Beer of the Weekend #277: Festbier

The beer of the weekend is Festbier, brewed by the Victory Brewing Company of Downingtown, Pennsylvania.


This is one of those “Holy crap! I’ve never seen that!” beers I spotted at the Binny’s in Willowbrook. Of course I had to snatch a sixer.

Serving type: Six 12-ounce bottles. No freshness date or batch code.

Appearance: Straight pour into a pint glass. The color is clean and clear rusty amber. Two fingers of dense, buttery, slightly tanned head dissipated quickly to leave a spotted lacing.

Smell: Very malty and sweet. Lots of chocolate, caramel, and toffee. Very enticing.

Taste: Smooth, malty, and sweet. The taste mostly mirrors the smell — chocolate, caramel, and toffee — and there is a slightly dry finish and a little earthy bite at the end.

Drinkability: Nothing too complex, but it is a solid brew. It reminds me a lot of Millstream’s Oktoberfest from last year.

Fun facts about Festbier:

-Style: BA classifies it as märzen.

-Price: $9.99/sixer at the Binny’s Beverage Depot on Illinois State Route 83 in Willowbrook, Illinois.

-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.

-Alcohol content: 5.6 percent ABV.

-Food pairings: Watch the video below.

-Here is a very informative video about Festbier from the Victory website:



Note toward the end he mentions that the recommended cheese pairing is made “here in Vermont.” Huh? I thought the brewery was in Pennsylvania.

-Festbier won the Gold Medal for German Style Oktoberfest at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival.

-Although Festbier is available in six-packs from September to November, it is kept on draft all year at the Victory brewpub.


The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.

Comments

Popular Posts