Every year, it’s a lot of fun wondering just what Saranac will place in its Twelve Beers ( of Christmas) collection. That’s because the collection features twelve distinct beers that rotate from Saranac’s vast repertoire of brews. Usually, there will be one or two new brews to boot.

Today, I picked up my annual carton of the Twelve Beers (of Christmas). It had been a pretty good beer day already. Earlier I was sitting at Taco Mac and convinced a budding beer enthusiast to try a glass of Anchor Old Foghorn. And while at Sherlock’s for my Saranac sampler, I convinced another enthusiastic beer lover to purchase a twelve pack holiday sampler, too. It’s a great day when you can further the cause of beer a little.

This year, there are two new beers, both in the German style. The first, the Marzenbier, I’m drinking right now. Marzenbiers, or Vienna lagers, are noted for their slightly sweet character, soft maltiness, and subtle hop finish. You may also know them as Oktoberfest beer.

Saranac’s version screams Teutonic fever as soon as you see the label. It’s all decked out in red, black, and gold, the colors of the German flag. That being the case I expected a lot from the brew.

Saranac Marzenbier pours to a bright amber orange color with a medium head formation and a soft, slightly sweet malty nose. The palate immediately brings forth notes of slighty chewy crystal malt, caramel, and rock candy. There’s a hint of nuttiness, though not quite as much as I’d like for the style.

The finish is slightly sweet, with a gentle kiss of balancing hops. Overall, this is a fair attempt at a Marzen, though I would certainly like to see a bit more Munich malt. I think they’re relying too much on crystal malt and not enough on Munich.

Still a tasty enough brew, worthy of three and a half stars. And considering the sampler runs $10.99, that’s less than a buck a brew. Hard to complain at that price, and hey, you get eleven other beers to try, too.

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