Reinitzgebot's Marzenbation

I opened a bottle of my homebrewed Marzen tonight. I brewed this beer back in March (Marzen = German for March) and it's been lagering at 34-35 F for about a month after fermentation was complete. I bottled it about 1.5 weeks ago. I think that besides my Southern English Brown Ale, this is probably one of my favorites. It was easy-drinking with a great malt character. I thought it would be fun to fully judge this beer with my review, and I've included scores for each of the sections as per the BJCP scoresheets. Also, for your reference, here's a link to the BJCP style guidelines for the Marzen (aka Oktoberfest), which I judged against: BJCP Marzen/Oktoberfest Guidelines. I tried to be as unbiased as possible, though it's tough, because, well, I did brewed it. Oh, and regarding the post's title, I've decided to name my home brewery, The Reinitzgebot Brewing Company after the famous Reinheitsgebot (the German beer purity law). And as for the name of the beer, you can figure that one out. Here it goes...

Aroma: Strong malt with hints of toast. Some background notes of dark fruit, though it's very faint. No hop aroma, and pretty clean. The fruit is inappropriate for the style if it's coming from esters produced by the yeast. I have a feeling the fruitiness here though is coming from the Munich malt, as it's very subdued. (9 out of 12 points)

Appearance: Medium copper with an orange tint. The clarity isn't great. Small off-white head dissipates quickly, leaving very little lacing. (1 out of 3 points)

Flavor: Biscuity and, like the aroma, there's a toasty aspect to it. Mild hop bitterness with no hop flavor. There's an initial malty sweetness that lingers a little, finishing sort of semi-dry (and maybe not dry enough for the style). Clean overall. (14 out of 20 points)

Mouthfeel: Carbonation is low to medium. The body is a little thin. No astringency and very smooth. (3 out of 5 points)

Overall Impression: A smooth, malt-focused lager. Carbonation is a little low--it could probably use a little more time to condition in the bottle. Increased carbonation will help a great deal with head formation/retention as well as the thin body. Quite tasty and very drinkable though--the flavor and aroma are really nice. (6 out of 10 points)

Total Score: 33 out of 50 points, which falls into the "Very Good" range.

So there you have it, I brewed a 33 point beer, which is something to be proud of. Yes, it's a 66%, but any score in the 30s is very good for a competition (plus 66% is better than I did on any college exam). For those who live in DC, I'll be visiting this weekend, and I plan on bringing a six-pack with me to share.

On the DC note, I'm heading down there for the weekend to attend SAVOR on Saturday, which I'm really excited about. SAVOR is a craft beer & food pairing event held at the National Building Museum. In addition to the main event, I also have tickets to a mini "salon" of beer and chocolate pairing--how could you go wrong?!?! Full update on that after the weekend!