Style: Dry hopped Märzen lager
Brewery: Dugges
Origin: Sweden
Size: 50cl
Alcohol: 5.6%
Price: 40kr
Systembolaget: 39812
This beer was first released in August 2023 and is a one time brew along with its sister beer “Märzen”. This has been unconventionally dry hopped with Magnum, Mittelfrüh, Tettnanger and Saaz hops, which is unusual for this style of beer. Märzen gets its name from a time when it was hard to brew beer during the hot summer months due to a lack of refrigeration, so a lot of beer was produced during March (or Märzen) and then stored in cool caves to be consumed during the summer. Any beer left over was usually consumed in October time, hence its connection to Oktoberfest.
This was light amber coloured with a fluffy head that laced the glass nicely and high visible carbonation. There was a hint of haze in there too, but nothing that would be classed as a fault. The aroma was earthy and herbal, with a good hit of honey as well to back those up. The taste followed through from the aroma, with the herbs hitting the palate first, then quickly followed by toffee, crackers and straw. The extra dry hopping with these traditional Germanic hops has helped to increase the taste profile substantially. The aftertaste was smooth, sweet and with an added bitterness that balanced the sweet digestive notes perfectly.
Although maybe not the most exciting beer in the tasting, this was a really nicely brewed beer. The increased hot profile really added to the taste and gave it a lot more substance than others I’ve tried in the same style. An easy to drink and tasty lager that I’m glad I put into the tasting!