Mmm-Marzenbier – a Recipe for Happiness!

Mmm Marzen! Showcasing Proximity’s C-150

A tasty 2019 Proximity Malt highlight came in the form of a recipe early in the year – Mmm-Marzen! : The style known as Marzenbier ‘March Beer’ is a pale lager that originated in Bavaria in the 18^th century—a seasonal brew that was purposefully left to lager over the summer months, traditionally to be served at the Autumn Harvest Festivals.  Our version, Mm-mmm Marzen! was created by Brewmasters Steve Dresler, Jason Buehler of Denver Beer Co and our very own Dave Kuske as a Kick-Off to the 2019 CBC which took place in Denver, CO in the late spring.  A true Marzenbier is full bodied, with color that can range from pale to amber to dark brown – our guys took a dive off the deep end by adding one of Proximity’s newer malts – Crystal 150 at 3% because they knew it’d deliver a deep, red-brown color and a hint of raisiny, figgy goodness.

Proximity’s C-150 happens to be Mr. Kuske’s favorite creation to date.  He was aiming for the true-to-style dark fruit complexity, along with a slight cocoa finish. He knew that the plump, high starch and flavorful Genie variety would be a great place to start for such a potentially intense crystal malt. Says Dave, “I’ve always enjoyed using a slight amount of dark roast crystals in my own beers, as a ‘ooh, what was that?’ at the end of the sensory experience.  “In a traditional drum, I couldn’t seem to avoid some unpleasant flavors beyond C-120. Proximity’s continuous coil, with it gentle, non-abrasive roasting, allowed me to push further – and C-150 was the happy result. We felt the Marzen recipe, with its combo of malty-dry base and Munich style malts would get more complex and richer with a slight the C-150 inclusion.”

And in case you’re hankering to brew your own Marzen – here is the full recipe for Proximity Malt and Denver Beer Company’s collaboration Marzen Beer. When it’s ready to serve, give us a shout…we’ll be right over!:

Mmm-Marzen Collaboration Recipe:

Proximity Malts:

Pilsen or Base Malt   50%

Munich 10                   32%

Vienna                         15%

Crystal 150                    3%

Hops:

Bittering

Aroma                  Glacier or Brewers Gold

Brew Notes:

O.G.      13.5

E.G.         3.5

Alc.       5.5

B.U.  22-25