Oktoberfest (Spaten)

I decided that I was only going to list notes for unique beers (good or bad)....but that's not going so well. I'm writing up notes on this old standard marzen. According to their site, they were the first Oktoberfest beer ever brewed. An Oktoberfest season cannot go by without me having a taste of this standard.

General Thoughts
Look and Smell: This brew is orange-ish in color with a white frothy head. You can smell the grain off of it.

Taste: It's a good balance of the earthiness of grain and the sweetness of the malted-ness. I'd recommend this to anyone as a standard marzen. Light and refreshing, yet substantial.

From the Spaten site:
Our Oktoberfest Beer, created in 1872, is the world's first Oktoberfest beer, brewed for the greatest folk festival in the world. Every year, over and over again, countless Oktoberfest visitors share their enthusiasm about this beer.

Flavor profile: Amber in color. This medium bodied beer has achieved its impeccable taste by balancing the roasted malt flavor with the perfect amount of hops. Having a rich textured palate with an underlying sweetness true to tradition.

Original gravity: 13.7 %
Alcohol content: 5.9 %