Festbier
Ardent Craft Ales
- From:
- Ardent Craft Ales
- Virginia, United States
- Style:
- Märzen
- ABV:
- 5.6%
- Score:
- +5 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.81 | pDev: 12.34%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 3
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Sep 06, 2025
- Added:
- Sep 27, 2017
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
Our Festbier is a traditional German lager with a malty backbone and light hoppiness. Amber color and full body in the classic Marzen style, served in 1/2 liter mugs. Prost!
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by beerrat:
Rated by beerrat from Virginia
4.65/5 rDev +22%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Sep 06, 2025
4.65/5 rDev +22%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Sep 06, 2025
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by BeerAndGasMasks from Virginia
3.52/5 rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.52/5 rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
From the pint can, it pours a clear solid amber color with a nice, slowly diminishing, off=white head. The nose gets a dose of bready malt and some light spice. The mouth follows with a caramel malt and a slight zing of bitterness...hmm.
Later 2024 update: still a bit much caramel for me...
Feb 04, 2024Later 2024 update: still a bit much caramel for me...
Reviewed by BJB13 from Maryland
3.43/5 rDev -10%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
3.43/5 rDev -10%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
16 ounce can poured into a mug.
L: Clear amber pour, 1 inch head is persistent, medium density foam is tan with an orange hue.
S: Big bread filled nose, dark bread, somewhat nutty, crisp spicy o Lee hops.
T: Not as malty as expected, honey and some caramel, balanced to the hoppy side, herbal and orange hops lead with a weedy/grassy finish, getting some hints of baking spice, grassy aftertaste builds.
F: High carbonation, crisp overall feel with an underlying softness, medium body.
O: Overly hoppy and bitter, I wish the malt character of the nose carried over to the taste.
Oct 19, 2023L: Clear amber pour, 1 inch head is persistent, medium density foam is tan with an orange hue.
S: Big bread filled nose, dark bread, somewhat nutty, crisp spicy o Lee hops.
T: Not as malty as expected, honey and some caramel, balanced to the hoppy side, herbal and orange hops lead with a weedy/grassy finish, getting some hints of baking spice, grassy aftertaste builds.
F: High carbonation, crisp overall feel with an underlying softness, medium body.
O: Overly hoppy and bitter, I wish the malt character of the nose carried over to the taste.
Reviewed by cjgiant from District of Columbia
3.46/5 rDev -9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.46/5 rDev -9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Growler hour after fill:
A medium amber, leaning a little like light brown. Near clear, with the color shading items behind the glass and only slightly obscuring them. Large initial head in two pours, slow falling, and a medium cap for the first half of the drink. Lacing is near full early, streams later.
Nose is fairly light, with a caramel malt mixing with light toast and some earthy spiciness with maybe just a hint of clove or pepper.
A light caramel malt opening. A bit of a grassy to even metallic note - more like I get in some English ales than a German lager. Feel is medium light, but a peppery grassy bitterness and a tickling carbonation give the palate a few things to deal with. Warmth brings a little more bran toast to the party, mellowing the bitterness slightly. Still ends up a more bitter offering overall - grass, pepper, something like nutmeg/clove spice, and a dark bread toast with some burnt edges that resemble a little metallic note.
Not as much of a malt profile as I'd like. The bitterness therefore seems too strong and takes over the beer to give the impression almost more like a hoppy amber.
Sep 21, 2018A medium amber, leaning a little like light brown. Near clear, with the color shading items behind the glass and only slightly obscuring them. Large initial head in two pours, slow falling, and a medium cap for the first half of the drink. Lacing is near full early, streams later.
Nose is fairly light, with a caramel malt mixing with light toast and some earthy spiciness with maybe just a hint of clove or pepper.
A light caramel malt opening. A bit of a grassy to even metallic note - more like I get in some English ales than a German lager. Feel is medium light, but a peppery grassy bitterness and a tickling carbonation give the palate a few things to deal with. Warmth brings a little more bran toast to the party, mellowing the bitterness slightly. Still ends up a more bitter offering overall - grass, pepper, something like nutmeg/clove spice, and a dark bread toast with some burnt edges that resemble a little metallic note.
Not as much of a malt profile as I'd like. The bitterness therefore seems too strong and takes over the beer to give the impression almost more like a hoppy amber.
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