Munsterfest - Three Floyds Brewing Co. & Brewpub

superspak

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle into pint glass; no bottle dating, but it is from the 2012 release. Pours very hazy orange copper color with a fairly dense 2 finger off white head with decent retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers for a bit. Minimal lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of pear, apple, grape, caramel, brown bread, toasted grain, brown sugar, light pepper, floral, slight nuttiness, and herbal earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and strength of fruity and malty notes with light hops. Taste of pear, apple, grape, caramel, brown bread, brown sugar, toasted grain, light pepper, floral, light nuttiness, and herbal earthiness. Lingering notes of light fruits, caramel, brown bread, brown sugar, toasted grain, floral, and herbal earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance of fruity and malty flavors; solid complexity with good robustness; and zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a lightly creamy and fairly slick mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with almost zero warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a very nice Oktoberfest style. Nice balance and robustness of fruity and malty flavors; and very smooth to drink. A very enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 04:09:15 | More by superspak

sbxx

Illinois

3.06/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance - Dark, cloudy amber. 1 finger of head settled very quickly.

Smell - Sweet malt. Slight hints of citrus.

Taste - Malty, very slight hint of fruit, maybe some orange zest.

Mouthfeel - Medium body, low carbonation. Finishes wet.

Overall - Goes down smooth, but it's by far the most average beer I've experienced from 3 Floyds. I know it's February and this is a September release, but it really doesn't taste old or anything. I will try it fresh next fall (just to make sure), but otherwise I'll probably be skipping this one. In my opinion, they make so many amazing brews that picking up this one isn't really a necessity.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 07:38:30 | More by sbxx

Coltalenaven

3.24/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Stopped by FFF in Munster, IN and picked up a few assorted bombers. Nice to obtain a fresh bottle of this Oktoberfest I've never sampled.
Pours a dark amber brew with a 3 finger semi creamy head. Quickly settles down to a thin film with no mentionable lacing.
Aroma is malty sweetness and the taste is the same.
A really smooth lager with a pretty abundant malt quality. Very similar to many of the American Oktoberfest beers I've sampled but a solid example and a pretty high quality beer in general as are all the FFF beers.
Overall a high rated beer in my opinion and something I would pick up every season.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2013 02:09:13 | More by Coltalenaven

DocJitsu

California

3.38/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a translucent copper-amber color with a short-lived, a light caramel/eggshell colored head. The head disappears way to quickly. Bubbles constantly migrate from the bottom of the glass. Mouthfeel is slick and wet, with very little carbonation. So little, that I wonder if this bottle is old. Not much going on on the nose. The obligatory toffee, but on the very light side. Some notes of dark red fruit. Flavor is pretty lacking. Not bad, just not 3F. The flat flavor and the flat mouthfeel are certainly not complimentary. I'm so familiar with 3F, it's hard for me to believe that this bottle is not old.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 00:32:44 | More by DocJitsu

beer2day

North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bright, hazy orange pour with scant head. No lacing. Almost hazy enough to appear grainy.

Nose is light roast malt. Brown bread more than biscuit. Light caramel under that.

Flavor is very nice. More bread malt with light roast tones, light burnt caramel, and a bitter tea finish. All the flavors mix well together.

Feel is thicker than expected, but well done as well. Melds well with the flavor profile.

Really glad I found this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 02:12:29 | More by beer2day

RickS95

Indiana

4.13/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It looks striking in the glass. A golden brown with slight orange hues sits below a brilliant white head, maybe a finger thick. The head doesn't last long so check it out quickly. Moderately opaque.

Very malty. Almost nothing else comes through. Not sure which hops they used but they're clearly German Noble, with their almost savory, borderline faint spicy scent.

Has good flavor and just the right combination of malt, lager yeast, and Noble hops. Together you get a slightly malt forward taste with a skosh of spice mid-sip and the faintest hop flavor to complete the drink.

Starts off sweet before changing to spicy, ultimately finishing with just enough hoppy bitter to let you know it's a beer. Medium-bodied, slight watery lager feel.

A great respresentation of the style, particularly from an American brewer. Simple ingredients in just the right ratios make this a beer the Germans would be proud of. Overall, a really, really good beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 04:10:28 | More by RickS95

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Ray (baybum) for bringing this and other under-the-radar Three Floyds items to the Nov. '12 Philly burbs bottle share.

Poured a hazy darker amber color, with a small white head that quickly sank to a ringlet. Bready malts on the nose, caramel, light fruits, light hops. No surprises here. Similar taste, bready malts, caramel, notes of pear and apple skins, a touch of citrus pith bitterness. Light-medium body, fairly drinkable, an good average marzen.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2012 09:33:51 | More by Rifugium

chicagoanbeerone

Illinois

3.4/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

not to much aroma to this beer which is surprsing for fff but it is a lager style beer. The color of the beer was really good and the tatste was good with a bit extra hops then a regular lager style beer very refreshing and crisp. it was very very smooth with a slit bitterness at the end. no water or alcohol taste good with small malt like tatse
overall one of the best lager style beers u can buy so try it

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 18:45:36 | More by chicagoanbeerone

MeowTom

3.6/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Pretty good look, pours a slight hazy amber color and a nice head that goes down to just a few splots.

S- Wonderful smell of fruits like a sangria. Probably the best part of this beer.

T- Mild malty taste. Typical of a lager.

M- Medium to heavy with some carbonation but nice.

O- Pretty average to the genre, not my favor but pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 21:02:32 | More by MeowTom

BeerBuckeye

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a hazy dark amber color with 2 finger white head.

S- Smell is caramely and bready. A bit of burnt sugar.

T- Coyingly sweet. Very caramely and finishes with a very breach taste.

M- Thick and syrupy a little undercarbonated

Overall- Not bad. A little underwhelming, but a standard Marzen here

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 00:26:45 | More by BeerBuckeye

jokemon

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

pours a deep copper brown from 22 oz bottle.

very minimal carbonation, which is disappointing. The head was minimal and disappeared quickly.

taste is octoberfestery as you would expect. I've been in the spirit of octoberfest lately so I've been having a lot of these beers and honestly I would choose the revolution octoberfest over this.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 22:39:55 | More by jokemon

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.48/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes.

Pours out a hazy standard amber color with a single finger of foam that drops back to a ring in about a minute, leaving light amounts of lacing behind on the glass. Lighter side of medium body and medium carbonation levels, slightly crisp texture but not very significantly so.

Smells only lightly of citrus peel and nutmeg spiciness, but maintains a core aroma of bready caramel malts. The flavor follows suit mostly but has a somewhat higher citrus peel accent and a touch of nuttiness on the finish with a bit of earthy hopping. It's serviceable, but there are more exciting marzens out there on the market than this. Surprising mostly for how 'normal' this beer plays out for a brewery with the slogan of "it's not normal." I believe it may be the black sheep of their lineup in this regards.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 20:23:16 | More by WastingFreetime

JackieTH

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured an amber orange hue with an inch of creamy white foam leaves spots of lace. Smell is malty, caramel. Tastes similar to smell with notes of caramel and malt, citric bitterness is noticeable and not as sweet as I'd like to see for the style. Medium bodied with decent carbonation. Decent brew, but not a fantastic marzen.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2012 03:56:48 | More by JackieTH

VncentLIFE

North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A little late in the season, but here we go. A really solid amber color with orange hues, Off white tight head made of small bubbles. It smells like a good German Oktoberfest should. lots of caramel sweetness with some sweet toffee as well. Nice corn syrup presence as well.

The taste isnt as sweet as I wanted it to be. Light body and balanced. Toasted corn somewhere in the middle. Caramel and alot more toffee than other Oktoberfests. Its like a nutty toffee. Slight metallic taste late.

I like the different flavors, but it just needed a bit more oopmf.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 17:35:57 | More by VncentLIFE

BradtheGreat7

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber style brown bottle with FFF Bavarian style label. Poured into a 12 oz tall mug.

A - Body is on the orange side of copper with a slightly darker than white head that settles into a thin ring of lace. A touch of stick to the glass, but nothing special.

S - bready malts. Somewhat grainy with a nice German style yeast. Sweet malts with light caramel and brown sugar. Fantastic addition of spices within.

T - Clean lager taste of grain up front. Pure sweetness with a bread like character. Buttered brown sugar with notes of caramel. Sweet and delicious. sweetness really takes the load with a touch of hops and spice with little bitterness. Crisp, clean finish.

M - medium bodied and smooth. Just the right thickness and easy to drink. Finish is clean and refreshing.

O - let me start by saying that Munsterfest is now #2 behind the GLBC Oktoberfest in my marzen ranking. I was expecting a totally different brew from FFF, but this hits the marzen/Oktoberfest style with perfection. Just a tasty lager meant for the festive autumn season. Great flavor and a bottle full of sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 05:05:01 | More by BradtheGreat7

spdyfire83

Ireland

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

180th Review
Proper pint
On-draft in Munster at Three Floyd's Taproom!

From notes.

A: Dull copper. Quarter (off-white) fingernail head.

S: Caramel, wheat, nectar, faint nutiness, and dried-out malt. Not much else here which I find boring.

T: Malt sweetness upfront followed by smooth nutiness with touch of honey, cracked wheat, and biscuit malt. Hint of fruitiness and spice (beautifully balanced) near back is a nice change of pace for the style. Enjoyable and tasty - not boring at all!

M: Medium bodied with low carbonation.

O: A nice beer for sure! I was a bit taken back by the lack of nose on this, but the taste and mouthfeel came to the rescue! Well done for the style, easy and smooth to drink, and overall solid.

Serving type: on-tap

02-15-2012 13:47:13 | More by spdyfire83

wvsabbath

West Virginia

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving Type - 22oz bottle

Appearance - Copper tan/brown, nice thick creamy 1 inch head, decent lacing.

Smell - Malts, caramel, hops, yeast, grainy, pale malts, brown sugars and added spices.

Taste - Very caramel and brown sugar with sweet nutty/buttery malts. Malts are grainy, sweet and very smooth. Hops add some grapefruit and pine flavors but nothing to strong. Lemon and toffee comes in at the end.

Mouthfeel - Actually fairly light and rela smooth and easy to drink. Malts hit mouth with sweetness. Tounge and palette get more malts, some hops and sugars. Aftertaste is thin, malty and smooth.

Overall - Nice, tasty and smooth. Alcohol is masked well, malts are the featured flavor. Everything you want in a octoberfest, maybe a little more hoppy then most but its solid and actually a safer/normal beer from 3 floyds, and that i feel makes most not enjoy this as much as they want to admit. Worth a drink for sure.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 03:50:54 | More by wvsabbath

Morey

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle with no freshness date. This is obviously a September release, but FFF should still start dating their bottles. A brewery that does SO many hoppy beers, and doesn't bottle date!?

Pours copper-orange in color and has a slight haze to it. Head is white in color and has settled to a thin and spotty lace after about 5 minutes. Plenty of carbonation bubbles floating up towards the head. Pretty good head retention, but the lacing eventually makes it's way back down the glass.

Smell is malty, bready, and grain heavy. I'm also detecting some sweetness. On point for the style.

Taste: Malt and grain up front accompanied by a touch of sweetness. Hops provide a little bitterness, but not much. Maybe they're more prominent when fresh? Finish is smooth, rounded and quite clean.

Medium-full body with moderate carbonation.

A nice Oktoberfest overall.

Morey's Bottom Line: This is only my 2nd beer from Three Floyds, and it's definitely a good representation of the style. I'm not sure why, but as good as it is, I was expecting a bit more. Still not too far behind Great Lakes and Barktoberfest.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 23:16:25 | More by Morey

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Bomber poured into a Weizen glass.

A- Dark orange, very hazy. Good off white head with decent retention.
S- Smells like grains and light malts, some German style yeast. Not a whole lot to the smell of this beer.
T- A good grain profile. A mix somewhere between light and dark malts. Not much bitterness or hops that really stand out but its all about the malts here and they're pretty decent. Some alcohol taste.
M- This beer is an easy drinker, very sessionable. A silky creamy mouth feel. Lots of carbonation, lots of burps to follow.
O- This is a beer anybody could drink and be happy with but I was honestly expecting more out of three floyds. This one is good but it doesnt live up to the brewery's reputation or the price tag.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 01:04:26 | More by TwelveOunces

ne0m00re

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Live review of a 22 oz bottle of this years.
A: Crystal clear reddish amber, decent white creamy head settles to a collar and film. Little lacing.
S: Nutty caramel with a slightly woody grapefruit green character, brown sugar with a very slight bourbon-like alcohol.
T: Creamy woody, nutty, caramel, and brown sugar. Balanced sweetness, slight acidity, and bitterness. Nothing outlandish; just a simple well-rounded lager.
M: Thinner, with a slow-building creamy froth, which breaks into an almost-acidic malt finish that cleanses the palate.
O: Pretty good. Simple, but good.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2012 01:10:21 | More by ne0m00re

grover37

District of Columbia

3.3/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle picked up in Indiana. At least 3 months old by now. Poured into a becker.

Appearance (3.5): Ruby red with orange around the edges. A fat finger of off-white head reduces to a thick layer. Pretty clear too - a decent looking beer. No lacing and little head retention after the layer dies off.

Aroma (4.5): Biscuit and a medium caramel. A little faint but just how I would expect an Oktoberfest to smell.

Taste (2.5): Sweeter than it smells. Sweet, light caramel up front. Even sweeter through the middle with a bit of a toffee taste. Some butterscotch in the finish. Too sweet for the style although not unpleasant.

Mouthfeel (4): Medium-high carbonation and body on the full side of medium. A touch effervescent from the high carbonation which really brings out the malt flavors. A bit sticky through the middle and a lingering sweet finish.

Overall (3.5): I like everything about this beer except for the sweetness in the taste. Would drink again, but won't seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 00:25:02 | More by grover37

cosmicevan

New York

3.88/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

big thanks to florida9 for sending this in a BIF. enjoyed out of brooklyn snifter.

a - poured a semi transparent orange brown with a thin fizzy head that bubbled away relatively quickly. lacing was very slippery but swirling the glass rebuilt the fizzy head.

s - brown sugar, some lagery pilsner earthiness. all malt, but not as seasoned and pot pouri as i've come to love about the style.

t - flavor is much nicer than the smell and classic marzen. caramel malts and toffee. some brown sugar.

m - medium to light bodied. good carbonation that adds a lot to the beer. easy drinker.

o - i've come to really dig this style. munsterfest has a really nice flavor and feel and an oktoberfest i'd be happy to drink every fall.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 01:02:07 | More by cosmicevan

Jammies

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- pours a brownish gold with a think layer of foam that lingers and slowly recedes to the sides of the glass.

S- malty notes with some slight caramel hints

T- sweet and very slightly malty. well balanced and smooth

M- watery and a little bit thin

O- overall a great beer. A little bit sweeter than most Oktoberfests.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 20:40:00 | More by Jammies

ONUMello

Ohio

3.33/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle poured into a 3F pint glass
A: Muddy copper color with a thin head that quickly dissipates
S: Pleasant malt and spice, along with hints of fruit and citrus zest
T: Mallt, apple, a hint of caramel. Not too much going on.
M: Fairly thin, crisp but average.
O: Probably my least favorite 3F thus far, but on the other hand better than many Oktoberfests I've had.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 03:03:13 | More by ONUMello

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Three Floyds : Munsterfest

Pours a clear, dark golden color. Aroma of bready malts and citrusy hops upfront. In the taste, biscuit and mild grapefruit flavors. Bitterness is pretty pronounced, along with more bready flavor. Lightly roasted malts. Citrusy and bitter for an Oktoberfest, but quite nice and in good balance. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and crisp. Overall, a nice twist on the Oktoberfest style, and a quality hoppy lager.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 20:02:06 | More by Stinkypuss