VolksfestBier - Dinkelacker-Schwabenbraeu AG

Bierman9

New Hampshire

3.73/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I visited the Cannstatter Wasen in Stuttgart on 30SEP09, the counterpart to the München Oktoberfest. In the Schwabenbräu tent, I scored a Maß of their festbier, for 7.90EU.

I sat outside, on an upstairs balcony overlooking the fairgrounds. In front of me sat a 1 liter stein of beauty. Not only was the glass itself decorated with a colorful, festive motif, the contents were equally gorgeous. This Festbier was a clear, rich, copper color, with sporadic carbo slowly heading upwards. It had a creamy, light tan head which lasted well through the night, leaving a solid layer of froth and excellent lacework. A bready aroma meets the nose, with light florality mixing in. Solidly smooth on the tongue, the liquid was of medium body.

Light malts are present, with some toasty notes and a bit of biscuit. It's easy on the sweetness, though with just enough to sate you. The finish has floral hops doing their thing, but with more of a spicy bite, somewhat akin to Sam Adams Ofest. Better looking than tasting, but still hits the spot, especially in this particular location. Zum Wohl!!

3.95
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | drink: 3.5

1185

Serving type: on-tap

10-07-2009 19:40:13 | More by Bierman9

scottford

Japan

4.03/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Dark gold color with a pale white head. Great, strong smell that almost reminds me of an ESB. But the taste is great! Strong, but not overpowering, tastes engulf your palate.

Overall this is a great beer. I really like it. I don't think it's sold anywhere other than the Stuttgart area unfortunately. If anyone can get there hands on this beer, then you should definitely do it.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 17:51:11 | More by scottford

ckollias

Maryland

3.73/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed this swing-top bottle out of a large snifter glass.

A: Pours a dark golden hue with a 2-finger white hue that quickly dissipates leaving a wispy lace.

S: Grain aroma followed by a mild lemon zest and mild hops.

T: Toasted malt flavor with that hint of lemon zest as was present in the smell. Finishes slightly hoppy and bitter.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: Decent beer and worth a try but nothing I would drink on a regular basis.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 02:58:04 | More by ckollias

beerdrifter

Germany

2.83/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Picked this up at my local getraenkemarkt. Clear yellow pour with two finger quickly fading head and minimal lacing. Somewhat sweet and grassy nose with a hint of metal to it. The taste is slightly herbal with a touch of toasty malts adding to the sweetness. Slight bitterness on the finish, but the balance is on the sweet side. I'm getting a bit of the metal from the nose in the taste along with a hint of lemon. Slightly carbonated and tart finish, but the sweetness dominates and hurts the drinkability for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2011 17:17:23 | More by beerdrifter

AltBock

Ohio

3.43/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Old fashioned 500ml swing top bottle. This bottle has a cream colored shield label with the Schwaben Brau crest that has a man and a woman in traditional German clothing on opposite sides. The man on the left is playing the trumpet and the woman on the right is playing the cymbals. I don't know hat kind of music will come out of those two instruments together, but it can't be good. Below the couple is the name of the beer and brewery in gold letters inside a green banner. The back label has the same picture on the front and 2 big paragraphs written in German. At the bottom of the back label is the barcode and a best before date. My bottle was best before January 16th 2009.

Appearance: I decided to pour this German Lager into my Brooklyn Brewery Imperial pint glass. Out of this old fashioned bottle came a beer that was clear, pale, and a bright sunshine yellow color. This yellow color was a shade under being a gold color. On top of this yellow beer was a 3/4 of an inch head of pure white foam. This head of foam quickly fizzled down into a string of white rings and about 3 small spots of white lace. Standard German Lager appearance.

Smell: The aroma of this beer was very grainy. The good thing about this grainy aroma was that it was grainy with toasted malts. You know it couldn't have been brewed corn and rice since it was brewed in Germany. Behind the malts was a hint of apple juice and a smidgen of crispy floral hops. I thought that was the end of it, but when the beer really warmed up, a dash of black pepper, a touch of caramel, and little lemon zest emerged. Even when those new aromas emerged, I still thought it was too grainy.

Taste: After the grainy aroma, I thought this beer was going to be very grainy with malts followed by a touch of hops. That wasn't the case with this beer. Instead, the taste was lightly toasted with toasted malts, a splash of lemon zest, a touch of green apples, and plenty of crispy floral hops. Even though it was better than what I had thought it was going to be, it was still slightly above average for the style. It was nothing too special.

Mouthfeel: This was a light bodied beer with plenty of crispy carbonation and a slightly toasted aftertaste of toasted malts, a little lemon zest, and crispy floral hops. I liked the strength of the aftertaste and the fact that it didn't wash away at a drop of a hat.

Drinkability: This was another above average session German Lager. I was just glad that the taste of this beer wasn't as grainy as the aroma. That would have been a disaster if it had done that. Even though it was another above average German lager, I would still like to thank Donny2112 for giving me the chance to try this only available in Germany Lager.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2008 20:50:58 | More by AltBock

tubaguy

Germany

3.93/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

'Tis the season for fest beer and this one is a nice example! Pours a bright coppery golden color with a nice creamy head. Very bubbly. Nice smell: Subtle barnyard, floral and spice aroma. The first taste seemed a bit skunky but it improved quickly. Smooth, fizzy, creamy and drinkable with a slight bitterness at the end. All I'm missing is the beer tent and the German band.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2008 09:14:05 | More by tubaguy

TheSarge

Illinois

3.93/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

VolksfestBier comes in a flip top half liter bottle. When poured it produces a vast amount of off white head, which sticks around for a good while. The body is light amber in color; also it's quite clear and bubbly.

Aromas and taste are husky and grainy with slight metallic and herbal hops character.

This brew is quite smooth, crisp, and well balanced. It finishes with a unique creaminess.

All the way through this is a great beer. A prime example of a fest beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2008 09:31:17 | More by TheSarge