In recommending a beer for Oktoberfest last year, I dealt with the confusing fact that the festival happens mostly in September. This year, let’s consider that the traditional style of beer for the Bavarian booze-up is Märzen, or “March beer.”
Before commercial refrigeration was invented, Märzen — like other classic September styles such as saison — had to brewed at the end of the cool spring season with a strength that would allow it to keep over the summer. So it’s no surprise that Mill Street’s modern version of an Oktoberfest beer eases up on the alcohol to a slightly tamer 5.6 per cent.
This Märzen pours a medium amber with a fluffy cap that’s a few shades off from white. The aroma has familiar notes of German hops (more herbal and floral than citrus or pine) and a good malty backbone to it. The flavour is of toasted bread with honey, cut by a slight hop bitterness, lifted by a pleasant degree of carbonation.
The natural and obvious food pairings for an Oktoberfest Märzen are veal sausages and soft pretzels, but I’ve also had luck serving it with meat-heavy pasta sauces and rich, lamb-based Middle Eastern dishes. Lamb kofta with a garlic-tahini sauce is a particular favourite.
The Oktoberfest Beer is available at the LCBO as one half of Mill Street’s Autumn Harvest Seasonal sample pack, along with the Nightmare on Mill Street pumpkin beer. It can also be ordered on tap at the Mill Street Brew Pub in the Distillery District.
Mill Street Brewery’s Autumn Harvest Sampler, $13.45 for six 355 ml bottles, LCBO #313916
In addition to covering beer, new restaurants and food trucks for Post City, David Ort writes about food and drink for several Toronto publications including his own site, Food With Legs. He is also the author of the upcoming Canadian Craft Beer Cookbook. For more of his thoughts on food, beer and life in general, follow him on Twitter or get in touch at info@foodwithlegs.com.
