Festbier
Waterloo Brewing
- From:
- Waterloo Brewing
- Ontario, Canada
- Style:
- Festbier / Wiesnbier
- ABV:
- 5%
- Score:
- +2 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.35 | pDev: 7.16%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 6
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Sep 26, 2021
- Added:
- Sep 29, 2017
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 1
NO SCORE
-
-
Specially brewed to fill Oktoberfest steins, this full-bodied lager crafted in the traditional Bavarian Marzenbier style celebrates every beer enthusiast's favourite time of year with a rich toastiness and dark copper colour that will knock your knee-high socks off. Prost!
18 IBU
18 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by scott451 from Canada (ON)
3.25/5 rDev -3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.25/5 rDev -3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Poured a 473ml can into a pint glass. A one finger head on a very slightly hazy amber. The head soon diminished to a thin layer. Some fine lacing.
Malty smells.
Sweet malt taste with a very mild hop finish.
Medium body and carbonation.
A drinkable Festbier but a little thin.
Sep 26, 2021Malty smells.
Sweet malt taste with a very mild hop finish.
Medium body and carbonation.
A drinkable Festbier but a little thin.
Reviewed by TerryW from Canada (ON)
3.31/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.31/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Bright amber brew under a large head that settles to s full film. Lace as you go. Full mouthfeel, fruity in characte4, More malt than hoppy to taste, just a wee bit of a hop edge. Metallic finish. Malt on the nose alongside grain. Unremarkable stuff.
Aug 22, 2019
Reviewed by FriedichVonostrowo from Brazil
2.91/5 rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
2.91/5 rDev -13.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
473ml from LCBO@~ $2.00 per can poured into a clean pint glass
Slightly hazy gold with about three fingers of head that dissipates to less than one that sticks around for a while.
Smells of yeast and grain, no real odour of hops
Tastes O.K. but nothing much! A slight taste of malt and hops would be appreciated but was mostly absent. Tastes a bit thin. Very slightly sweet.
Too thin for the style. One of Bricks better efforts but they could do better.
Maybe and hopefully better next year.
Jun 11, 2019Slightly hazy gold with about three fingers of head that dissipates to less than one that sticks around for a while.
Smells of yeast and grain, no real odour of hops
Tastes O.K. but nothing much! A slight taste of malt and hops would be appreciated but was mostly absent. Tastes a bit thin. Very slightly sweet.
Too thin for the style. One of Bricks better efforts but they could do better.
Maybe and hopefully better next year.
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)
3.23/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.23/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. An LCBO buy for around $3.15 CDN.
Appearance - pours a fairly golden coloured brew with reddish hues. Good clarity and three fingers of quickly dissipating head. No lacing to speak of.
Smell - grainy, earth vegetative aroma. Slightly metallic.
Taste - slightly grainy, some corn sweetness and hints of cooked veggies. Quite bland and not much in terms of robust flavors.
Mouthfeel - medium body a bit thin for the style. Carbonation is middling and about right.
Overall - waterloo's festbier, isn't bad, but compared the some of the other local representations of the style it falls short, never mind the best that Germany has to offer. Probably safe to say you're not missing out on much, unless you like a brew that is close to this style that is on the lighter and blander side.
Nov 03, 2018Appearance - pours a fairly golden coloured brew with reddish hues. Good clarity and three fingers of quickly dissipating head. No lacing to speak of.
Smell - grainy, earth vegetative aroma. Slightly metallic.
Taste - slightly grainy, some corn sweetness and hints of cooked veggies. Quite bland and not much in terms of robust flavors.
Mouthfeel - medium body a bit thin for the style. Carbonation is middling and about right.
Overall - waterloo's festbier, isn't bad, but compared the some of the other local representations of the style it falls short, never mind the best that Germany has to offer. Probably safe to say you're not missing out on much, unless you like a brew that is close to this style that is on the lighter and blander side.
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)
3.52/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.52/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Sept 1 2018 and served barely chilled.
Pours a bright golden-amber hue, with nearly an inch of frothy, off white-coloured head generated atop. It settles off at a steady, even pace, such that within several minutes' time, only a thin cap and collar of foam remain in place. Looks fine, and the smell is more or less on point, too - lightly sweetened, with hints of caramelized malt, toasted bread and a light nuttiness. Fainter still are the suggestions of grassy continental hops.
A decent festbier; maybe a little sweeter than necessary, but it's certainly not bad. It tastes mainly of lightly toasted grains and bready malts, with a fair amount of caramel sweetness mixed in. A light grassiness marks the back end of the sip, with a slightly persistent malt sweetness continuing briefly into the finish before fading into an off-dry aftertaste. Light in body, with middling carbonation levels that give a bit of bite to the texture; easy to gulp back, with no particularly annoying traits, which I guess is what you'd want from a beer if you're going to be drinking it all afternoon at an Oktoberfest celebration.
Final Grade: 3.52, a B grade. Waterloo Festbier ain't half bad. I have been giving Waterloo a hard time for years now, but I'm still willing to give them credit on those occasions where it is actually due. No, this is not an amazing festbier (in fact, it leans waaaay towards the märzen side of that spectrum), but it's a recognizable attempt at one with no crippling flaws. I will probably buy this a few more times this year while it's in stock, depending on the availability of other märzens/festbiers.
Oct 09, 2018Pours a bright golden-amber hue, with nearly an inch of frothy, off white-coloured head generated atop. It settles off at a steady, even pace, such that within several minutes' time, only a thin cap and collar of foam remain in place. Looks fine, and the smell is more or less on point, too - lightly sweetened, with hints of caramelized malt, toasted bread and a light nuttiness. Fainter still are the suggestions of grassy continental hops.
A decent festbier; maybe a little sweeter than necessary, but it's certainly not bad. It tastes mainly of lightly toasted grains and bready malts, with a fair amount of caramel sweetness mixed in. A light grassiness marks the back end of the sip, with a slightly persistent malt sweetness continuing briefly into the finish before fading into an off-dry aftertaste. Light in body, with middling carbonation levels that give a bit of bite to the texture; easy to gulp back, with no particularly annoying traits, which I guess is what you'd want from a beer if you're going to be drinking it all afternoon at an Oktoberfest celebration.
Final Grade: 3.52, a B grade. Waterloo Festbier ain't half bad. I have been giving Waterloo a hard time for years now, but I'm still willing to give them credit on those occasions where it is actually due. No, this is not an amazing festbier (in fact, it leans waaaay towards the märzen side of that spectrum), but it's a recognizable attempt at one with no crippling flaws. I will probably buy this a few more times this year while it's in stock, depending on the availability of other märzens/festbiers.
Rated by Pmicdee from Canada (ON)
3.77/5 rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.77/5 rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
2025 Version
Feb 12 2026
Sep 29, 2018Feb 12 2026
Reviewed by pootz from Canada (ON)
3.29/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
3.29/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Can - pours a lightly hazed deep gold-amber lager in the glass with a decent 2 finger white creamy cap. Aromas of rising bread dough and spicey-grassy tones dominate the nose a light dextrose sweet note is detectable as it warms. Flavor is malt dominant lightly toasty some cider and herbal hop notes - drys lightly in the clean short finish - One of Waterloo's better attenuated brews but still lacking as an Oktoberfest Marzen - fluid mouthfeel, does not dry out enough in the finish and it needs longer in the conditioning tank to develop - it's a servicable fest beer for what it is intended I doubt fest celebrators will will notice or care.
Sep 30, 2017
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