Beer Styles

What is a Märzen? Märzen is a stronger lager originally brewed in March for summer drinking. Gösser Märzen is Styria's best-known example and is considered a mild, lightly spiced lager. Styrians drink it as an everyday beer, not a festive one.

How does the Austrian Märzen differ from the Bavarian one? In Bavaria, people think of an amber-colored, malt-forward beer. In Austria, it's usually golden and more of a Vollbier—that is, a beer with normal original gravity. The profile below shows the range of the classic competition style; individual beers may fall below it. An everyday Märzen in the glass can seem noticeably lighter than the numbers suggest.

The second flagship beer is the Pils. Hirter Privat Pils, with 12.3 degrees original gravity and 5.2% alcohol by volume according to the brewery, is pale, clear, and noticeably more bitter than a Märzen. It has a dry, hoppy finish.

Dark lagers exist too. Hirter Morchl is a dark lager with roasted and caramel notes from the dark malt. It feels warmer and rounder than the Pils, but it's not a heavy beer.

The difference between Pils and Märzen shows up most clearly in the finish. The Pils ends short and crisp, the Märzen soft and slightly sweet. Tasting both side by side, you grasp bitterness and malt body within a minute. The same goes for the Zwickl, which combines both qualities with a soft, yeasty note.