2016 Advent Beer 8: Silver Bottle Beer

Well, well, if nothing else, the battle for 'coolest bottle of week 2' just got more interesting. I gave it to Sweet Krampus for week 1, and thought The Crimson Bird from yesterday was a likely winner, but now we have at least one other contender.

The bottle for Eggenberg's Silver Bottle Beer is aluminum, and the ultramodern typeface design really makes it a standout. It's also astonishing just how much lighter the aluminum bottle is compared to glass.

Schloss Eggenberg, from Austria, made a notable contribution to the calendar back in its inaugural year of 2012, with a festbock, a style I have quite a liking for. This year they tempt us with a marzenbier, Austria's most favoured brew.

It decants a pale, clear yellow-gold, and the scent wafting up is... well, nothing special, really. It smells like beer. But there is maybe a hint of something floral lurking in there. A moderate crown of white head tops off the pour, presenting the classic image of a beer at home in its natural environment.

A mouthful of marzen is crisp, clean, malt-forward, and only the barest amount of hops for balance. The floral hint is barely discernible (and may be imagined), but Silver Bottle Beer has a silky smooth finish with almost no bitterness or bite to speak of. And at 4.9%, it would make a very palatable session beer. Ideally suited for Oktoberfest, I would imagine.

My only regret is that I have no hot pretzels or sausages to have with it!