Festbier
Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan
- From:
- Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan
- Germany
- Style:
- Festbier / Wiesnbier
Ranked #89 - ABV:
- 5.8%
- Score:
- 85
Ranked #28,251 - Avg:
- 3.79 | pDev: 12.66%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 828
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- May 15, 2026
- Added:
- Oct 27, 2002
- Wants:
- 77
- Gots:
- 278
SCORE
85
Very Good
85
Very Good
Not just popular at the Volksfest – our Weihenstephaner Festbier.
Festbier is delicious with simple dishes, roasted chicken and flavorful Alpine cheese.
Flavor & Color: Deep gold in color, this beer is luminous in the glass. From the very first sip, the full-bodied flavor is immediately perceptible – a balanced harmony of hop and malt aromas.
Foam & Aroma: The dense foam and the rich maltiness of this beer are especially impressive in a Maßkrug (liter mug).
Festbier is delicious with simple dishes, roasted chicken and flavorful Alpine cheese.
Flavor & Color: Deep gold in color, this beer is luminous in the glass. From the very first sip, the full-bodied flavor is immediately perceptible – a balanced harmony of hop and malt aromas.
Foam & Aroma: The dense foam and the rich maltiness of this beer are especially impressive in a Maßkrug (liter mug).
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by cavedave:
Reviewed by cavedave from New York
3.64/5 rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.64/5 rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours a clear and white gold/dark straw with a quick to retreat finger of foam crowning.
Med. strength aroma, crisp crackery malt, mild hop spice, and nice light tang from the yeast.
Light/med. strength taste, all the flavors of the aroma present, perfectly balanced, clean. Sip ends with the noble hop spice picking up and the yeast hanging in too.
Light bodied, medium carb. refreshing, a touch watery for style, with a finish that is clean but not to the caliber of many other Marzens.
I like the new move to lighten Oktoberfestbiers, but this one is a bit too light. Worth a shot, but better off with Ayinger, Spaten, or Hofbrau.
Oct 25, 2015Med. strength aroma, crisp crackery malt, mild hop spice, and nice light tang from the yeast.
Light/med. strength taste, all the flavors of the aroma present, perfectly balanced, clean. Sip ends with the noble hop spice picking up and the yeast hanging in too.
Light bodied, medium carb. refreshing, a touch watery for style, with a finish that is clean but not to the caliber of many other Marzens.
I like the new move to lighten Oktoberfestbiers, but this one is a bit too light. Worth a shot, but better off with Ayinger, Spaten, or Hofbrau.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Foam from Pennsylvania
3.5/5 rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Got a 6 pack of bottles on discount as it is out of season.
Not as thick & malty as I would prefer but I am a big fan of this brewery, generally.
Probably a good session beer and I have sipped some good scotch and some good mezcal with this and it's a good pairing for that situation...
Nov 16, 2025Not as thick & malty as I would prefer but I am a big fan of this brewery, generally.
Probably a good session beer and I have sipped some good scotch and some good mezcal with this and it's a good pairing for that situation...
Reviewed by Sabtos from Ohio
4.33/5 rDev +14.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.33/5 rDev +14.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Just barely foggy burnt straw yellow with a gently wavy white foam head of moderate height that retains well.
Surprisingly crisp, light toasted wheat meets a little corny grass, plus, I'm not sure if it's just their signature intention, but also a faint hint of hefe pear/banana & zucchini bread I love hear. Medium body has a satisfying feel & semi-dry swallow.
The more I sip it, the better it gets.
Oct 27, 2025Surprisingly crisp, light toasted wheat meets a little corny grass, plus, I'm not sure if it's just their signature intention, but also a faint hint of hefe pear/banana & zucchini bread I love hear. Medium body has a satisfying feel & semi-dry swallow.
The more I sip it, the better it gets.
Reviewed by Caspase from England
3.75/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.75/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
500mL bottle. BBE 07/2026.
Appearance: 4. Clear, light golden yellow with a white head.
Smell: 4. Toast, light malts, grassy hops.
Taste: 3.75. Light biscuity malts, mild hop bitterness.
Feel: 3.5. Light, with low-moderate carbonation.
Overall: 3.5. A good light beer for Oktoberfest. Good, but nothing stands out.
Oct 19, 2025Appearance: 4. Clear, light golden yellow with a white head.
Smell: 4. Toast, light malts, grassy hops.
Taste: 3.75. Light biscuity malts, mild hop bitterness.
Feel: 3.5. Light, with low-moderate carbonation.
Overall: 3.5. A good light beer for Oktoberfest. Good, but nothing stands out.
Rated by evanwoertz from California
4.2/5 rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
4.2/5 rDev +10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
great quality German beer.
Oct 14, 2025
Rated by bi0hazrd1988 from Oregon
3.1/5 rDev -18.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.1/5 rDev -18.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
not at all what I expected from this brewery for the style. not what I expect in a winter seasonal, more a summer drinker.
Oct 13, 2025Reviewed by bobhits from Ohio
2.26/5 rDev -40.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
2.26/5 rDev -40.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Pouring into a pint glass and wow...yeasty and HUGE head. Is this is an Oktoberfestbier really?
Nose is Some golden malt, more yeast...this isn't right.
Taste - shockingly thin and light in flavor. You get hints of a classic fest but it's so light in flavor. I gotta say...while I know I'm a heathen for this, Great Lakes is my standard, but even among the German offerings this is lacking in the fest malt profile while offering really nothing else. I think that yeasty element is the result of missing more flavor.
Overall, I won't buy this again. Shockingly bad from perhaps German's best brewery and one of the world's best. Weigenstephaner had high standards, this isn't live up to a local micro's standards.
Look - 3 but for the style it should be lower
Smell - 2 it's fine but where's the malt?
Taste - 1.5 not even joking this sucks
Feel - 4 though I"m scoring it more as a summer beer than to style to give credit. I feel bad
Overall - I don't think we need to adjust it so we'll just do a solid 3.
Oct 12, 2025Nose is Some golden malt, more yeast...this isn't right.
Taste - shockingly thin and light in flavor. You get hints of a classic fest but it's so light in flavor. I gotta say...while I know I'm a heathen for this, Great Lakes is my standard, but even among the German offerings this is lacking in the fest malt profile while offering really nothing else. I think that yeasty element is the result of missing more flavor.
Overall, I won't buy this again. Shockingly bad from perhaps German's best brewery and one of the world's best. Weigenstephaner had high standards, this isn't live up to a local micro's standards.
Look - 3 but for the style it should be lower
Smell - 2 it's fine but where's the malt?
Taste - 1.5 not even joking this sucks
Feel - 4 though I"m scoring it more as a summer beer than to style to give credit. I feel bad
Overall - I don't think we need to adjust it so we'll just do a solid 3.
Reviewed by EmperorBevis from England
3.75/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottled in 500ml of dark brown glass and purchased from independent off licence Portland wine on the Nook in Sale
Pours a crystal clear golden body with frothy white head
Aroma is liebfraumilch
Flavour is peppered ham and dry white bread
Oct 05, 2025Pours a crystal clear golden body with frothy white head
Aroma is liebfraumilch
Flavour is peppered ham and dry white bread
Rated by FRANKHAZE from Florida
3.62/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.62/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Not badd
Oct 01, 2025
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