Italian Craft Beers Pasifae – Märzen
Märzen is a type of beer in the Pale Lager family, dating back to the XVI century. It’s a bottom-fermented beer, stronger than a common lager, that requires temperatures below 10°C during the fermenting process. Its name comes from March (März in German) because it was produced at the end of the beer brewing season. During the summer, the brewing of new beer was forbidden because there was no refrigeration and beer would spoil at high temperatures. Bavarian monks had the brilliant idea of creating a beer with a higher alcohol and hops content and keeping it in caves for about six months: it was brewed in March, stayed fresh through the hot season in the cool caves, and was served to mark the end of summer in September-October.
How do you identify a Marzen?
Amber colour, very hoppy, thick, full-bodied head.
To each beer its own glass
1-litre Mass or beer stein.
Characteristics
Colour: light brown, EBC 22 Alcohol: 5.7% Bitterness (IBU): 23.2
Tasting notes
Appearance: Particularly bright reddish amber colour. Dense, creamy head. Persistent finish.
Aroma: Intense and engulfing roasted malty scent. Nuances of caramel and toasted almonds. No fruity notes; instead, it is distinctly malty. Always clean and extremely refined.
Taste: Good body, average carbonation, complex structure.
Overall impression: quite rich, with a deeply malty personality. Complex, elegant finish that continues to bring back the nuances in the aroma. The profile is never excessive, the finish is clean, dry, and almondlike.
Best food pairings
Cheese plates of semi-hard, milder cheeses like Fontal, Edam, Swiss or Gruyère that have a slight acidity that is
tempered by the beer’s sweet tones. With a platter of medium-fatty cured meats like various types of unsmoked salami. Dried sausage, Cinta Senese ham. Bresaola wraps stuffed with cream cheese, white pepper, and chives.
