SÄGEMEHL STADT ~ SAWDUST CITY

It is that time of year again, days get shorter, nights get colder and beers get darker. Sägemehl Stadt is Sawdust City’s marzen/festbeir. Sampled on draught, the beer poured a clear dark amber, with a moderate blanket of cream coloured foam. The head didn’t stick around but did leave nice lacing as it receded. The nose had some floral and herbal notes along with malts, caramel, and toasted bread. The flavour is light with notes of caramel, toasted grain, tree fruit, mild nuttiness and light earthiness hop bitterness. This one is a little sweeter than others I have had, I would have preferred more leafy hop bitterness. Mouthfeel was on the thin side and the carbonation was lazy. Pleasant enough, bit just didn’t hit the mark for me.
5% from Gravenhurst, Ontario 30 IBU

WEISSE O’LANTERN ~ BEAU’S

Weisse O’Lantern is No. 13 in Beau’s Wild Oats Series and was part of the 2015 Oktoberfest four-pack.  It is a weisse beer, brewed with pumpkin (350 pounds of pumpkin go onto each batch), making it a new hybrid, a pumpkinweisse.  All ingredients are organic.  Sampled from a 60 mL bottle, the beer pours an orange hued gold, with a good creamy off white head.  The head lasts for a while, and leaves good amount of lacing as it dissipates.  The aroma is very typical of a weisse beer, with hints of pumpkin and citrus in the background, and in the forefront spices (clove and ginger), yeasts and bready malts.  The taste is also very typical of a weisse beer with bubble gum and banana, but also the spice (ginger, cinnamon, and clove), citrus peel and a very subtle pumpkin.  Cinnamon lingers in the aftertaste.  This is a very interesting hybrid, though if you were looking for a pumpkin beer I may start elsewhere - this tastes much more like a weisse.  Drinkable and much enjoyed, but a little steep in price.

 

5.6% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario    17 IBU

Hops: Wheat, pilsner, carafoam, caramunich

Malts: Organic Hallertau tradition

Other : orange peel, ginger, cinnamon and brewers yeast

FARM TABLE MÄRZEN ~ BEAU’S

Beau’s Farm Table Märzen is another in their series of Farm Table beers.  The Farm Table Series are beers made with traditional recipes and work to stay true to their style. 

Sampled from a 600 ml bottle, the beer pours a clear coppery orange colour with a light beige head.  Bready malts, grain, subtle herbals and spice, and a distant caramel make up the aroma.  The taste is much like the nose.  Bready malts begin, followed by a very light caramel and a light  to medium hop bitterness with a soupçon of spice.  It has medium carbonation, a good depth of flavour and a clear, crisp finish.  Much enjoyed!

Märzen is a traditional Oktoberfest lager.  It takes it name from March, the month in which it was traditionally brewed.  A Bavarian Law from the 1500’s decreed that beer only be brewed between September 29^th and April 23^rd.    Märzen was brewed in March to be cellared until late summer, to last until new beer could be brewed.    The last of the bottles were served at Oktoberfest celebrations.

5.5% from Vankleek Hills, Ontario       IBU 30

 

Awards:

*Third Place, Lagers, as Night•Märzen (2014 National Organic Craft Beer Competition)

*3rd Overall, as Night•Märzen (2009 National Organic Brewing Challenge, California, USA)

Malts: Munich, Pilsner, Vienna, Caramunich, Carafoam (All Organic)

Hops: Organic Perle

Yeast: German lager