscuit and pie-crust aroma, with soft caramel and light spicy and floral notes. Flavor of toasted bread crusts and fresh-baked bread supports a subtle floral-and-black-pepper hop flavor. Subtle bitterness. Hints of white peach and dried apricot. Finish is fairly dry, with light fruit appearing as it fades.”

“Soft biscuit, toast, bread crust, and light caramel aroma. Light floral and spicy hops. Lightly sweet, very toasty, biscuity, deeply toasted bread crust. Medium-floral and light, spicy-peppery hop character complements sweetness. Light apricot and golden-currant esters. Dry but not austere finish.”

“Slightly sweet with a somewhat reserved malt backbone. An interesting earthy note comes out toward the end. Bitterness is somewhat heavy; rough around the edges.”

“Slightly sweet bread and mellow caramel malt greet the nose; some slight savory notes. Lightly sweet flavor is checked by a firm bitterness. Smooth, clean, and rich, with a nice balance of hop bitterness versus sweetness. Some lingering astringency.”

“Soft floral Noble-hop aroma. Subtle bread and biscuit malt notes. Very light metallic twinge to the water profile, but it finishes clean and dry with a light lingering bitterness. More festbier than märzen.”

“Solid malt aroma—light toast, pie crust, biscuit. Hint of caramel, apricot, honey. Light floral hops. Dried apricot and caramel are followed by a rich toast and biscuit flavor. Apricot and golden-currant notes follow. Hop flavor is lightly floral and herbal. Medium and smooth bittering balances the malt nicely.”

“Toffee-toasty fireworks in the nose and mouth. Pleasant, well-integrated aroma—light caramel, a bit of nutty toasted malt, and some fresh wort, with light herbal hops. Bright sweetness is grounded by a shadow of molasses. It’s not as clean or crisp as my memories of Bavaria, but it does seem well-matched for a cool fall evening.”

“Aggressive citrus and hit of woody pine in the nose with light caramel. Peachy, red-wine flavor up front, like sangria. Sticky sweet malt in the middle, with a medium-dry finish. Slight creamy mouthfeel complements the delicate flavors.”

“Copper pour with a tight, off-white head. Roasted malt and toasted sugar aromas. Leans toward roasted-malt flavors with some underlying dark-fruit notes. Lingering pome fruit. Dry finish.”

“Brilliant copper color, good foam. Pleasant, mellow dark-bread notes, like pumpernickel drizzled with light honey, with some welcome if subtle herbal hops. Integrated flavor—light sweetness fully melds with a smooth, restrained bitterness, drying out beautifully, getting some lift from ample carbonation. Everything a good Oktoberfest should be.”

“Noticeable floral hop aroma. Palate showcases some darker toast, near-roast character. Faint caramel sweetness. Finish is dry and lightly acidic. Light hop bitterness restrains the malt sweetness. Crisp and assertively carbonated.”

“Toasty and bready, the aroma is elegant and clean. Pleasant, brightly sweet malt note sings out front, like an amped-up helles, sweet pastry, or the purest honey. Reddish-gold color—lovely—with ample foam. Each sip has the same disciplined simplicity of bruschetta, herbal hop flavor, and crisp clean finish.”

“Clean and crisp with rich malty tones in the middle. Very well balanced between sweetness and slight bitterness. Clean and dry bitterness.”

“Light cracker and biscuit aroma. Soft herbal and floral hops with a note of minerality. The light flavor is fairly malt-forward: biscuit and lots of pie crust. Soft herbal and floral hops continue with a medium-low hop bitterness. Finishes dry.”