Point Oktoberfest

Point Oktoberfest – “Marzen Style”

Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point, WI

Information: (Site) “Point Oktoberfest is an authentic Marzen Style Lager beer, a style reminiscent of the beers originally brewed for the first Oktoberfest Celebrations in Germany during the early 1800’s.  Craft brewed using Hallertauer Hops and sweet Vienna roasted malts result in a full flavored, finely balanced beer brewed in celebration of the upcoming season.”

Before getting into the review, it might be a good idea to review just what a Marzen Style Lager is: (Wikipedia)

“The German style is most often characterized by a medium to full body, a malty flavour balance, a wide range of colours, and a clean dry finish, though wide variations are notable amongst German breweries marketing Märzen. Amongst these variations are colors ranging from pale to dark brown. The North American style normally exhibits a stronger, though not aggressive, hop aroma and bitterness balance. The Austrian style closely resembles a Helles in color, body, and flavor balance, and is the most popular beer style in Austria. Common names for Märzen include Märzenbier, Wiener Märzen, Festbier, and Oktoberfestbier.”

The pour is a nice golden hue with a pretty strong, fluffy head that slowly diminishes to less than a dollop. The nose is slightly fruity and earthy with a mild bitter hoppiness. There also appears to be a malty undertone after it’s opened up a bit.

The taste is very bright and slightly sweet with little to no bitterness. Crisp and vibrant with a very nice, clean mouthfeel and finish. The most prominent feature of this brew is its tangy maltiness. It’s not the slightest bit heavy, as is the standard for its Marzen style, and it goes down with little aggravating aftertaste and not even a slight throaty bitterness that can come with heavier hops. It’s a very nice style, and not heavy enough to put you over after one or two, and certainly not a brew one would associate with a ‘sipping style’, though that does certainly benefit your enjoyment of the interesting and relatively slight flavors. Tasty and bright and would really match chicken particularly well, especially if it’s roasted. Good stuff

Rating: * * * *
A lively and light Marzen style with a delicious combinations of scents and flavors.