Are you a Breaking Bad fan? I know I am. I’m also a beer guy, as if you didn’t know, so when those two great things were brought together in the form of Schraderbräu Marzen Lager well, you know I just had to get my hands on a bottle. Problem was, the beer is made by Figueroa Mountain Brewery of Santa Barbara, California, and they don’t distribute to Georgia.

Craftshack to the rescue! Craftshack is an online beer merchant, and the fact that they had Schraderbräu listed for sale prompted me to make my first purchase from them. If you don’t already know, we’ll hop back to the opening statement about Breaking Bad: Schraderbräu is the famous homebrew of DEA Agent Hank Schrader in the series. Schrader is portrayed by actor Dean Norris in the series, and Norris was heavily involved in bringing Schraderbräu to life.

Norris says on the label:

I celebrate myself, and sing myself… Schraderbräu has come back to life! After an extensive search, we located Hank’s original recipe under a box of minerals in his New Mexico garage. Enjoy the rich flavors of Hank’s special Märzen, brewed to silky perfection at Figueroa Mountain Brewing. It’s a German style lager, dammit.

Schraderbräu Marzen Lager has an alcohol content of 6.2% by volume with 26 IBUs. I paid $8.09 for my bottle from Craftshack, but it sells for $4.99 a bottle at Total Wine in California. That’s pretty darned reasonable. This isn’t the first “Breaking Bad” beer I’ve had; Knee Deep’s Breaking Bud IPA has that distinction. It was not officially licensed, however, was more of a parody beer, and as such got Knee Deep in a little trouble as I recall.

Schraderbräu Marzen Lager pours to a slightly hazy orange amber color with a thick cap of white foam and a softly nutty malt nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a medium body with toasted nuts and caramel and a hint of melanoidins. Not as a vibrant as a German Marzen, but more robust than a Mexican Vienna lager. Overall, this is a tasty and drinkable beer, a malty Marzen with a balanced finish. At $4.99 a bottle, I would surely be back for more, friends.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

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