Crown Märzen

Crown Märzen was a seasonal strong lager produced at the Crown Brewery in Alexandria, Egypt — one of the most unusual Märzen-style beers ever documented in brewing history. Advertised in 1940 in the French-language Egyptian newspaper L'Aurore as 'Double Malt' — emphasising its richer malt character and higher alcohol — it was brewed for Alexandria's cosmopolitan community of European residents, tourists and British military personnel. The Crown Brewery was founded in 1897 by Belgian investors and became one of Egypt's two dominant breweries, producing the famous Stella lager. Heineken invested in Crown in 1937, recognising Egypt as a strategic springboard for expansion into the Middle East and Africa. The Märzen represented the more ambitious end of the Crown brewing range — a Continental specialty aimed at discerning European drinkers in a colonial setting. In 1963 President Nasser nationalised both Crown and Pyramid Breweries, forcing Heineken to forfeit its shares. Crown was consolidated into Al Ahram and the specialty range discontinued.