New Beer Weekend #269

Another new Oktoberfest beer (well, new to me)

This weekend’s new beer is Von Trapp Oktoberfest beer. I intended to buy this beer last season (2024) but the only package format available at my local Retail Beer Distributor was 12-packs and I only wanted 6 cans. Well, this year I lucked out and my local Retail Beer Distributor has 6-packs.

From the Von Trapp website:

“Oktoberfest

Lager

This full-bodied amber lager is brewed in the traditional Märzen style. A blend of light and dark Munich malts creates notes of graham cracker, caramel, and bread crust complemented by floral and peppery aromas from Hallertau and Tettnang hops. Say "Prost" with this crisp and celebratory lager.

In Market: July 15 – October 15

ABV: 5.6% | IBU: 35”

Served in my Spiegelau Lager beer glass:

Appearance:

Light amber in color with an off-white head.

Aroma:

A slight aroma of breadiness accompanied with a caramel/toffee sweetness aspect

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with subtle flavors of bready and some caramel/toffee sweetness. A moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a dry finish.

Overall:

I enjoyed drinking this beer; for my palate a good – very good beer. The aspect I enjoyed the most was its drinkability (süffig as the Germans would say).

Given the lightness of the maltiness to the flavor profile and quite dry finish this beer tastes more like a Vienna Lager vs. an Amber Oktoberfest beer for my palate.

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet

 

Living Haus - Connie Fresh Hop West Coast Pale

16oz can served in a curvy Monhegan pint glass. Can is dated...nowhere, as far as I can tell. Bought it at Full Throttle Bottles last weekend.

Pours mostly clear light yellow, slight golden tint to it, small head, not quite nonexistent after fading for a bit, leaves a light dusting and a noticeable but modest ring around the rim. Smell is fresh hop goodness, lemon/lime zest and bright floral notes with unripe fruit skin, some resin, melon, bubblegum.

Taste is dry, green, moderate straw, tons of resin bitterness. Grain is noticeable but in the background, like a wayward tuba. Bitterness builds as I sip it, floral notes stay strong.

Mouthfeel is light, thin, dry. Very nice beer.

 

The below review is of a new-to-me Festbier named Festbier by Tucher (Brauerei Tucher Brau). I've been on a revisit old favorites kick for a while, happy to find a new favorite. Prost.

4.17/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A sturdy pour produced a fat finger of eggshell white soapy foam with a lasting creamy cap, sliding blotches of lacing. Clear and bright golden straw color.

Fresh bready malt greets the nose (baked white and wheat bread and toast plus cracked grains and faint dough) with floral hops and a hint of Wheat Thins.

Neutral taste at first with medium-low hop flavor and bitterness, it dries quickly as bitterness rises to above average. Hop flavor rises to average with added herbs and spice featuring coriander. The bready malt is king like the smell, not as wheaty and heavier on the dough. A transient pitted fruit flavor appears in the middle of the taste. Quick bitter/dry finish with malt and hop flavors lingering equally.

Medium bodied with ample carbonation; soft, smooth, balanced and highly quaffable. Alcohol is well hidden away.

Great looks. The smell and taste say German. I see this as between a Helles and a Vienna Lager with extra hops. A revisit for certain.

 

Magnify oktoberfest
...nice looking amber appearance with a lasting white head
...low carbonation with about a medium body
...aroma is wood,earthy, bread,cereal and malt followed
...taste was again wood and earthy upfront. Some bread and cereal along with malt followed.
..overall it was off putting at first but as it warmed the flavor profile became more interesting and enjoyable

 

Other half ivy City fest bier
... super clear light amber appearance
...medium bodied with close to medium carbonation which added up to a nice feel.
...aroma is bread,malt, bitter earthy hops which dominated
..taste has some mild sweetness, malt, bread then the bitter hops start to take over.
...overall a flavorful enjoyable version of the style

 

Game On!

 

Apparently I can't add this in the DB and review it because the brewery's closed, so here goes a review of a retribeertion can received from the inimitable (and why would you want to?) @beergoot...Thirteen, a double IPA by TRVE Brewing...


16oz can served in a curvy Monhegan pint glass. Can's dated 14/06/2025. Arrived in my mail today.

Pours clear light yellow, almost straw color, fairly large, maybe one inch head, settles fairly quickly into a clumpy coarse thick skin that crawls at least two centimeters up the side of the glass. Smell is tons of lemon, some straw and dust, let's throw in a little more lemon, and light, bright pine. Citrus is almost yuzu vibe-y.

Taste is deeply earthy-bitter, lemon rind and pine resin, something in the direction of bark but not nearly as far as Bigfoot. Quite noticeable booziness, wouldn't call it restrained, which makes sense at 9% I guess. Floral honey sweetness, or at least wisps of it. Old hay is definitely there, but kind of in the nose, not a robust flavor.

Mouthfeel is very light and dry, maybe a bit stiller than I would have guessed from the look. Overall, nice solid IPA.

 

Doh! Wrong photo posted above:

 

I like this one. Real straight ahead. Prost!!
Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier
4.13/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
16.9 oz can best by 4/24/26 into a mug.
L: Pours golden caramel color with a 1/4" white receding head, steady carbo, light spots of lacing.
S: Very bready, cereal grains, a hint of apple.
T: A balanced blend of soft fruits, soft water, moderately sweet caramel malts, a note of white grape, distant hard candy.
F: Gently bright and smooth medium bodied mouthfeel with a medium length silky finish that is lightly dry.
O: This beer has an exquisite balance of everything. At 18 weeks of age the cans I got have luster and great taste. Nothing off-putting. It is excellent in its style.

 

I was wondering about that...

 

How's the FH Festbier?

 

Greetings, New Beer people, wherever you are. I raise my glass of New Beer in a salute to @Whyteboar for starting this thread with an excellent offering.

For the next few days I am swapping the Northwest for the Southwest, which ought to provide plenty of New Beer options. Tonight I'm splitting the difference with a New Beer from a former Northwest brewery that has moved all its operations from Portland, OR to Albuquerque, NM.



Ex Novo Fresh Hop Mass Ascension IPA (with fresh Centennial hops from Goschie Farms of Silverton, OR)

Look:
Medium gold-yellow body that's translucent with hop haze. The bright white head of foam is craggy and fluffy and leaves impressive lacing on this modest plastic hotel room cup.

Smell:
Straight out of a freshly opened can, the nose is buzzing with fresh hop character. It's an impressive mix of watermelon (including the green notes of the rind) and a slightly muted twist of grapefruit peel. There's also a mild catty note along with some distant mango and apricot wafting in. Semi-sweet malt holds its hand up in the background.

Taste:
There's a burst of orange juice and orange peel right out of the gate, followed by some mango and a fresh watermelon note that sings out pure and light. Notes of sticky pine burst out underneath in brassy counterpoint. There's a little bready sweetness through the middle, which provides some rest ahead of a surging bitterness in the finish. The beer ends with pine resin, grapefruit pith, underripe apricot, and fresh "green" Centennial notes of watermelon rind and a hint of cucumber.

Feel:
Medium-bodied with assertive carbonation and a finish that's slightly sticky with a trace of citrus acidity. Or is that hop burn?

Overall:
Fresh hop beers brewed near the hop farms in Oregon and Washington require more planning and legwork than "regular" beers. A beer brewed in New Mexico with fresh Oregon hops adds interstate complications to the brew day. And with every sip of Ex Novo Fresh Hop Mass Ascension, I am deeply grateful that they went to all that extra effort. This is an excellent fresh hop beer, loaded with Centennial flavor.

 

Happy NB Friday!
Award Winning Ghost Town in the house! Woot woot.
Ossuary
This is solid porter.

The nose pumps a deep toasty brown bread crust that is slightly charred note. But as though intentional versus a sloppy baking. The malts finally hint at an understated sweetness akin to wet squaw bread dough.
The flavor carries the brown bread char that starts a bit sweet and toasty, then goes to a slightly smoky meets coffee note. Eventually hints of coffee turn to bitter cocoa, and finally some prune.
Mouthfeel is medium heft and goes to the end with a earthy, slightly bitter finish.
3.99/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

Thanks for the start Craig!

 

Having one of those fine days with the camera...
A bit surprised with this as there's no lemon in the taste but rather really zesty and dry from grapefruit zest. Gotta try it on tap if poss. Right on!
Luce Line New Zealand Joy Ride WCIPA 7.5%
3.8/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
16 oz can into a nonick pint glass.
L: Pours a lightly hazed gold color with light steady carbo, a thin white head that has very good retention, medium-light loose lacing.
S: Light citrus zest, a soft orchard note. Rather light overall.
T: Lightly sharp, grapefruit, overripe pineapple, peach, a gentle note of fruit funk, distant honey, it is tart and lightly sharp, a nuance of green apple.
F: A placid even medium bodied mouthfeel with a medium long fairly dry finish.
O: Nice lush carbonation, tart and lightly sharp tastes of fruits. 2nd pint pour has a larger head that is soapy then goes flat like the 1st beer. It is pleasant tasting and is also quenching. NZ Joy Ride is very good in its style.

 

Cheers to @Whyteboar for getting us started!

Olde Hickory Brewing The Event Horizon Pistachio Dulce de Leche Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels with natural flavors & caramel color added (why??), 11.0% ABV; 4.05 overall

Pours an effervescent & slightly chill hazed chestnut/mahogany with a thumb+ of mocha colored head. Some head retention & average lacing

S: Bourbon notes, dark fruit

T: Follows the nose, dark chocolate, a booze bite, sweet creamy vanilla notes up front. Some cola notes fight though the Bourbon Cream flavors, a little woody hop as well, a touch of Pecan is noted. Finishes with boozy cream notes, a little oak & caramel, hints of pecan hulls

MF: Medium/chewy body, restrained carbonation, slightly warming. Body thins a bit once warmed up, carbonation picks up as well

Not getting Pistachio, but it does say Pistachio Con Leche & I am getting more Leche than anything else

 

@snaotheus - You should be able to add beers with your status per @Todd 's recent update.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...add-missing-beers-to-closed-breweries.681421/

I added the beer for you using Untappd data, so you should be able to also enter your review on BA. Perhaps Todd can investigate if you find you are still having issues.

Somewhat tired and will go to bed soon. I will contributed my Saturday beer later today.

Cheers!