Festbier
Brasserie Saint James

a clever little beer here, either fermented in, or aged on oak, i dont recall which, but its delicious, and kind of an outlier on their menu, where most of the beers were belgian styles or funky saison types, a german lager stood out to me as odd, but man they did a fine job with it! clear rusty burnt orange color and frothy in the glass, it certainly looks the part. i get a little sweet vanilla from the oak on it, and i love what it adds, i think it plays so well with the natural sweetness in these malts, and the lager yeast still keeps it crisp and drinkable, so it doesnt make the beer rich or heavy or anything. on top of that i get noble hops, relatively fresh and adding some needed grassy earthy bitterness. i also pick up some baked or toasted character from the grain that works well with the light wood too, adding some cool complexity to this overall, and giving it some seasonal staying power through fall into winter. smooth feel, good body, fast finishing for what it is, and nicely carbonated, a real drinker, especially at this lower abv for the style. impressive quality, further demonstrating that these guys can brew it all! and exciting twist on a classic here...