Mike's Beer of the Week

Beer Information

Brewery: Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan

Beer Name: Festbier

Beer Style: Marzen/Octoberfest

Abv.: 5.8%

Serving Glassware: Stein, Pint 

Serving Temp.: 46-52 deg. F.

Packaging: 16oz Bottles, 6-pk 12oz Bottles

Price: ~$3

Availability: Seasonal

Pairings: Lets go German... Weiner Schnitzel

www.haveabeer.couchand.com

Mike's Ratings (1-5)

Overall Grade/Rate: B/3.55

Appearance: 3.5

Aroma: 4

Taste: 3.5

Mouthfeel: 3

Drinkability: 3.5

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: B/3.64

Mike's Description

Thanks to Mallory for selecting this beer for me to review.

Appearance - Darker golden beer with about an inch of snow-white head that fades "nearly infinitely slow," as my structural dynamics professor would say. Some splayed lace remains on the Stella glass. Translucent, but not as clean as most Marzens I've had.

Aroma - Strong floral notes which could have been guessed due to the floral wreath graphics on the bottle. Some lighter fruits come through slightly such as pears and apples. Smells a little sugary as due most Festbiers.

Taste - The floral character dwells here as well, but the sweetness is surprisingly subtle. Most Marzens that I've had such as Sam Adams, Victory Festbier, BBC, Harpoon, and Spaten have a common sugary/syrupy facet that I thought was staple to all beers of this style...apparently not, but I'm not going to argue with the oldest brewery in the world (not to mention that it's located in Germany where lagering is done right).

Mouthfeel - In sharp contrast to the unexpected lack of sweetness, there is a noticeable spiciness to this brew. For me, this is what lingers in addition to the prevalent flowers that I may have mentioned already :D . I'm not going to pretend that I know what the spices are, but I'll guess that one might be nutmeg because it's making me say "hmm, what's that?" - thank you Rachel Ray.

Drinkability - ...I'll assume that it's a pioneer of the style just because Weihenstephaner brews it and German breweries know all concerning lagers, especially Marzens. In my opinion however... I'm kind of surprised. It's good, but it doesn't blow my hair back. It might be because I've had too many other Marzens that were all pretty similar whereas this is the only one that has really strayed away from what an Octoberfest "is" to me.