Märzenbier
Märzenbier or Märzen for short is a bottom-fermented full beer that was originally brewed in March .
history
In the Bavarian brewing regulations of 1539 and by decree by Albrecht V of 1553 it was stipulated that brewing should only take place between Michaelmas, the day of St. Michael (September 29) and Georgi, the day of St. George (April 23) could. In the five months that followed, brewing beer was banned. The reason was the increased fire risk when brewing beer in the summer months . In addition, the production of the bottom-fermented beer, popular in Bavaria, requires temperatures below ten degrees.
In order to not be without beer until the next brewing season, a special, long-life beer was brewed in March. This was achieved by increasing the original wort and alcohol content and by increasing the amount of hops. It was stored in deep rock cellars . If possible, these were filled with natural ice . These blocks of ice were mostly taken from nearby rivers or the brewery's own pond. In order to protect the cellar and its access from strong sunlight, the horse chestnut was planted over it, which thanks to its large leaves provided plenty of shade, but with its flat roots posed no danger to the cellar ceiling. The typical Bavarian beer garden or the Franconian beer cellar , whose familiar appearance still includes shady chestnut trees, developed rather casually from the brewery bar.
Since the stronger beer brewed in March had the longest shelf life, it was used last, which is why the beer at Oktoberfest used to be a Märzen beer. The beer served today at the Oktoberfest, however, is lighter and corresponds more to the type of beer Wiener Export .
The term Märzenbier is generally used in southern Germany and Austria for stronger lager beers instead of the export beer category . For Austria, however, there are differences to other uses of the “Märzen type”. Bottom-fermented beer and Märzen beer are also widespread in Austria, the “standard beer” of the country. Here, however, it is more synonymous with light , it is lighter and has a little less original flavor. Thus the alcohol content is also lower and averages 4% to 5% alcohol. The color characteristic is also not amber, but mostly straw yellow due to the lower use of malt. In the USA, several breweries are brewing Märzen beers in the original style, and now again in Bavaria. Märzenbier is also a common type of brewing in Thuringia .