Festbier
Alter Brewing Company
- From:
- Alter Brewing Company
- Illinois, United States
- Style:
- Festbier / Wiesnbier
Ranked #115 - ABV:
- 6%
- Score:
- 84
Ranked #30,864 - Avg:
- 3.66 | pDev: 7.65%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 8
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Aug 22, 2025
- Added:
- Oct 03, 2016
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
84
Good
84
Good
Made with all German malts, yeast, and hops. 90% Vienna malt, with the remainder being filled by various specialty crystal malts to give it traditional nuances. German noble hops are used to impart a slight spiciness, only enough to balance the sweetness of the body. As close as it gets, Freunde!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by GrumpyGas:
Reviewed by GrumpyGas from Illinois
4.04/5 rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.04/5 rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
16oz draft pour into a modified pint glass enjoys an almost hazy orangish gold body with no head, but random lacing.
Aroma and flavor is cracker malt.
Mouthfeel is light with just short of bubbly carbonation making for a perfect all day drinker.
Overall a very nice drinker for a sunny fall 70° day.
Sep 29, 2017Aroma and flavor is cracker malt.
Mouthfeel is light with just short of bubbly carbonation making for a perfect all day drinker.
Overall a very nice drinker for a sunny fall 70° day.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington
3.85/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.85/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
2025-08-22
On tap at Oak Brook location.
Pours mostly clear dark gold, medium sized head, lots of fine carbonation. Smell is and sunshine, a little floral, a little grass. Hint of lemon or vaguer citrus.
Taste is similar, adds in a bit of earthy spice, quite a bit crisper than I was expecting. Grainy husk is there without much sweetness, citrus is kind of in the background.
Mouthfeel is very light, clean, dry. Overall, pretty nice beer.
Aug 22, 2025On tap at Oak Brook location.
Pours mostly clear dark gold, medium sized head, lots of fine carbonation. Smell is and sunshine, a little floral, a little grass. Hint of lemon or vaguer citrus.
Taste is similar, adds in a bit of earthy spice, quite a bit crisper than I was expecting. Grainy husk is there without much sweetness, citrus is kind of in the background.
Mouthfeel is very light, clean, dry. Overall, pretty nice beer.
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
3.5/5 rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Released 7/27/22; drank 9/7/22 @ the Yarchives.
Cloudy dull orange appearance.
A rough pour yielded a nice eggshell head; strong, frothy tree-rung lace.
Autumn leaf, fresh earth & mineral water notes in the nose.
Medium mouthfeel.
Acorn, mineral water & mild caramel flavors.
A bit rough or earthy? It was drinkable, but I won't seek it out again.
Sep 08, 2022Cloudy dull orange appearance.
A rough pour yielded a nice eggshell head; strong, frothy tree-rung lace.
Autumn leaf, fresh earth & mineral water notes in the nose.
Medium mouthfeel.
Acorn, mineral water & mild caramel flavors.
A bit rough or earthy? It was drinkable, but I won't seek it out again.
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois
3.73/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.73/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
On a warm (80 degrees) autumn day, poured into a tall weizen glass and drank as a side-by-side with Sam Adams' Festbier.
Festbier is very respectful of the malty tradition in lagers that celebrate the harvest.
Alter's Festbier Looks the part and Smells the part of a Wiesn. I can imagine tens of thousands of people quaffing this in tents in Munich's Central Park every end of September. What they Taste is refreshing: sweetly salivating with just enough hops to say "harvest done." But Alter is far away from Munich-land and, instead, is in Downers Grove Illinois. Fooled me.
My first from this micro-brewery, its business model seems to be a common one: brew fresh beer; serve good food; and do it profitably so, gradually, the beer can be canned and distributed more widely so investors can be paid back... then move on to broader distribution. Include in that model a good IPA recipe... and your brewery should be OK. I am not able to distinguish Alter from many other Chicagoland startups except for this: I probably went by their address in the 1960s on my way to elementary school. And for that, they get decent OA Hugs.
Sep 27, 2021Festbier is very respectful of the malty tradition in lagers that celebrate the harvest.
Alter's Festbier Looks the part and Smells the part of a Wiesn. I can imagine tens of thousands of people quaffing this in tents in Munich's Central Park every end of September. What they Taste is refreshing: sweetly salivating with just enough hops to say "harvest done." But Alter is far away from Munich-land and, instead, is in Downers Grove Illinois. Fooled me.
My first from this micro-brewery, its business model seems to be a common one: brew fresh beer; serve good food; and do it profitably so, gradually, the beer can be canned and distributed more widely so investors can be paid back... then move on to broader distribution. Include in that model a good IPA recipe... and your brewery should be OK. I am not able to distinguish Alter from many other Chicagoland startups except for this: I probably went by their address in the 1960s on my way to elementary school. And for that, they get decent OA Hugs.
Reviewed by WoodBrew from Ohio
3.57/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.57/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I got this off the single shelf from the Montgomery Binnys and tried it at my old neighbor house. It poured a clear golden with no head and no lace. The scent had rye bread flare. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with biscuit base and slight hop finish. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall its a decent beer.
Sep 02, 2018
Reviewed by barnzy78 from Illinois
3.37/5 rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.37/5 rDev -7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
On tap at the brewery
Thinner ivory head caps a slightly hazed amber-ish colored ale. Lager yeast, a bit of fruitiness, caramel, and grain for a nose. Nutty grain, caramel malt, bold spicy hops, a bit of fruitiness round out the flavors. Lighter body with sharp astringent bitterness. Overall, the hops are too bold and bitter, taking away from the malty experience it should be. Not a bad beer, but I wouldn't get it again.
Sep 30, 2017Thinner ivory head caps a slightly hazed amber-ish colored ale. Lager yeast, a bit of fruitiness, caramel, and grain for a nose. Nutty grain, caramel malt, bold spicy hops, a bit of fruitiness round out the flavors. Lighter body with sharp astringent bitterness. Overall, the hops are too bold and bitter, taking away from the malty experience it should be. Not a bad beer, but I wouldn't get it again.
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois
3.44/5 rDev -6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.44/5 rDev -6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
2022: Festbier in name only. Woof. Not even a good Märzen. Dark reddish amber color. Tons of caramel and old tea leaf flavors. Vague nutty malt, a bit too raw and unrefined. Bland sweetness, raw cane sugar. Medium bodied with good carb, but way to sweet to be drinkable.
Sep 10, 2017
Reviewed by BlackBeerPirate from Illinois
3.3/5 rDev -9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.3/5 rDev -9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Taste: Malt backbone followed by bready notes and a crisp hoppy finish. Same with the nose.
Deep amber color, clear, smaller head with delicate lace on glass. Medium full body. Hybrid of Oktoberfest and Vienna Lager. 28 IBUs
Oct 03, 2016Deep amber color, clear, smaller head with delicate lace on glass. Medium full body. Hybrid of Oktoberfest and Vienna Lager. 28 IBUs
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