Märzens
are classic German beers characterized by a medium body and broad
range of color. As the name implies, these beers were originally
brewed in the month of March, and aged over the summer for drinking
in the fall festival season. "Oktoberfest beers" are
a subset of the style which range from golden to reddish brown.
The flavor of both is dominated by a sweet maltiness, though there
is a clean bitterness from hops. Malt character is typically light-toasted
rather than strongly caramel. The aroma and flavor from malt is
sometimes bread-like.