Fest Bier
Chuckanut Brewery

12-ounce can purchased at Noble Hop Bierhaus in Hillsboro, OR. Date stamp reads "Canned AUG2125." Enjoyed in a nonic half-pint glass (which is actually branded with the name of the place that went out of business and reopened as Noble Hop).

I had this one right at the end of the last day of the Beer Advocate Oktoberfest tasting. Bold gold body with white foam that promptly shrinks to a ring and uneven skin, but still leaves a goodly amount of lacing. The nose is malt-forward with nice layers of earthy and floral hops. Flavor follows, with loads of soft, bready malt backed by noble hop character that leans floral, with a bit more spice than the earthy notes promised by the nose. Light-medium body with bracing carbonation and superb drinkability. The malt is gorgeous, and this beer is ready to be consumed a liter at a time. Tonight, several beers in, I will make do with a 12-ounce portion. But the odds are good that I will bring home a few more of these soon.

Pour is a clean, crisp golden lager with frothy head, albeit rapidly fading. Nose is light bready with wisp of yeast. The quality comes through in the taste: extraordinary blending of malt-forward base with an understated background of bitterness to tease the drinker. Excellent carbonation and feel. All-around ex elle t. Should you see one around Ocktoberfest time, grab them without hesitation.

 

can into glass
Moderately frothy, whit head. Pure, medium gold appearance. Good and pleasant, floral and herbal tinged malt aroma, which is somewhat subdued. Smooth, slightly spiced, malt flavor, with a little herbal/floral note. A solid and slightly heavy lager.

 

My visit to the P.Nut coincided with Oktoberfest season. Lucky me!

Sampled this on tap at the source.

Their take on an Oktoberfest beer has a noticeable malt backing, without ever crossing into overly sweet territory.

Poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours a gorgeous transparent yellow with a few inches of fluffy white head. Bubbles rising throughout.

The nose is grainy, honey, bread, biscuits, orange, slight hoppy note, and a grassy kiss. Really nice and crisp on the nose.

The taste is wonderful. Sweet honey notes hit first. Very malty, with fresh bread, lemon pudding, apples, slight apricot, and that earthy/grassy taste that was on the nose. Crisp and smooth. Dry. Wonderful beer overall.

Pint at Westside Taphouse in West Salem OR.
$6.00
Pours a clear light golden coloured body. Small whispy white head.
Lovely honey malty aromas. Some noble type hops.
Taste is similar to the aroma but with a nice bite to it.
Great drinking beer. Medium carbonation on a lighter body.
A great fest bier..better than pfriem.

2021-09-11
32oz crowler served in a stemless angular wineglass. Bought the crowler at Ridgewood Tap and Bottle two days ago.

Pours a clear light golden with a big flash of head that collapses to a thin layer, a medium sized ring, and little lacing. Moderate to low amount of active carbonation. Smell is mild, grainy, a little toasty, a little grassy. Maybe a hint of lager yeastiness.

Taste is lager yeast, medium to light grain, a hint of honeysuckle sweetness, a hint of grass.

Mouthfeel is light and clean. Overall, it's pretty good.

 

I know the whole Vienna-Oktoberfest overlap, but just because it uses Vienna malt doesn’t mean it should be listed as so. It’s a Märzen to me because if anything, it’s closer to a Maibock light. So that’s how I’m rating it. Yes it is in the Festbier style (as labeled) so it does drink similar to a Vienna in ways, but it’s still a bit too full for that classification. It’s very similar in body to Hofbrau. Sort of a hybrid. It finishes a little drier and more toasty though. Overall a great aroma, flavor, finish, and body. Brilliant clear gold. Light grassy and spicy (baking spice) hops all the way through with and rustic well water taste. A solid maltiness in the middle, and a great toasted white bread at the end.

 

 

Bottle from Market of Choice.

A crystal clear golden yellow with a dense white head with excellent retention and lacing, this looks great. The nose is a blend of noble hops, firm, earthy, spicy yet bright with a blend of lemon and earth, pairing really well with the toffee, light caramel and lightly toasted bread notes. The malt depth is intoxicating in richness and depth, but breathtaking in its supple nature. The palate opens mildly bitter with earth, lemon,and a little wood but that's followed by a truly remarkable malt flavor. Lightly toasted bread, light caramel, a delicate toffee note, the sweetness of butterscotch but without the oily, buttery flavors, a light nutty flavor ( macadamia? Cashew?) that just rounds out the palate quite spectacularly well. Creamy, lightly sweet yet tempered by the hop bitterness, this drinks closer to a lighter maibock than a marzen, but damn, this is spectacular. I will nitpick that the carbonation is a bit high, though.

 

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a medium golden amber with a fine, two finger white head with great retention and solid lacing. Aroma of grainy malt, grassy noble hops, light lemon; lightly floral. Flavor is wheat and smooth grainy malt, light grassy hops, summer hay, faint mixed light fruit. Finishes with wheat and mild grassy hops. Medium bodied with light to moderate creaminess, silkier than expected for the style. A great seasonal fest beer. I was expecting a marzen style, but this is lighter in color and has more wheat character with no caramel notes. Listed here as a Vienna lager, which is probably as close as this can be pegged, but this is a bit less hoppy and has more wheat and a paler color. The color is deceptive, as this is full flavored, with more complexity than expected from the looks and ABV. Mouth feel is exemplary. There is something very integrated and satisfying in the flavor that ties the moderate Continental hops with a malt that has nice wheat character as well as mixed grains. I'm not a session drinker, but I could easily drink this all day. I found this bottled in Seattle, my first packaged Chuckanut beer and I hope not the last.

 

 

This is the annual brew Chuckanut produces for the Oktoberfest season. They use Vienna malts for a lighter lager quaff, rather than the usual Märzen style. This pours a golden color with white foam in the Einbecker Pils glass. Fragrant with honey and flowery hops.

Warm malt flavors with a light body that is somehow beefed up by the malt. Mouth-filling with that long-lasting cereal taste, yet a little sweet like a touch of yellow cake. Tremendously drinkable with a richness that belies the five percent ABV. Another Reason Chuckanut is a leader in making traditional but complex brews. From the 32 oz growler filled today at the South Nut brewery and tasting room.