Beer of the Weekend #1,170: Hold My Pretzel

It’s October eve and I am watching the Cubs and tipping back the beer of the weekend last weekend: Hold My Pretzel, brewed by the Singlespeed Brewing Company of Waterloo, Iowa.



Serving type: 12-ounce can. There was no discernable freshness date.

Appearance: Poured into a stange. The color was light honey-colored amber. An airy, bubbly head settled slowly and unevenly, leaving webs of foam along the glass.

Smell: Spicy and floral. Caramel, honey, biscuit, and a touch of fruit.

Taste: Spicy and drinkable. Caramel, honey, toasted malt, and maybe a touch of pepper. It leaves a nice earthy bitterness on the tongue.

Fun facts about Hold My Pretzel:

• Style: Märzen.

• Price: $11.99 for a sixer of 12-ounce cans at John’s Grocery in Iowa City, Iowa.

• Alcohol content: 5.9 percent ABV.

• I probably say this every year: I need a smaller mug for drinking märzen. BA recommends a mug for the style. (I don’t know why I started drinking märzen in a stange. It was recommended somewhere.) I have at least two Maß, but I don’t like drinking that much beer at one time. (I would not last long in Munich.) Jam’s preschool teacher has a small boot glass in her kitchen, so I need to ask if I can borrow it.

The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.