Here’s my third beer from North Carolina’s Currahee brewery: Der Betrunken Oktoberfest Lager. Now, I was very impressed with the first two beers I tried from these fine folks, so had high hopes for “Der Betrunken”. The name alone inspired anticipation, it’s German for “The Drunken”. What’s a better name for an Oktoberfest than that?

The website description sounded interesting:

Our take on a traditional German Oktoberfest/Marzen German Lager, using authentic German ingredients including Vienna, Munich malts with authentic German yeast and Noble German hops. Grab your Das Boot and fill it up, and become Der Betrunken.

Have I mentioned how much I love German beer? I was excited about this one, and grabbed a six-pack at my local Target for just $9.49. The label puts the alcohol content at 5.8% by volume, though the website says 6% and mentions 21 IBUs.

I got my highly prized six-pack home and popped one open. It did look a little paler than I expected for a Marzenbier.

Der Betrunken Oktoberfest Lager pours to a light amber color with a soft bready malty nose and a medium head. Taking a sip, the beer has a light toasty nutty maltiness in the palate. It doesn’t scream melanoidins like the Germans do. They are less pronounced than many an American example of the style for that matter, and are gently balanced by a subtle bitterness.

This is a nice American Marzenbier. There are plenty better I think, but you can’t go wrong with it, and I’ll be back for more for sure.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

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