Fest Bier
Summit Brewing Company

Fest BierFest Bier
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From:
Summit Brewing Company
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
Märzen
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
92
Avg:
4.16 | pDev: 9.38%
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
113
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 28, 2014
Added:
Mar 14, 2014
Wants:
  17
Gots:
  5
PROFILE: Malty and sweet Czech-German fest lager
MALT/GRAIN: Czech Pils, Czech Munich, Cara Munich
HOPS: Saphir, Sladek
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 13° Plato
IBU: 30
ABV: 5.5%
YEAST: Munich Lager
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by MNMike:
Photo of MNMike
Rated by MNMike from Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -21.9%

Nov 06, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.39 by Justdoit1234 from Minnesota

Dec 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by AnalogErik from Minnesota

Nov 28, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by Torey from North Dakota

Nov 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by EJJ1848 from Minnesota

Nov 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by zestar from California

Oct 31, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Savan from Minnesota

Oct 31, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by warmlager from Minnesota

Oct 29, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by CLaBarre from Iowa

Oct 26, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by NorthernSkies from Minnesota

Oct 05, 2014
Photo of Omnium
Reviewed by Omnium from Pennsylvania

4.19/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Bottle > Pint Glass

A - Pours a nice gold color with a finger of foamy white head, thick lacing.
S - Excellent aroma toasted grains, earthy and deep maltiness, a light floral hop scent, definitely some pilsner malt in here too.
T - Taste is spot on with the style, but take it to a new dimension. You definitely get your typical marzen traits, pilsner and bready malt, a little sweetness, but in this there's also this light toasted grain and nutty quality that is mild but pleasant and works perfectly with it.
M - A little on the light side of carbonation, but medium and balanced.
O - Outstanding Oktoberfest, and probably the best one I had. Summit needs to put this into seasonal rotation.
Oct 02, 2014
Photo of zeff80
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri

4.16/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz bottle. Poured out a clear, burgundy color with a small, tan head of foam. It smelled floral with sweet caramel and toffee. Sweet caramel with roasted malt notes and a bitter piney finish.
Sep 26, 2014
Photo of Phocion
Reviewed by Phocion from Minnesota

4.49/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
12 oz. bottle poured into a Surlyfest mug. It's a little past its prime, but has been refrigerated since purchase with the goal of tasting it next to Summit's standard Oktoberfest.

Clear dark golden color with a thick, foamy off-white head. Good retention and excellent lacing around the edges of the mug.

The rich Munich hop aroma is very evident with a toasted, almost nutty flavor. Almost honey-like and grainy aroma hints at an interesting use of Pilsner malts (confirmed by a quick visit to Summit's website). Floral and slightly fruity hoppiness.

The flavor is primarily malt-forward, and the best way to describe it is of honey-topped, toasted biscuit. Complex hops arrangement of citrus (tangerine?), floral, and particularly spicy flavors. No yeast flavors are noticeable, as well as no astringency or alcohol flavors.

Light-medium body and good levels of carbonation. Dry, balanced finish.

Overall, this is an excellent and mostly-accurate take on an Oktoberfest. A couple little weird twists that make it stand out. Phenomenally well-balanced. It blows away the standard Summit Oktoberfest, which is too bad since it will likely never be brewed again.
Sep 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by motelblues85 from Wisconsin

Sep 06, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by ILikeGoodCider from New Jersey

Sep 04, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Bpierso1 from Illinois

Sep 04, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by oldmankoch from Tennessee

Aug 26, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by cervezango from Wisconsin

Aug 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4.04 by AlexBassBerger from California

Aug 25, 2014
Photo of JamesMN
Reviewed by JamesMN from Minnesota

4.07/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Enjoy by 8/3/14.

Appearance: Fairly transparent copper hue with some visible effervescence and a thin cap of off-white foam.

Aroma: Plain grains and a touch of yeast. Void of any off-aromas that sometimes come with lager yeast.

Taste: Very clean grain profile. Can really taste the German influence and Munich style. The hops are nicely assertive in their moderate bitterness without being overdone. Nice flavors of mild pepper and a dash of earth from the hops. The bitterness peaks during the finish, which is quite a crisp affair. There is also a small sweet, nearly honey-like note just after the finish. Aftertaste of ebbing pepper and bitterness. The hops get more aggressive with each additional sip as they continue their onslaught on the palate. An enjoyable effect for anyone who likes hoppier beers and a worthy take on the style. Full in flavor considering the modest 5.5% ABV.

Mouthfeel: About medium in body with average carbonation for the style. Almost syrupy at times but still quite drinkable and easily sessionable, which is the point of this beer I think.

Final Thoughts: A really great beer by Summit and another reason to believe the old Minnesotian standard of brewing still has what it takes to compete in this ever-expanding market. Would I drink it again? Yes. Alas, it was a one time release.
Aug 11, 2014
Fest Bier from Summit Brewing Company
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 113 ratings