A lot of my beer reviews end up being related to beers that are somewhat hard to find. One of my favorite
aspects of having started this blog is the thrill of the hunt. I’ll hear that there is some rare or seasonal brew coming out. Typically I’ll check with my normal stores to see if they have it, but if they don’t, it’s time to hunt it down. I’ll call stores and have them put it on hold for me if I have to. Other times it’s just fun to go into new places and see what things they have that I haven’t had. Going to see family in NJ and PA, I like to try to stop into stores and see what they have available. Half the fun is in the chase.
I’m not sure this always makes it practical for all of my readers though. I’ll put up a post, link it to facebook, and typically emphasize the difficulty in finding the brew. Most normal people aren’t going to put in the effort to find it. So, for this review, I tried to stick to something I felt will be a little less difficult to find.
Flying Dog is basically a local brewer to this area. They are out of Fredricksburg, MD, and they brew some really good beers. I typically tend to overlook their products when I’m in the store. I try not to buy things I could get at a local bar, but this was one of those create your own six pack situations, and I had never had their Marzen before.
Marzen is the type of beer we typically call Octoberfest in the states. Although at one time I could count it among my favorite types of beers, I can’t help but feel like my tastes have changed some. The first marzen I ever had was Sam Adams’s Octoberfest. I can still remember finding this beer to be amazing; however, as time has gone on, I don’t look forward to it in quite the same way I used to. Therefore, it was time to look around and see if there were other marzens out there that would help me fall back in love with the beer.
This beer pours out a very rich reddish auburn color. There really isn’t much haze in the beer itself. It has fairly good clarity that makes me think it should have some fairly good clean and crisp aspects. There is a slight white head that develops on the top of the beer. Although, there really isn’t much there. Also, swirling the glass brings back a little head, but not too much of it at all. The swirl also results in a very small amount of lacing. It is also not all that significant, and it really doesn’t stick around very long. Although I feel like I haven’t invested myself into too many marzens, or it’s at least been a while, this is pretty typical of the marzen style.
The smell had a very fall feel to it. There is a very malty bready richness to it. It definitely smells a little sweet with a sort of light caramel and toffee scent. Although this isn’t overwhelming, it has that warming effect. I do pull out something almost like apple as well. I think this could add to the fall effect. Apples always remind me of fall. We always went apple picking in the fall back in the day. There are definitely a few light hop scents here as well.
The onset of the taste is very clean and malty. It has a very rich quality without feeling thick. In the middle I pull out that apple taste. I think it is almost an apple cinnamon taste, but it may be that caramel quality combining with the rest of the flavors. Following the apple flavor, there is the definite slight hint of the caramel flavor. I think the caramel aspect is what brings that richer quality to it as well. The finish comes quickly through a quick bite of hops . The hops provide a slight piney floral quality to the end that mix well with the rest of the beer. The hops do extend into the aftertaste, but aren’t significant enough to have someone thinking that they went overboard. It just adds to the complexity of the flavor.
The mouthfeel is very well-balanced here. The carbonation works nicely. It definitely is an adequate amount. It seems almost intense at the start; however, it begins to mellow as the taste develops. So it lingers throughout the whole thing, but doesn’t feel overwhelming. The hops do linger slightly, which makes it finish slightly like an ipa, but it doesn’t create a bad aftertaste for those who don’t like ipas.
Ultimately, this is a very good marzen. Having had a few octoberfest brews that are more in keeping with tradition, it isn’t the best, but it is good. As I said, I was hoping to review something that others could find a little more easily. Therefore, if you haven’t tried a lot of different types of brews before, take a look at a current seasonal. Dogtoberfest is a good example of a good marzen to start with.
Teacher Grade: B+
music. Truthfully, I never really remember thinking it was all that terrible until I began to develop my own tastes. I can remember my parents playing country music, along with other various forms of music, and never thinking it was terrible. I actually know I sang along. I knew all of the lyrics because it was always on. Then, I started listening to some of the stuff I heard on the radio. I still love a few of those bands, and will buy their albums when they are released. I feel like I need to support some of these bands that helped me form my roots.
The smells were a little more like what I was expecting an IPA to smell like. There are some very clear piney hops smells on the nose. Of course, I wanted to find the scent of green tea somewhere in here; however, I don’t know that green tea really has much of a smell. You do get a lot more of the floral notes that come through with a high quantity of hops, and you definitely get some citrus smells in there as well. I really couldn’t find the green tea at all in the nose though.
community, or it might just not be something I can really grasp a whole lot. It always seems like a bunch of guys telling people how much money they have, how many girls they get, or what an amazing person they are. There are a few different type of rap styles that I tend to gravitate towards however. One of them is the fast rapping style. I remember when I heard my first Bone-Thugs-in-Harmony song. I was blown away by the speed they rap at. I’m still blown away by Busta Rhymes, Twista, and many other really fast rappers out there. The other type of rap I really enjoy is the comedic rap. I have always tended to enjoy Ludacris for this reason. Although in recent years he has gotten more serious, I really liked his earlier funny stuff. Das Racist definitely fall more under that comedic rap category; however, they are extremely skilled and original at the same time.
Their sound is definitely slightly different from anything really being put out there right now. The song that put them on the map, “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell”, had some people really wondering what they were even listening to. They do use the occasional hook to rap over, but they are not always your traditional sounds you would expect someone to use. Perhaps my favorite song, off their album “Shut Up, Man”, called “You Oughta Know”, features the Billy Joel song “Movin Out”. (See sound clip at the bottom). Their clever use of the song is amazing, but also just helps to show that they don’t take themselves too seriously. The entire chorus is mostly spent mocking the original. And, while their lyrics don’t appear to make much sense, their repetition of different sounds and words really creates a fun flow.
Even though they begin the song by counting from 1-20, they do eventually make it into real rapping. One other song that seems to almost feature a bored sound is “Brand New Dance”. They actually start the entire song by sighing, and right in the first verse, it almost seems like they gave up writing lyrics and decided to make some noises.
The smell is a little citrusy, which I found surprising. I feel like maybe these are brought on by the small amount of hops that are in the brew. The other very strong scent is a deep rich vanilla smell. I really don’t pull out a huge amount of chocolate, but it is noticeable. I think the vanilla will definitely be more prominent on the taste than the chocolate. Also, there is a very woody malty scent to this one as well. I was most surprised that I didn’t pull out any spicy chili aroma in here. The chili peppers were definitely my main reason for buying this one, so I’m hopeful it won’t be hidden in the taste as well.
The appearance on the pour is slightly darker than I was expecting. I typically expect that most tripels are lighter in color. This one however pours out a reddish auburn color. The beers clarity is a little hazy. It also had very little head develop on the pour. It was really only about half an inch to less. The lacing on the glass isn’t too substantial; however, swirling does allow the lacing to last fairly long on the sides. I think the haziness and slight lacing are mostly due to the honey included. This, or the ginger, may also result in the darker color.
We had gone there for really a few different reasons. First of all, there was free scotch tasting upstairs that night. I know very little about scotch, but it is one of those things I enjoy now and then. Secondly, they were having a local bbq place sell their fantastic food on their back patio. Thirdly, they were tapping the newest brew from DC Brau: The Corruption IPA. At this point I had managed to have all of the other products put out by DC Brau, and I really wanted to keep that streak alive. So we headed down to enjoy the festivities.
The smell gives you exactly what the bottle tells you will be included. The cinnamon and nutmeg are the biggest scents overall. You certainly pick up that pumpkin scent as well, but it seems to take a back seat to the different spices included in the brew. I really have no idea what allspice smells like, but there is a little bit of a hoppy spicy scent that comes out. It does not overwhelm, but it is definitely present. You can tell there are some nice malts on the nose as well. I personally am really happy that the scent of pumpkin is not overwhelming. In my mind, it gives hope for potential enjoyment.
flavors at work, you would think there is a chance something doesn’t work. This definitely doesn’t occur. Instead, there is a nice blend of everything throughout. The carbonation is pretty high on this one, but it isn’t too high. Given the nature of the beer, it is really pleasant to have a nice amount of carbonation on this one. The aftertaste doesn’t linger too long, and it is really pleasant.
about music, they will assure you that they know more. That is why I’m never really all that excited when we actually agree on an album. Perhaps I won’t say it quite as eloquently, but I know a good band when I hear them. Sadly, I will admit that this site is a major source of my own musical knowledge. With 5 reviews everyday, I check there to see what I like and don’t like, and thanks to my new spotify membership, I am able to check and see if I agree almost instantly. There are quite a few albums that are given a huge thumbs up that I just don’t agree with, but with this album, I can’t help but agree.
As I said earlier, these fellas have a very Americana sound to their music. I think it is most obvious in the way in which they almost seem to mimic different classic American artists. One of their biggest influences has to be Bob Dylan. Although his voice isn’t quite as twangy, Adam Granducie, definitely has that type of sound to his voice in most songs. Perhaps you might be able to describe it slightly more as a Bob Dylan meets Tom Petty sound. Either way, he definitely embodies that sort of classic American sound.
