Birds Fly South Flocktoberfest

A rich, slightly sweet and traditional Marzen that’s made for sipping.

ABV: 5.8%

Origin: Greenville, SC

Style: Marzen Lager

His thoughts:

I enjoyed this beer. And when it was done, I was ready to enjoy something else.

That’s not a reflection of it’s quality, but of a richness that the can describes as “notes of caramel and biscuit” that are “carried by the gentle conditioning.”

As it warms up I notice some nice toasty notes on the finish of that biscuit.

It definitely has the sweetness and weight that I expect from Octoberfest beers. What the can describes as “a velvety mouthfeel,” however, I might describe as lingering just a bit too long on the palate.

Though, there’s no denying that it’s a well made beer.

Her thoughts:

Let’s talk Flocktoberfest, shall we? This week’s tasting comes from the northwest corner of SC in Greenville, just a 90 or so minute drive from our home in Columbia. I have to say for all the things we may be lacking or behind on in this state, we are killing it in craft beer goodness. I jump at any chance to try a local brew and our craft beer market is growing like crazy.

I just love the color of this beer! It would make a great nail polish color – hint, hint O.P.I. It has a burnt caramel color with this translucence that reminds me of one of those Astropop lollipops from the 80’s. This beer has an almost floral fragrance and a pours with a light fluffy head that dies back quickly for no-moustache drinking.

The flavor profile is much less sweet than most Marzens I’ve tried, yet somehow it is super malty which usually accompanies sweet in my experience. That was a nice surprise. It’s also very nutty, kind of like it was brewed with toasted pecans. These flavors bring forth thoughts of leaves changing on trees, sweaters, and tailgating. The beer has an enjoyable creamy mouth feel that reminds me of the new milkshake styles, even though it contains no lactose and despite the creaminess it has a slightly tart, dry finish. The mullet – tee hee- on this one is sweet on the front end, dry on the back end. It is very softly carbonated which I prefer in my beers.

Ace and I just happened to be making dinner while doing our taste test of this beer. I took a sip after I tasted some veggies I was sautéing for dinner. They were modestly spiced with just onion power and garlic salt, but the combination made the beer finish with a citrus taste like mandarin or tangerine. Maybe the onion, salt and garlic amplified the beer’s hops somehow? I don’t know enough to know. What I do know is that there is no rule that says you can’t cook with beer, so I poured a few splashes in the pan to deglaze it into the veg and they were delicious.

Overall, this was a really nice, very drinkable beer. At 5% ABV, you can have more than one and still drink responsibly. I hope we can find it again before the season ends, I really enjoyed this tasty release from Birds Fly South. I highly recommend it in a glass and in your sauté.