The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery “Märzen”

Style: Märzen
ABV: 4.6%

It’s almost hard to believe that we are just around the corner from Oktoberfest 2021. Well, at least the stateside version of Oktoberfest. As is tradition here in the US around August to early-September, craft breweries start releasing their festbiers or märzenbiers in celebration of the storied Oktoberfest that originated in Germany in 1810. The festival is so historic, popular, and celebrated that it has its own beer style! What that means for us is that we will get to taste many different breweries’ spin on the classic brews, and we will probably have many reviews to share with you all. To kick off the season, we went to our neighbor in Farmville, NC, The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery, and grabbed a pint of their “Märzen.” As you might’ve guessed from the wall of awards behind the beer pictured above, Duck-Rabbit has a propensity for making great beer, and “Märzen” was no different.

Joe’s Take

I can’t believe it’s already time for this classic style of beer again. Oktoberfest is a great time of year with brewery celebrations, some cooler weather, and of course, the seemingly endless supply of märzens. Märzen, or translated to English, “month of March beer” (referring to when it was traditionally brewed) is a staple style at any Oktoberfest celebration. When we saw Duck-Rabbit was releasing their version of the style we knew we had to head to Farmville to try it at the source.

“Märzen,” the unfrivolously named beer from Duck-Rabbit, poured an amber-copper color into their branded nonic pint glass. It was an appealing beer, with the crystal clear liquid promising a refreshing experience. There was a thin layer of foam on top of the beer, and this remained in whisps throughout the rest of the tasting.

The aroma of the märzen was reminiscent of a cool fall afternoon – or maybe it just brought back memories of last year’s Oktoberfest celebration. There were notes of sweet caramel, some biscuity malt, and a subtle earthy hoppiness. The malt was the star of the show with the smells of bread crust and biscuit playing on the forefront.

The mouthfeel of the brew was excellent. It was light to medium bodied but did not feel heavy or chewy. The beer finished with a refreshing crispness and this contributed to the drinkability of the beverage. The carbonation level was just right and coupled with the slight drying sensation on the finish, added to the crisp quality of the festbier.

One of my favorite qualities of märzens is the power in subtlety. What I mean by that is although the flavor is not overpowering, the depth of malt character is still there. Although you are drinking a refreshing beer, you can appreciate the flavors that the grain bill imparts to the beverage. This makes drinking the same beer throughout the night an enjoyable experience, instead of a tedious or palate wrecking exercise in flavor. In particular, Duck-Rabbit’s take on märzen features a subtle caramel-like sweetness, notes of baked bread, and a slight bitterness imparted by the hops.

This beer is an easy choice as a go to brew for the remaining summer and fall months. The full depth of flavor, crisp refreshing finish, and low ABV make it a drinker’s delight. The drinkability of this beer was so good that I had to try it twice when we visited the brewery. I suggest you do the same and pick up a six pack or visit the brewery to see if your thoughts match ours. Cheers…or should I say, Prost!

Nick’s Take

I get really excited when the märzens start hitting the taps and shelves at all of my favorite breweries and bottle shops. Something about the Oktoberfest beers (or should I say biers?) really resonates with me. Obviously, Joe and I love our hop bombs, but it’s nice to drink beers that really highlight the malt character the way that märzena do. You still get a little hop flavor and aroma, but malt is the star. The always catch my eye, too. Just like Duck-Rabbit’s “Märzen,” which has a beautiful amber/copper hue. It’s a bit darker, but still translucent enough to allow light through. The thin bubbly head that originated after the pour was nothing more than a whisper after a few minutes, leaving behind a ring inside the glass, along with a tiny bit of lace.

When smelling this märzen, I noticed that it was pretty subtle on the nose. As expected, it was malt-forward and best characterized (in my opinion) as sweet and bready. There were some other sweet aromas dancing around, and they were reminiscent of dark fruit – not overbearing or super fragrant. I was encouraged by this delicious-smelling profile and didn’t hesitate to take a big swig.

I was met with a burst of carbonation upfront that I really enjoyed. Each sip after produced the same, consistent crisp mouthfeel. I think this added to the fullness of the beer, giving it a medium-body that wasn’t viscous. A drying sensation was present on the backend but it was easily washed away by another drink. I was enjoying this process and I almost forgot I was supposed to be making tasting notes.

The malt flavor is right on the money. It’s sweet, a bit savory, and light and smooth. It matched pretty well with my noted aromas, and this relationship was really amplified through retronasal olfaction. While there are nice bready malt flavors and I found some dark/dried fruit notes, it did not taste like a fruit bread. There was enough separation in these characteristics for me that I was able to keep them distinct.

Duck-Rabbit’s “Märzen” could easily be crushed by the pint. It’s so smooth and light to drink at a modest 4.6% ABV, and it still packs lots of delicious flavor. If you’re like me, you’ll really enjoy the full flavor and the crisp, clean finish on each drink. While I certainly want to try other märzens this season, I think it’s almost certain that I’ll get a 6-pack of Duck-Rabbit’s (at the very least) to enjoy at home. I think it would taste even better out of one of my steins, but there’s only one way to find out, right? Prost!