Festbier
Oliphant Brewing
- From:
- Oliphant Brewing
- Wisconsin, United States
- Style:
- Märzen
Ranked #412 - ABV:
- 5.5%
- Score:
- 83
Ranked #32,763 - Avg:
- 3.53 | pDev: 11.61%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 7
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Sep 08, 2025
- Added:
- Aug 20, 2020
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
SCORE
83
Good
83
Good
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by AdmiralOzone from Minnesota
3.07/5 rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
3.07/5 rDev -13%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Pours clear dark copper brown with a thin tan head that disappears almost immediately. No lacing. Aroma is toasted caramel malt and dark bread. Flavor follows the nose, a bit sweet but fairly bland. Feel is light bodied and low in carbonation. Overall, a disappointment, not much to it.
Aug 22, 2023
Reviewed by chum_husk from Minnesota
2.92/5 rDev -17.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
2.92/5 rDev -17.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Look is average, smells of spice. The taste is overly sweet, and the spiced malt and herbal hops are cranked up to 11. Overly done American take on the style
Oct 26, 2022
Reviewed by defunksta from Wisconsin
3.97/5 rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.97/5 rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Appearance: Pours a mostly clear, rich, bright amber color with a moderate off-white head. SRM of 15. (4.00)
Aroma: Mild aromas of bread malts, toasted bread crust, some honey. Sweet honey and some light tart citrus come through the middle, Some hints of caramel malt underneath. (3.75)
Flavor: Moderate flavors of bread malt, bread crust, some mild caramel underneath. Leans slightly dry. (4.25)
Feel: Medium-bodied, mild carbonation, somewhat flat. Relatively dry. (3.75)
Compared to Surly Oktoberfest 9/16/22: Pours a darker color. Similar aromas. More amber malt and bread crust.
Compared to Earth Rider Brewing Festbier 9/16/22: Pours a darker color, milder aromas. More amber malt and bread crust. Less honeyflower and pale malt.
Overall: Not so much a Festbier as a Marzen. This Marzen has a beautiful pour, decent aromas. Flavor is bread, bread crust. Mild carbonation and lacks much of a body, but hides the alcohol well and not too sweet on the finish. Nice toasty flavors, but could use a bit more of a body. Decent stuff here and pretty standard Marzen flavors. (Rating: 3.97)
Sep 16, 2022Aroma: Mild aromas of bread malts, toasted bread crust, some honey. Sweet honey and some light tart citrus come through the middle, Some hints of caramel malt underneath. (3.75)
Flavor: Moderate flavors of bread malt, bread crust, some mild caramel underneath. Leans slightly dry. (4.25)
Feel: Medium-bodied, mild carbonation, somewhat flat. Relatively dry. (3.75)
Compared to Surly Oktoberfest 9/16/22: Pours a darker color. Similar aromas. More amber malt and bread crust.
Compared to Earth Rider Brewing Festbier 9/16/22: Pours a darker color, milder aromas. More amber malt and bread crust. Less honeyflower and pale malt.
Overall: Not so much a Festbier as a Marzen. This Marzen has a beautiful pour, decent aromas. Flavor is bread, bread crust. Mild carbonation and lacks much of a body, but hides the alcohol well and not too sweet on the finish. Nice toasty flavors, but could use a bit more of a body. Decent stuff here and pretty standard Marzen flavors. (Rating: 3.97)
Reviewed by gatornation from Arizona
3.75/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a clear light copper color with a kaaki head . Smell is baked bread caramelmalts and herbal notes . Taste follows the nose with citrus hops toffee and baked bread . Mouth feel is sweet has an herbal finish.
Aug 31, 2022
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois
3.73/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.73/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Bought while in Madison @ Star Liquors on Willy Street. This 2021 can is much different than the 2020 photo below.
I'm also glad to enter this as my first Festbier since it became its own style on BA.
I like how Oliphant's rendition Looks, more amber than the typical Festbier. Smells, Tastes and Feel are hard to distinguish from the Bavarian masters... so I suppose I've made high praise.
My second from Oliphant, I'm getting to taste how they are an inventive and skilled micro... who is having fun.
Sep 05, 2021I'm also glad to enter this as my first Festbier since it became its own style on BA.
I like how Oliphant's rendition Looks, more amber than the typical Festbier. Smells, Tastes and Feel are hard to distinguish from the Bavarian masters... so I suppose I've made high praise.
My second from Oliphant, I'm getting to taste how they are an inventive and skilled micro... who is having fun.
Reviewed by feloniousmonk from Minnesota
3.88/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.88/5 rDev +9.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Oliphant Festbier. Oktoberfest Lager.
5.5% ABV.
Oliphant Brewing, Somerset, WI.
Lightly hazed, deep amber/bronze hue, slim white, soon-gone head.
In the nose: Sweet malt, caramel notes, minor hops, classic herbal aromatics.
In the mouth: Bright, crisp, a lush malty flavor. Very minor hop presence, no bitterness, a bit on the unbalanced side. Aside from that, it's tasting fine. A little under-attenuated, perhaps. Slightly sugary. Could be better. But, I still like it. I won't be going out and stocking the fridge til the drawers crack open, but consider it recommended.
festbier
i’m so excited, but i will hide it as i am a midwestern boy.
oktoberfest lager. 5.5% abv
Jan 19, 20215.5% ABV.
Oliphant Brewing, Somerset, WI.
Lightly hazed, deep amber/bronze hue, slim white, soon-gone head.
In the nose: Sweet malt, caramel notes, minor hops, classic herbal aromatics.
In the mouth: Bright, crisp, a lush malty flavor. Very minor hop presence, no bitterness, a bit on the unbalanced side. Aside from that, it's tasting fine. A little under-attenuated, perhaps. Slightly sugary. Could be better. But, I still like it. I won't be going out and stocking the fridge til the drawers crack open, but consider it recommended.
festbier
i’m so excited, but i will hide it as i am a midwestern boy.
oktoberfest lager. 5.5% abv
Reviewed by MNAle from Minnesota
3.48/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.48/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Clear copper-amber, with visible bubbles. A vigorous pour over the last half results in a short off-white head with short retention, no lacing, becoming a ring in short order. Short; short; short :wink: (NB: a second pour, aggressive from the start, resulted in a tall head, but the retention was still short, just taking another 30 seconds or so.)
Aroma of bready malts, hints of dark fruit, but quite faint; I had to keep swirling with my nose in the glass to get much aroma. (NB: The aroma was stronger, and very much on-style, with the second, more vigorous, pour.)
Taste rescues this beer from a lower rating. The taste quite good; the märzen notes of bread, a bit sweet, a lot of caramel, some spiciness, some raisin / fig dark fruits in the background. Not up with the best of the style, but quite enjoyable. Fans of this brewery should be pleased with it. There is just a smidge of tangy bittering in the finish. The finish is semi-sweet, just a bit earthy, with a nice märzen-style flavor lingering in the aftertaste.
The beer has decent body. Some tingling from the carbonation.
Overall, a good märzen.
Sep 28, 2020Aroma of bready malts, hints of dark fruit, but quite faint; I had to keep swirling with my nose in the glass to get much aroma. (NB: The aroma was stronger, and very much on-style, with the second, more vigorous, pour.)
Taste rescues this beer from a lower rating. The taste quite good; the märzen notes of bread, a bit sweet, a lot of caramel, some spiciness, some raisin / fig dark fruits in the background. Not up with the best of the style, but quite enjoyable. Fans of this brewery should be pleased with it. There is just a smidge of tangy bittering in the finish. The finish is semi-sweet, just a bit earthy, with a nice märzen-style flavor lingering in the aftertaste.
The beer has decent body. Some tingling from the carbonation.
Overall, a good märzen.
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