Ankerbräu Festbier
Ankerbräu Nördlingen

 

500ml bottle. A tad late for the intended season, as Yankee Thanksgiving is nigh, but that's no problem - BB is next spring, so all is well for my own little tardy party.

This beer pours a crystal clear medium golden straw hue, with two fingers of puffy, caked eggshell white head, which leaves a solid ribbon-like wall of painted lace around the glass as it evenly subsides.

It smells of bready, somewhat biscuity malt, a mild citrus/pear fruitiness, and a leafy, perfumed floral bitterness. The taste is more semi-sweet, almost doughy malt, a bit of earthy yeast, some mild, yet not unpleasant diacetyl, a soft white pepper spiciness, and lilting floral, leafy hops.

The carbonation is rather sedate, though quite short of rolling over and snoring, the body a sturdy medium weight, and pretty much dead smooth. It finishes off-dry, the maltiness dropping a peg or two, allowing the bitter floral hops to gain some significant ground at the end game.

An enjoyable, and genuinely quaffable Oktoberfest lager, especially given the paltry 3 bucks and change this costs around here (a veritable deal, believe you me). Worth drinking through the new year, if only there weren't all those sexy Christmas beers knocking at the proverbial door.

The colour is yellow with a touch of gold (6 EBC), the liquid is clear. The two finger head is compact and white. Some lacing occurs.

The smell is malty with hints of caramel and earth cellar. It is sweet and clean. Some flowers. The very light bitterness makes the malt a little heavy. German hoppy notes and a touch of honey. It is more complex than I had expected.

The taste is smooth and sweet. Flowery hops. Light clean bitter flavours. Hints of honey and fruit candy in the aftertaste, as well as some butter. But those flavours are in the background, the overall taste is clean. Wheat flour in the finish.

The carbonation is strong, the fresh short-lived bubbles soft. The liquid is medium smooth.

A fine Oktoberfestbier (although not a Märzen) that does what it is supposed to. A bit deeper and more complex than the big brands.

A clear deep straw colored brew, a white quickly settling head, leaving some lacing. Small curtains.

Smelling of cereal with a whiff of lemon. Faintly metallic.

Starting sweet, corn flakes and white bread, some lemonade and apple peel.

Medium carbonation, soft and slightly sticky, medium bubbles, a small body and a smooth dry finish.

Could have fooled me to be any euro pale lager.

A: Pours clear golden with a large compact whipped-cream-like white head that slowly sets into decent lacings.

S: Rich bready semi-sweet malt with a backbone of flowery but even more bitter hops. Grass and nettles besides the citric notes. Actually neat and clean.

T: Sweet bready malt with nettles and fresh cut grass to balance it. Bitter hops and some faint floral ones as well. Cirtic notes alongsides with sourness.

M: Body is medium as well is the carbonation. The aftertaste is rather short but follows the taste.

O: The Germans sure knows what they are doing. It's kind of hard to impress in this style, eventhough this beer is better than many others.