BeerAdvocate Oktoberfest Tasting! (Sep 17-Oct 3, 2022)

Been craving one of these all day and about to pour a second.

 

Do you know the date of that beer?

 

Best before 05/2023.

 

Doing a little Paulaner side-by-side:

The differences are apparent but there are a lot of similarities they share. The Wiesn is more bready, herbal, and slightly lemony. The Märzen is richer, has a fuller body, and a nutty quality. Neither is sweet, both are refreshing and have a crisp finish. These are crafted for drinking all the live long day. They have a great flavor and don’t sit heavy on the palate or in the stomach.

 

Haven't grabbed any German Märzens of festbiers, but I've had a few local marzens so far. I enjoy them quite cold to keep it crisp otherwise it just gets a bit too sweet.
This Left Hand Brewing Oktoberfest Märzen Lager is pretty clean and crispy cold with a light caramel and roasted malt note. It is a bit sweet, but very clean and drinkable with the finish and feel.

 

BitterBill is one of the bastar... uh, members I mentioned when saying reports of new stock were coming from out west.

 

That's better than the cases that showed up here last month with 01/2023 dates. My six pack was not as enjoyable as I remember that beer being.

 

I'd settle for those dates. Haven't seen any around here.

 

I ended up getting two of this beer in half-liter bottles as part of a mixed pack with 3 other O-fest/Festbiers. When I brought it home and my wife saw the label, she looked into her UT records to discover that we had this beer on tap two years ago somewhere. So I had forgotten about it. I gave it a 4.25 score back then.

But anyway, @Bitterbill you're very close with your assessment. This is a great beer. My taste buds say it's a close first cousin to a Helles, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'll probably go back for more once there's room in the fridge.

 

@AlcahueteJ -- still have a link to the blind tastings?

 

Did you find dating on those .5 liters?

 

Using the date code thread in this forum, it deciphered out to March 17 of this year, which is the 'packaged on' date (although I wrote 'brewed on' date in my earlier post).

 

I had it on draught last year at our local Old Chicago.

 

Having a Festbier from Streetside Brewery called "Rainy Day Clubhouse"
Deep golden color with a thick head foamy head, good retention.
Faint aroma of toasted malts.
It is malt forward but hops are kicking in mid palate with a bittersweet finish. More bitter than sweet. I am not sure about this one. In my humble opinion they missed the mark when it comes to Festbier. Definitely in the lower tier for me this season.

 

i usually have had a couple of six packs of these by this time of year but i’ve been holding out for the 500mL cans. my favorite of the pale festbiers and maybe my favorite fest / oktoberfest bier period. so damn good. love the cans! cheers!

 

Neshaminy Creek (Croydon, PA) - Creekfestbier Lager

Toasty, bready malt flavor, but not overly sweet. A touch of earthy hops in the aroma. Medium to fuller bodied.

 

I have noticed that, in general, cans seem to do fairly well in helping their contents hold up. They seem to do better than bottles in that regard.

 

Heh ... You motivate me to do the same. I have both on hand also and really want to try the Troegs. Likely later this week or more likely this weekend.

 

Done. Thanks!

I had to hunt for the "update this beer" link/button, but I found it.

 

Tis the old "first vowel does the walkin ... second vowel does the talkin" thing.

 

Tucher Festbier

Tonight's brew is one that was a favorite of mine last year. Quite good this year, but I must admit that so far I prefer this year's Hobräu Oktoberfestbier. But I had that on draft, so the comparison isn't exactly fair.


500 ml Can
Glass: 0.5 L Fest Mug
Serving Temp: 50.3 F


Look:
Golden yellow with a 2-finger frothy and pillowy white head. The head fades to about a half finger of bubbly foam. Lacing is excellent.

Smell:
Very bready and doughy malts, and a lot of them. There is also some honey and notes of lemon. Touches of grass - both cut and uncut round things out.

Taste:
Dialed down a notch or two from the nose but still malty. The malts come across as fresh baked sweet bread. The honey and the lemon flavors are more pronounced. There is a mild but noticeable bitterness from the hops that is just enough to cut into the malts (and the honey) and balance things out. The sip finishes very slightly dry.

As time goes on, the malts assert themselves more and more.

Feel:
Crisp and mostly clean. A tad chewy. Body is medium-light.

Overall:
A quite enjoyable and easy drinking Festbier. Very nicely done. I could drink this all day long. Which is point of Festbiers, isn't it?

 

always had solid lager offerings from these guys. This is no different. Crushable. At 5.7% though you could get into trouble after pounding an easy 4 pack. There’s something nostalgic/romantic about crushing a German style beer from the Midwest.

 

Several local NC/SC beers that I have been enjoying:
Highland Brewing Clawhammer
Triple C Oktoberfest
New Anthem Hundstage Festbier
Edmund's Oast House Oktoberfest

 

I could have posted this exact same thing to a tee...only difference the 500 ml cans never showed. A fellow NJ BAer said he did see them though, I just still haven't come across...so there is a chance to add to my bottle supply.

 

hope you find them! i certainly would have “settled” for bottles as this one is near perfect to me. it’s so drinkable for a slightly heavier lager. great aromas and flavors. one i look forward to every year.

 

And I did...I held out for about a week before just giving in on the regular bottles.

I agree with you on how drinkable it is too, I think it is slightly lighter and softer in feel than HB and Paulaner's. I'm also not sure if there is a prettier looking beer, liquid gold.

 

The shorthand way I think of the two is that Weihenstephaner is a beefed up helles, while the HB is a leaner heller bock.

 

been a spell since i’ve had the HB but i definitely agree that Weihenstephaner leans towards a heavier helles.

 

Very good analogy right there, explains it quite well

 

Or, are they both just separate interpretations of Festbier?

For further mind-bending debate, where does Paulaner's Fest fall in the spectrum? And let's not even get into HB Maibock!

(yeah, just funnin' around -- I've had them all this year, no complaints!)

 

I could probably dig that up at some point.

 

2 years ago, maybe?

Might be worth a revisit.

Sinamar be damned!

 

G’Suffa Oktoberfest lager at Fat Head’s brewery. Crackers, grains and a bit of hop with a smooth finish. Lacks the heft and richness that I like in a Marzen, so I’d classify as a festbier. A solid beer regardless of what you call it. Prost!

 

Having a few of these tasty Märzens today. Delicious stuff..



Cheers!

 

Maybe personal preference, b/c I definitely found a nice floral note here. Tried 3 Sheeps? Leans more Marzen, but another favorite from Wisconsin this year.
But beers and/or palates change. I previously found Surly and Great Lakes as two of my favorites, and this year they haven't done a thing for me. I'll definitely be on prowl for Lakefront, but haven't found it in a single yet.

 

My biggest disappointment, is I made it to Ohio but didn't go to Fat Head's. But I left with 3 six-packs of Fat Head beer. And a 12-pack of Rhinegeist TRUTH. Loved that beer too. And a trip to Uniontown Brewing, in Ashland. Food was better than their beer.

 

Next time you’re in Ohio, let me know and we’ll go even if I have to chauffeur you.
Cheers!

 

Now we're talking.

 

Saw a few of these on here already an wanted in on the action.


4.05/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
12 ounce bottle poured into a dimpled mug.
Freshest by 11/30/22

Very clear copper pour with a decent off-white cap. Moderate strength malty nose, bread and honey mostly. Flavor wise, it’s toasty and somewhat spicy but more herbal, some caramel, only mildly sweet with like bitterness. It strikes an overall balance right through to the finish. Aftertaste is earthy /woody. Mouthfeel is medium weight and a little slick but not creamy.
I could certainly drink more than one of these and believe it’s better than the average American example.

….went down pretty quick…

 

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31645/621855/?ba=bubseymour#lists

My cousin’s wife just returned from Vermont and she asked what I wanted, and said “anything from Lost Nation and I’ll be happy”. Had this beer which was outstanding. I entered it as a Czech Amber lager but it easily could be considered a high octane Marzen Oktoberfest brew (although 6.5% ABV would kick you in the butt quickly).