Oktoberfest suffered its second cancellation due to Covid-19 in as many years, and while this must be a crushing disappointment for the Bavarians, there’s actually a silver lining in it for us. With so much of the Oktoberfest beer going un-drunk in Germany, more seems to be finding its way into bottles and onto our shelves. It’s a special style called Märzen, which is very close to a typical German helles, but stronger and hoppier. This example from Spaten has a clean, smooth aroma with a slight creaminess and a distinct Hallertau hop character of grass and mild spice. The palate is full and rounded with a sweet, bready malt flavour and smooth texture that lingers into the mildly bitter finish. A fairly simplistic drop, but an exceptionally drinkable one, which is no doubt important when it would ideally be served by the litre.