A new Sam Adams beer - Festbier

Well, what can I say? It's a seasonal tradition around here!

 

Says the guy who's only been here since 2018.

 

It’s fine, though maybe not a great example of the style. Reminds me of a heftier and less hoppy Boston lager.

 

Have to say I agree.

 

You may have just nailed it.

 

Good argument for stores being allowed to discount aging stock.

 

The ones brewed for the Maibock festival in the spring would be stronger, no?

I just say pale Oktoberfest and amber Oktoberfest and call it a day.

This new Sam Adams Festbier?

Because I think that description fits Sam's classic amber style Octoberfest.

 

A Bock would be stronger than a Marzen by definition. If a brewer wants to market a Maifest Maibock as a Festbier, then that Festbier would be stronger than an Oktoberfestbier. Interesting parallel: like Marzen, Maibock's don't HAVE to be a certain color... and this also throws off BA drinkers even though Hofbrau's Maibock is probably the most widely consumed German Maibock over here. People's desire for all-caps "STYLE" is strong.

 

The beer I drank at Munich's Fruhlingfest was Maibock, not Festbier.

It's often been said, Festbier hits the mark half-way between Helles and Maibock -- strength and flavor-wise.

 

Right, but what I meant was, Festbier isn't a style in Germany correct? It's just a beer brewed for a festival.

Oktoberfestbier is a specific beer brewed for Oktoberfest. The Maibock at the Fruhlingfest would also be a "Festbier".

Is this incorrect?

 

Festbier really is a style. As mentioned, it's between Helles and Maibock.

As has also been mentioned, Oktoberfest is really a descriptor given to Munich Festbiers. Festbier as a "style name" developed because you can't call beer Oktoberfest outside of Munich (in Germany, that is). Thus, Bremen can't sell an Oktoberfestbier. See the abbreviation?

FWIW -- this year's H-P bottles are labeled: Oktoberfest Marzen - Festbier.

Fruhlingfest and Starkbierzeit are festivals with just a little more cred than your run-of-the-mill festival.

 

Loosely speaking, I would think that it can be called a Festbier... but I don't know if any brewers would actually choose to market a Bock that way. I think the trouble is people wanting to put too fine a point on something that is really a bit looser. And to that point, how much Maibock is currently served at the Münchner Frühlingsfest compared to weaker beers? Some brewers have a Frühlingsfestbier and/or a Maifestbier... but I wouldn't have any expectation as to the strength of such beers. They could be Bockbier, Marzenbier or weaker. A Bockbieranstich would be a different story and should have a Bock served. I would expect German brewers to prefer to market such beers as Bocks rather than Festbiers. I've seen cases of American brewers offering a Maibock at a spring festival.

@steveh and I obviously think differently regarding what Festbier is (as opposed to what it often is), but I don't mean to suggest that anybody is "wrong" in this case. I think in some ways it's a matter of different people giving different weight to different things. The Bitburger Festbier I had last night was amber... and the darker Hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest Marzen I had the previous night has "Festbeer" on the label... for what it's worth.

 

The only two beers I saw available at Munich's Fruhlingfest were Helles and Maibock -- no real Festbier at hand. In fact, when we asked for Maibock, our server was having trouble with our accents, so my traveling companion asked for "Festbier?" and got a sideways look from the server.

I think I finally wrote Maibock on a biermat and the day was saved.

Albeit, this was some time ago and I've heard they even sell more than Festbier at the Oktoberfest. No respect for tradition these days.

 

How about muddying the waters even more?

https://beerconnoisseur.com/articles/oktoberfest-vs-marzen

What spins the head about this essay is that there's no recognition of Marzen being a process before it was kidnapped as a style designation -- let alone its current alcohol weight designation in Germany.

 

Don't forget "Traditional Recipe."

 

I would buy Old Fezziwig every Christmas season if it was a stand alone. Was a favorite of mine, but could only get 2 per 12 pack. Would've appreciated 4 instead of 2 Boston Lagers. Which, by the way, gets me on another subject. I don't mind when Sierra Nevada packages SNPA in most of their mix 12 packs, but hate it when Sam Adam's throws in Boston Lager and New Belgium throws in Fat Tire.

 

As for Festbier, I'm continually stuck on Weihenstephaner Festbier every year since it arrived in my area. My favorite!

 

If we are talking about contemporary, German, bottom fermented lager beers these would be the gravity bands that we could expect a beer to fit inside:
Hell 11-12%
Pils 11-12%
Export 12-13%
Spezial 12-13%
Festbier 13-14%
Märzen 13-14%
All of the above fitting inside the old tax class vollbier of 11-14% plato.
Bock 16%+
With bock belonging to the old tax class starkbier of 16% or more, a beer labeled starkbier or bock stil has to be above 16% as per German law.

If we come across a German brewed festbier it will most likely fit inside the 13-14% plato gravity band, however since there are no legal requirements anymore apart from starkbier (and some other terms not used here), one cannot rule out a brewery brewing it outside of the expected gravity band. Over time we can expect such deviations to become more common. But exceptions from the rule should not prevent us from learning the rule (rule here meaning general rule, not regulation or law), or cause us to throw up our hands and proclaim that nothing can be known about these terms or how they are used.