Ingredient Insight: Saint Arnold's Bavarian festival beer Icon Red

The Märzen (which is the German word for the month of March) style of beer dates back to approximately the 16th century. It was often the last beer brewed in March, while the weather conditions were ideal and would last until September when it was time to celebrate the fall season and a royal wedding anniversary at a quaint beer-centered festival in the Bavarian region.

When Saint Arnold Founder and Brewer Brock Wagner years ago sampled a 100 percent Munich Malt Oktoberfest beer, he set out to brew a similar recipe and use the same mashing and brewing methods that would’ve been used at the original Oktoberfest. Last week, Saint Arnold Brewing Co. released the newest in their Icon Series, Icon Red – Märzen, a tribute to the Bavarian festival beer.

“This is a version of Märzen style beer that I have always wanted to do,” said Wagner. “Our goal was to create depth and complexity in this beer which has a very simple recipe.”

Ingredients

Original Gravity: 1.0575
Final Gravity: 1.0144
ABV: 5.84 percent
IBU: 21

Icon Red — Märzen is brewed with 100 percent Munich malt, which comes from the region of the world-famous annual beer festival. The malt provides a biscuit-like quality as well as caramelization due to the decoction mash process. Brewers used a Bavarian lager yeast, which is the same yeast strain used in other Saint Arnold beers such as 5 O’ Clock Pils, Spring Bock and Summer Pils. The Perle and Hersbrucker hops used are both grown outside of Munich in the Hallertauer region and give the beer a floral aroma. With all German ingredients, this Märzen is a traditional lager with a pleasant, light toffee maltiness and the perfect companion for fall beer festivities.

Icon Red beers in the series are typically Saint Arnold brewers takes on classical beer styles. Beers in the Saint Arnold Icon series have limited release availability, typically three months, and will be available in six-pack bottles and on draft in Texas and Louisiana. More information on the Icon Series is available here.