Festbier
Waldmann Brewery & Wurstery

On tap at the brewery 9/27/24
L: SRM 5.5 pours deep slightly clouded gold color with a thin white head that goes to slight froth, med-low carbonation, some clingy lacing.
S: Grains, caramel malts, a light floral note, fairly clean.
T: Lightly sweet malts, grains, a light hop note, a touch of fruitiness, grapefruit zest in the finish with more malt.
F: Brisk medium bodied feel with a light snap at the finish which is medium length and is gently dry but not much.
O: Great tasting and remarkably easy drinking. This beer is a tad more bitter than their Marzen and is slightly higher in alcohol. An excellent blend and balance with fresh natural flavors. Nice to enjoy this beer at the brewery and during their Oktoberfest celebrations. It is outstanding in its style.

2021 original rating: 4, 4, 4.25, 4, 4.5

2022 batch: even better. Upgrading all 4s to 4.25s.

The brewer identifies this as a "Golden Weisn-style lager."

1 inch bubbly, but creamy head with respectable retention. Little to no lacing as it recedes. Crystal clear amber with ample carbonation.

Somewhat faint aroma (surprising, since I got a good whiff of it when I cracked the can), hay, a bit of spice, slightly earthy and fruity.

The taste starts out a bit sweet and caramely, honey, some fruitiness to the flavors. In the middle moderate bitterness begins, just enough to balance things, which carries through to the finish. The aftertaste is earthy with the bitterness lingering. The finish is still a bit on the sweet side. The taste has an interesting combination of sweet caramel, earthy hay, and spicy fruit.

Mouth feel has medium body with little carbonation feel.

Overall, a pleasant enough beer, but not outstanding. The combination of flavors is interesting and I enjoyed drinking it, but I much preferred their märzen substyle Oktoberfest beer. Tthis beer in general is just kind of OK-enjoyable.

Waldmann is a local St. Paul treasure. Amazing history here. This beer looks beautiful in the glass with a pillowy white head and a cloudy copper body. Looks like a sunset in the glass. On the first sip I detected something “bright” and a bit lively in thenose, just a touch of orange juice or lemongrass maybe, but the overall feel of this beer is earthy. I get heavy, wet grains on the back end - fresh bailed hay. The flavor is amber, smooth with a strong sourdough note in the finish that has a bit of bite. A good offering all around. Definitely in the traditional style of the German fest bier but a beer with its own unique personality. Like Minnesota. Cheers.