Weihenstephaner Festbier - Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

3.38/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: Pours a darker straw color with fantastic clarity. The carbonation isn't as evident as I might have thought it would be, but it's there. The head is a rocky-looking, three finger white color that becomes one fingers high after a short period of time. As it recedes, a nice amount of spiderweb lacing is left on the glass.

S: Very zesty noble hops in this one. It actually isn't that malty in the aroma apart from a very faint caramel sweetness. Far more of a pilsner than a marzen.

T: The initial flavors are quite sweet - almost overly so, but not quite. This gradually transitions into a crisp, pleasantly biting hoppy finish. The sweetness is only slightly caramel based, but does enough to mesh with its faintly buttery midtaste. This really isn't much of a marzen, but it's a DAMN good sticke pilsner.

M: Crisp and well carbonated, but not extremely dry. This causes some sweetness to linger on the aftertaste - which makes it seem thicker than it really is. Perhaps it's not as easy to drink as other oktoberfests, but the way the flavor profile reverts from sweet to bitter and back again, it does a good job of keeping the palate guessing.

O:I really shouldn't complain about how it isn't very marzen-y, because I'd have NO trouble drinking a pitcher of this in a biergarten. Actually, my only complaint is that I'm not sure I'd pay $12/6 pack for it again, given its nature.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 19:32:10 | More by ThisWangsChung

TKEbeerman

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -11.2%

06-04-2013 00:08:39 | More by TKEbeerman

Luiz0930

California

4.5/5  rDev +23%

05-31-2013 07:50:38 | More by Luiz0930

herrburgess

South Carolina

4.75/5  rDev +29.8%

05-29-2013 13:12:11 | More by herrburgess

kvnstfrd

Missouri

4/5  rDev +9.3%

05-23-2013 13:02:03 | More by kvnstfrd

Noonan425

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%

05-21-2013 00:18:52 | More by Noonan425

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -11.2%

05-10-2013 14:50:13 | More by twenty5

jono311

Louisiana

4/5  rDev +9.3%

05-01-2013 21:02:38 | More by jono311

Kelp

New Hampshire

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%

04-27-2013 09:36:35 | More by Kelp

magpieken

Australia

4.25/5  rDev +16.1%

04-08-2013 15:39:05 | More by magpieken

EricSonOfTom

Texas

3.9/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 12oz bottle at 49 degrees into my Stone Vertical Epic Ale glass (I’d call it a modified weizen glass). 7262 is printed on the bottle. The bottle also says “Oktoberfestbier” rather than “Festbier.”

Appearance – Pours a faded, clear yellow w/ a champagne-like swirl of bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass. Thin head that largely dissipates quickly, though a trace remains circumferentially along the rim. Moderate lacing.

Aroma – Apple and esters predominate. Subtle lemon/citrus. Light. Minimal hop aroma. Subtle pine essence.

Taste – Fruity and wheat taste throughout. Grain malt. Mild sour and acidic undertones. Moderately dry and bitter. Aftertaste is of fleeting apple with a subtle bitter character.

Mouthfeel – More creamy and full than I expected. Coats the mouth well.

Overall –Apple is the main thing I relate this beer to. I respect Weihenstephaner very much, and if I had only one of their brews to choose from, I’d reach for their classic hefeweizen, but this is a respectable beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 21:32:51 | More by EricSonOfTom

hermit990

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%

03-23-2013 02:04:40 | More by hermit990

BGsWo22

New York

3.25/5  rDev -11.2%

03-20-2013 22:49:56 | More by BGsWo22

DavidBart

New York

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%

03-19-2013 19:55:08 | More by DavidBart

Celtics76

Rhode Island

3.75/5  rDev +2.5%

03-18-2013 17:38:27 | More by Celtics76

Herky21

Iowa

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%

03-13-2013 19:13:35 | More by Herky21

alelover

Michigan

3/5  rDev -18%

03-13-2013 19:12:29 | More by alelover

Pencible

Virginia

3.95/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: This poured a clear light gold with a little white head.
S: It smelled like sweet corn and honey, with some creamy wheat and a little grassy and lemon hops.
T: It tasted like light lemon and copper and grassy hops, with fresh wheat and sweet honey. It had a clean and bittersweet aftertaste.
M: It was watery with moderate carbonation. Fairly light body.
D: This was a nice wheat beer, but not very heavy for a fest beer. It had a clean and crisp scent and taste and body. It had a mellow finish, so it was easy to drink. Great for the first day of Oktoberfest, but not very unique from Weihenstephan's Hefeweissbier.

Serving type: on-tap

02-03-2013 21:50:12 | More by Pencible

Strix

Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear straw yellow, good initial head and lacing.

Grainy, malty, bready, a fairly prominent skunky note.

Crisp floral hops with a background of fresh bread, lemon and pepper aftertaste. No trace of a skunky flavor.

Mouthfeel crisp and full.

Wonder if this is getting a little past its prime, but still a nice Oktoberfest.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2013 01:02:54 | More by Strix

SmashPants

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: standard 500mL brown bottle, traditional German label.

Appearance: a slightly hazy golden yellow in colour, with a thin but lasting head.

Aroma: there are sweet bread and biscuit malts with an overtone of light floral hops. Note overpowering, but enticing none-the-less.

Taste: there is a good bread malt backing, but most of the flavour comes from sweet citric and floral hops. Not overwhelming, but a nice sessional.

Aftertaste: dissipates reasonably quickly, which is fine by me. This brew does go down quite easy.

Mouth feel: light to medium in body without being watery. Fair bit of carbonation per the style - brings the flavours across nicely.

Overall: a nice lager / pilsener with a few different malts and hops than one would normally see. A nice one for every now and then, I think - say, once a year in October :)

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 02:20:46 | More by SmashPants

Tschnab

New York

3/5  rDev -18%

01-23-2013 16:02:43 | More by Tschnab

Dalmanfsu

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -4.4%

01-21-2013 01:36:16 | More by Dalmanfsu

KajII

North Carolina

2.85/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.75

[Suggested Glassware: Lager Glass]

The pour was a light golden yellow with a small (less than 1 finger) white fizzy head that quickly receded down to a very small collar and had poor spotty lacing.

The aroma was of a grain malt, herbal hops and a sweaty yeast with a light hint of caramel along with a mild fruity ester.

The taste was mildly malty with a light caramel sweetness and a strong grainy feel throughout, with the finish having a very light bitterness and a slight medicinal presence at the end. The flavor lasted an average time after the swallow with a grainy bitter taste left behind to fade into the background very slowly.

Mouthfeel was light in body and watery in texture with a mild carbonation.

Overall this was a brew that did not offer up much flavor or anything else for that matter. Although it did have a good smooth drinkability and a very light feel, which would allow you to drink a few without feeling blotted...

http://www.facebook.com/KAJIIsBeerReviews

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 17:49:21 | More by KajII

erogers

New York

4/5  rDev +9.3%

01-17-2013 07:02:40 | More by erogers

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.29/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

A-Pours a clear orange hue. Head is quite thin. Not much lacing.

S-Marzen all the way. Predominantly malty with a light noble hop hint.

T-More of the same except the hops are notched up a tad. Mostly sweet. Mild overall flavor intensity.

M-Thin and drinkable with enough carbonation to cleanse the palate. Semi-crisp.

O/D-Works well enough. Not my favorite style by any means but it works well enough.

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2013 18:25:26 | More by VelvetExtract