Brewer's Assoc Of Maryland Festbier
Red Brick Station

1 liter swingtop from the brewery, served from the fridge.

Pours dark mahogany with a ruby tinge in the shoulders of the tulip glass. An inch-plus head of off white had moderate retention and decent webbing of lacework. A solid skim coat remained on the surface of the brew for the duration.

Aromatics lead off with toffee, ripe malt, dark caramel, and a hint of butterscotch. Cherry skins in the background as well as a whiff of alcohol.

Medium bodied with a slightly chewy, tacky mouthfeel. Fairly crisp and quenching.

Plump, lush malt, starts the palate with hints of fruit, alcohol, butterscotch, and toffee following through. Quite clean and chock full of rich malt without being sweet in the least.

Finishes with lingering chewy malt, warming alcohol, and shades of raisins and dark fruit.

Great beer. Uber-drinkable without being boring. Terrific balance without being weak or inoffensive.

Big ups to my bro Mike for the hook-up..Proper!

Always looking for a great altbier, I was intrigued by a specialty beer the Brewer's Association of Maryland (BAM) was preparing for Maryland Brewer's Oktoberfest last Saturday. I was not disappointed. It was absolutely fantastic. The generous 6+ oz sample was deep brown in the glass with a nice tan foam head that lasted halfway down. A hint of roasted malt in the nose followed by a rich, complex mix of tastes on the tongue--sweet, malt, fruity and bitter hop notes, blending and asserting themselves throughout. For the first time in a long time, words just won't do it justice. It was that good.

Knowing it was a lengthy labor of love for a lot of different local breweries, I contacted "BAM" and asked them for information about the beer for this post--and I am hopeful others will offer their opinions as well. Their group effort on behalf of beer lovers in our region deserves special recognition, so let me share comments made by Volker Stewart (of Baltimore's "Brewer's Art") in an e-mail reply to my query:

"The beer was made at Red Brick Station, although materials and elbow grease were donated by multiple member breweries and also purveyors. The people involved in the brewday were the staff from Red Brick (Mike and Victor) and the crew from Franklin's (Charles and Greg). I swung by for a couple of hours and helped with the racking, but was essentially a cheerleader. I know that DOG Beverage, Brewer's Alley and DuClaw helped out with some hardware, and can tell you that yeast was donated by Wyeast Laboratories and malt by North Country Malt Supply."

Official description: "BAM Festbier" was brewed in the tradition of Dusseldorf's famous Sticke Alts. Traditionally brewed twice a year, ready to be tapped in January and October, Stick Alt is similar to Munich's Octoberfest beers. Cold fermentation with a special German ale yeast and extended cold conditioning give this beer a smooth and crisp character. This is a full bodied, well hopped beer with surprising balance between nutty malt and hop bitterness.

1.063 OG
1.015 FG
6.29% abv

Vienna Malt
Dark Munich Malt
Cara Helles
Dehusked Carafa
Crystal Malt

Perle and Vanguard Hops, Dry hopped w/ Vanguard

Postscript: Let's hope they do this again!