Beer of the Weekend #1,095: Munsterfest

The beer of the weekend last weekend came in a bottle: Munsterfest, brewed by 3 Floyds Brewing of Munster, Indiana.



Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. “BOTTLED 07/18/24” is laser etched on the shoulder, which is pretty impressive. I don’t think I have ever seen a freshness date etched onto a bottle before.

Appearance: Poured a medium copper into a stange. Two fingers of dense, off-white, bubbly head settles slowly and leaves short trails along the glass.

Smell: Toasted malt, caramel, honey, a touch of cherry licorice.

Taste: Nice! It is a step up from the usual märzen. There is a pleasant toasted element that borders on smoky. It is a smooth mélange that is perfectly balanced between bitter and sweet. I have never had a märzen like this. It is solid, dark and malty. It starts leaning sweet as it warms. Amazing stuff!

Fun facts about Munsterfest:

• Style: Märzen.

• Price: $11.99 for a sixer of 12-ounce bottles from the New Pioneer Food Co-op in Iowa City.

• Alcohol content: 6.2 percent ABV.

• IBU: 20.

• Here is the description via the brewery website:

A Marzen-style Festbier brewed with the finest German malted barley, aromatic Bavarian noble hops, and traditional lager yeast. This rich, malty lager is one of the few that remain true to the tradition of fest biers originally brewed to honor the marriage of Prince Ludwig in 1810. Es ist nicht normal.

It does taste like something someone would drink in 1810.

• I never see craft beer in bottles anymore. That was one of Munsterfest’s selling points for me: “Craft in a bottle?!” I thought to myself when I saw it at the co-op. Craft brewers eschewed cans and championed bottles for years and years, then they switched to cans seemingly overnight.

The Quiet Man’s grade: A+.