Festbier
Bitburger Brauerei

I've never really paid much attention to Bitburger, but their collaboration with Sierra Nevada, Triple Hop'd Lager, earlier this year was quite an enjoyable brew combining fresh American/West Coast hop flavor and a strong German pils-like quality that really came across exciting while still remaining true to its roots even as an "IPL." I guess I missed the release announcement for this, a first-time wide-release festbier from this small-ish producer.

The pour is a clear honeyed-copper color with a spectacularly large, retentive head, generously forming at about two-to-three fingers before sinking down to an appreciable, tight finger of foam. The lace it leaves behind is unusually consistent for an Oktoberfest, but the legs aren't as great as they probably could be. That said, this still looks absolutely gorgeous overall. It even has excellent surface haze throughout the entire drinking experience. Loving it.

The nose is nutty and vaguely spicy with a honey-like overtone and some light, fun estery notes that remind me of golden raisins. A faint whiff of the 6.2% ABV is initially somewhat shocking, but it does calm down over a few minutes after being poured, and it's not too distracting in any case. This is a hair stronger than most other beers in this style, and I think some of the more nuanced qualities of the nose are helped along by this slightly-increased strength. Some light vegetal and grassy hops come out as I get my nose in the glass, but really... all I want to do is take a sip!

Low bitterness and satisfying malt presence reminding me of a loaf of fresh-baked bread with a little bit of honey in the mix. Strong floral component toward the finish with a little bit more bitterness than expected. The mid-palate is fairly clean and toasty with some nuttiness and background-dwelling, complimentary caramel sweetness. Very drinkable and thirst-quenching with a bright and flavorful character. This one is impressing me a lot. It sits a little between a "Märzen" and a "Festbier," without moving too much in either direction. Feel is a little more slick and hop-dependent than some of the other beers I've had in this style, but the amount of malt complexity they've packed in here while still keeping the package tight and well-defined is extremely impressive.

I think this will end up being a sleeper hit for many Ofest fans this year, especially considering the dire situation regarding the actual Munich Oktoberfest celebration. We need more great imported festbier to calm ourselves during these trying times, and I will go ahead and suggest that Bitburger Festbier is the best new entry into a crowded, competitive style. They've clearly done their research with this one. I will definitely be buying it again and again!

RB transfer

 

 

 

My Fiancee found some of these at the beverage center she works at, so she picked them up for me because she knows how much I love a good Festbier. Pretty excited to give it a try!

L: Pours a translucent golden-amber, just at the edge of what is expected for the style. When poured, it formes a 1.5 finger eggshell head that dissipates into a quarter-finger ring. Delicate, yet sparing lacing.

S: Doughy, caramelized bread notes up front, with herbal, floral and spicy noble hops on the nose to round it out.

T: Flavors follow the nose with an additional nuttiness mixed with that wonderful maltiness. The Noble hops come in to cleanse the palate for the next sip.

F: Medium-bodied, midway between smooth and crisp, and finishes pretty dry.

O: This is a great offering for the style. I definitely prefer Weihenstephaner's take over any other, but this one is fairly unique. It falls into more of an in-between of Marzen and Festbier. I would happily seek this out alongside Weihenstephaner for something a bit more sweet and nutty for cooler days. Highly recommended.

A novice to festbiers but not to craft beer in general. Found this for 3.99/6pk at the local grocery outlet!

First impression: exquisite, mouth feel: smooth no hint of bitter speedbumps. Taste: complex- decidedly malty, sweet, pretzely. Nice and strong at 6
6.2%. Really no weak points, especially at that price point.

L'Chaim!

 

Poured from a bottle at fridge temp. Pours a dark and somewhat opaque orange. Small amount of head. The nose is full of malty goodness. Caramel candy, bread, a slight nutty note, yeast, and a nice earthy note. Wheat.

The taste is sweet and refreshing. Malty, toffee, honey, maple, wheat, oranges, grass, and a nice yeast. No real bitter notes to be found. Mouthfeel is light and crisp. Very clean. Overall, a great beer.

 

 

11.2 oz bottlke with "best before 5/4/2023" consumed 11/19/22. Rich amber color, 2 finger white fluffy head, but no lacing. Smell and taste are malty/bready goodness, but I am not picking up the other advertised flavors. Points off for overly creative marketing claims. Moderate body, pleasant clean finish. Big added points for value. I picked up a 6x 11.2 oz bottle for $4. Doesn't get better than that. This would be a very decent beer at 2x that cost.

 

 

 

 

This was a decent, but not outstanding, festbier. I read the description below before writing my review and it's all there, but it's all really subtle and faint. I like this style of beer to be bready and malty and full, and this one wasn't quite there. It does indeed go well with the traditional foods, but I'd like a bit more punch, especially at 6.2% which is a little high for a festbier.