Even if you don't know how to speak German, if I say “ märzen ” month, what does that sound like? Indeed, it means March in the Germanic language. And of course, we couldn't finish this month without talking about the Marzenbier , or simply the Märzen -style beers.
Märzen, the style that is drunk in October
It seems confusing, but it is not. We are going to explain why these beers are called Marzen or Oktoberfest, that is, March or October. The first name was given because of the time of production, the second, because of the time of consumption.
Five centuries ago, European brewers only brewed beer on well-defined dates: between the days of Saint Michael and Saint George, that is, from the end of September to the end of April. Not one more day. The reason was simple: the absence of industrial refrigeration mechanisms forced Bavarian brewers to practice their trade during the winter and early spring, thanks to the fact that the low temperatures managed to keep the possible microbiological deterioration of the beer to a minimum.
Oktoberfest: the beer festival
So the last beers that could be taken were those that had been made in early spring, that is, around March. In addition, these beers had a double dose of hops and alcohol, so they would keep better. This, together with the above-average conservation time, gave it excellent qualities.
With all these compelling reasons to consume these delicious beers, all that was left was to find a good excuse, and thus the first Oktoberfest was born, which was a fairly popular party.
Origins of the Märzen style
Although the city of Munich claims the invention of this brewing style, the first reference to the name " Märzen " occurred in the city of Vienna around the year 1732. Many historians maintain that the origin of the Märzen München was the relationship of friendship and that was maintained during the 19th century by the Munich brewer Gabriel Sedlmayr and the Vienna brewer Anton Dreher. Sedlmayr helped Dreher gain insight into the details of the cold conditioning process. Dreher, with this knowledge, created the Vienna Märzen . And curiously it would be Gabriel's son who brought the style to Munich a few decades later.
A wedding, a beer party and a stock break
As we already told you in this article, the origin of the institutionalization of the Oktoberfest was a royal wedding. In 1810 Crown Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria married Princess A of Saxe-Hildburghausen. Two very German families who thought of celebrating this union with the entire city of Munich.
As we have commented above, it is more than likely that a popular beer drinking party took place at that time, since the reserves of Märzen that waited in the cold caves of the Alps had to be finished (the refrigeration method of the time ).
For the wedding, some tents were set up on the outskirts of the city and the celebrations (beers) lasted 5 days. The prince himself enjoyed the party so much that every year, on the occasion of his wedding anniversary, the celebration was held again in the same place. Even today the official Oktoberfest party continues to take place in the same place, which is called “Teresa's meadow” in honor of the princess.
The beer served during these early celebrations would have been of the Märzenbier style (closer to the Dunkel line). But in 1872 the drama came: during the Oktoberfest celebration the beer ran out.
A well-known Bavarian brewery supplied an amber lager that its producer called “original Märzen” . This brewer was none other than Josef Sedlmayr, the son of Gabriel Sedlmayr that we have told you about a little above. The style was quickly adopted in the city, becoming modern Märzen and the type of beer that would be served during Oktoberfest.
All these adventures to reach one of the most consumed styles in Germany. Although the current Märzen differ slightly from the recipe (they are lighter in color and with a less robust body) the Bavarian spirit remains intact. Haven't you felt like having a Märzen , in March?