Round 1, Bout 20 of Master of Marzen 2021 sees Enegren Brewing Company’s Marzen (California) vs. the Fermentorium (Wisconsin).
This is the first time either brewery has entered the tournament, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this works out. Let’s pop the tops.
Packaging Design
Both breweries have opted for the traditional Bavarian check, offering their own personal flair.
Enegren’s smaller sized check is contrasted against a pale yellow filter across the entire can. The old-school looking branding of the word ark and surrounding icons is a classy touch.
The Fermentorium’s can leverages a high-contrast, minimally designed red banner over a crisp and modern looking take on the Bavarian check banner.
While I enjoy both cans, I’m giving the edge to the Fermentorium for this point. It’s a sleeker, more modern looking can. Running total: Enegren 0-1 the Fermentorium.
Aroma
Enegren’s Oktoberfest offers an aroma steeped in deep, toasted malts. A slight, grassy sweetness rounds out the experience.
The Fermentorium’s Oktoberfest offers a substantially brighter and more floral aroma. A mild spicy warmth sits on the back of the aroma.
This one goes to The Fermentorium. It’s a slightly more powerful aroma and the floral sweetness is a nice differentiator. Running total: Enegren 0-2 the Fermentorium.
Flavor
Enegren’s brew offers a consistently flavorful brew. It opens with a slightly bready malt profile that’s reasonably dry and quite bitter. The dry bitterness sits on the backend and into the aftertaste. The dryness is the major factor that retains, but does not build. It’s a refreshing brew.
The Fermentorium is also a consistently flavored brew, though it’s not quite as powerful. A floral quality accents a reasonably bitter backbone. The aftertaste favors a bitter quality that dissipates quickly.
A slight advantage goes to Enegren here. The mix of flavors and pervasive aftertaste puts it slightly ahead here. Running total: Enegren 1-2 the Fermentorium.
Body
Enegren’s brew is a light-bodied and crisp brew with a medium carbonation that creates a pleasant tingle on the tongue. The Fermentorium’s brew is heavier, with a mid-body and a low carbonation point. It’s a smooth and refreshing brew.
As you can see above, Enegren’s brew is considerably lighter-colored. The Fermentorium’s brew is significantly more opaque.
Both beers retained foam and laced to some extent, but Enegren has a clear advantage on both fronts.
With the differing mouthfeels of both brews being comparably enjoyable, I’m leaning into the head retention and lacing as the key differentiator. With that in mind, the edge goes to Enegren. Running total: Enegren 2-2 the Fermentorium.
People’s Choice
The fifth criterion of the tournament is decided by public poll on my Instagram story. Let’s see who’s going to be the People’s Choice.
Taking 57% of the vote, the Fermentorium takes the deciding point. Running total: Enegren 2-3 the Fermentorium.
Results
Two excellent beers entered but only one may progress. The Fermentorium is moving on the the second round where they’ll meet 4 By 4 Brewing.
Be asure to check back regularly for updated results, and to follow @sargentsuds on Instagram so you can vote on all polls throughout the tournament.
Sgt. Suds 