Festbier - Victory Brewing Company

DirtyPenny

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle poured into my New England Patriots pint glass while watching the surprisingly good Colts/Steelers game. Curtis Painter is not a real quarterback.

A: Poured with 1/2-finger of off-white head that imploded faster than the Vikings in the second half of any game this year. Festbier is an amber/honey color, as pleasing to look at as a football, thought somewhat lighter.

S: A whiff of piney/citrusy hops surprises the nose, much like the Buffalo Bills surprised the Pats today. Seriously, I expected a marzen to have a maltier nose (not a complaint), but it takes time to warm up and the real spirit of it to come through, much like Ryan Fitzpatrick.

T: Earthy caramel malts with a ghost of a fungus-like aftertaste. Cereal grain finish where I would have expected the hops. Curious what happened to the bit of hoppiness that was in the nose (and that the bottle promised). It was conspicuously absent, like the Steelers running game tonight.

M: Medium bodied. Carbonation was light but this brew was still a bit foamier and and rougher than expected. It's not anywhere near the chewiness of the turf Jay Cutler is constantly picking out of his teeth, but still.

O: Festbier is not a bad seasonal brew, but much like the Chiefs, I do not associate fall with Victory.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2011 04:06:51 | More by DirtyPenny

HappyHourHero

Indiana

3.4/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Biting, almost skunky hop aroma. Small, oatmeal colored head. Slightly sweet malt and biscuity flavors. Spicy hop flavors towards the middle. Transparent, light orange colored beer.Solid body, not too thick, very smooth and easy drinking. Solid flavor and feel, not much to look at and the aroma, while not bad, was not very appealing.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2005 17:20:02 | More by HappyHourHero

bditty187

Nebraska

3.4/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This might be my last O-fest for the ’05 Season…

Clear, coppery-peachy-bronze in hue, the color of the liquid is typical of the style. A steady stream of animation slowly danced to the off-white head. At best the foam barley covered the liquid; there really wasn’t a true head. Disappointing. There was no subsequent lacing either, another bummer. For an O-fest I am saddened by the appearance.

The nose is clean. Too clean for me; it really doesn’t say much. I get hints of caramel malts and a trace amount of earthy hops. I get the impression this beer has German roots but it is difficult to tell exactly the direction this beer wants to go. Hells? Oktoberfest? I’m not sure. Low potency, it is too quite overall; the nose is passable.

The palate is soft but likeable. The maltiness is pliable, delicate with a caramel candy base, some bread, and some honey. The hop profile is light, some earthiness and spice at the back. Clean, as it should be, the finish is fairly long but uneventful. The palate is solid; I’ve enjoyed much better O-fests this season. I mean, this one is okay but forgettable. I was expecting Victory to nail the style, they didn’t. At least this beer wasn’t “Americanized” too much… but it was still a bit underdone. It is enjoyable but it is nothing extraordinary.

Medium in body, moderate-low carbonation, natural and fitting mouthfeel is firm but not rigid. On the tongue, this beer feels about right. Nicely done.

Drinkable and tasty it is. Special? Not so much. Of course not every beer needs to be the greatest beer in the world. If I could get this locally I would drink it. It would be a no-brainer! Is this good enough for me too seek out in the future? No. I wouldn’t turn one down though! I am very happy I could try it. Thank you RedHaze!

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2005 01:38:05 | More by bditty187

Terp96

North Carolina

3.4/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is one of my annual buys around this time of year. For the record, I think it was better last year.

Pours a bright amber into the glass with minimal head. The beer is clean and pretty highly carbonated which I thought was strange.

Smell is decent for the style. Typically malty but not over powering. I couldn't smell too much of the hop profile.

Taste is a little sweeter than I expected. The sweet malted backbone soon gives way to a surprisingly strong hop presence. As a hophead, this was the best part.

Mouthfeel was decent as well. A little sweet and thick for my liking. Bitterness in the end allows the beer to linger a little longer and that helps.

Overall, a decent attempt at an Octoberfest Marzen. I liked the variation of the theme with the hop presence but I think it lends itself to more criticism from the style police. It is still pretty drinkable but not as much as a Hacker-Pschorr or Paulaner. I will go back for this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2006 12:08:42 | More by Terp96

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.4/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Victory- Festbier

Appearance- Golden chestnut brown with no head.
Smell- Light sugary malt with hints of earthy hops.
Taste- Full flavored malt with mollasses. Nice earthy hop flavor well balanced.
Mouthfeel- Lighty sweet with a solid flavor throughout.

Overall- Much better 2nd time around. A good session beer!

Serving type: on-tap

10-06-2006 20:02:43 | More by NJpadreFan

HalfFull

California

3.4/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served on tap in a pint glass from notes, Oct. 2008. Pours a mostly clear reddish amber in color with a thin cap. Retention is brief and lacing is thin.

Light hops on the nose, warming up to yield some sweet toasted malts. Offers some more noticeable noble hops only when agitated aggressively.

Somewhat malty on the tongue, thick and simple with a uniform malt presence and a touch of woodsy spice. Rather bitter and smoky on the finish in sharp contrast to the initial sweetness. Carbonation was high and resulted in some oscillation between sweet and dry in the second half of the glass. Too confusing to reach for again.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2009 23:01:44 | More by HalfFull

JMD

Connecticut

3.4/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a dark copper color with small head that fades very quickly.

S: Light aroma of toasted malt and carmel. Not bad, but the nose is just too faint. Even letting the beer warm didn't do anything to improve the aroma.

T: The prominent flavor for me was bready and bisquity malt. Followed by some sweet carmel, brown sugar and some spice. Faint hops are present as well.

M: A little on the thin side for the style, somewhere between light and medium bodied.

D: Overall, a decent American made Octoberfest. I found this one to be a little too bready for my taste, and not enough sweetness and spice. Not bad, but there are better domestic Marzens out there.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2009 14:18:50 | More by JMD

clayrock81

Virginia

3.4/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a clear brownish red with a quickly dying tan head. A strong roasted/bready malt smell along with minor sweetness and a hint of hop bitterness. A tad thin and watery not too sweet or hoppy but more a of dry, toasted malt taste that leads to a syrupy, dry finish although it finishes clean with only a little bit of crisp hops that tend to citric notes. For some reason I didn't really care for this beer yet I could see myself having a few of them - it is strong and a few will set you right.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2009 20:27:32 | More by clayrock81

jimmah120

Minnesota

3.4/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle 2 months past expiration

Look is an amber-orange with a khaki head. Smell is hay, wheat, yeast, caramel rolls, pumpkin spice, and clove. Taste is wheat, spice, yeast, pumpkin, and roasted malts. Feel is medium, medium carbonation, slightly syrupy and thick.

Solid fest beer, but nothing special. At the high price point, it's not especially desirable.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2012 02:33:24 | More by jimmah120

Onceeven

New York

3.43/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Probably my last Oktoberfest for the year, and not a bad one to finish off the batch.
Poured a crystal clear amber followed by a small head of foam, and spotty lacing. This one smells different from the rest, and I'm not sure if thats good or bad. It's a sweet smell that smells like the ripe grapes that used to grow on my neighbor's vine. Never smelled anything like it in a beer before. It's echoed in the taste too, a bit tart.
It's not a bad beer, the maltiness still pulls through, with almost a bit of nuttiness. Maybe Victory was trying something a bit different with this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2004 05:09:47 | More by Onceeven

yelterdow

New Jersey

3.43/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Freshness date: "Enjoy by Dec 12 05". Served at fridge temperature in a Fuller's nonic, around lunchtime.

Appearance- A clean, clear reddish amber which displays a small, one inch head that deteriorates immediately. A thin rim of foam survives, without any lacing.

Smell- German malts, with their nutty, sweet undertones... not much else! Vienna malts and a mildly bready aroma.

Taste- A very familiar Oktoberfest flavor that incorporates the malts, bread, and very slight bittering in the finish... approachable, and basic. You can't write a book about it, you just enjoy it.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- A bit too carbonated in the mouth, it gets in the way of the taste and drinkability; Almost a tongue-encompassing hostage scenario ensues. Overall a decent interpretation of a Fest, just a bit loud.

Victory's brewing mastery resides outside of this beer, just try Storm King...

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2005 16:27:59 | More by yelterdow

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.43/5  rDev -8%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours orange with a finger of tan head. Zero head retention & lacing

S: Breadyness & not much else

T: Herbal & metallic hops, grainyness & some caramel up front. Dryness, slight leafy hops & a touch of caramel as this warms. finishes dry with a little grainy breadyness & toffee

MF Medium bodied with low carbonation

Very drinkable, but alas, the flavor profile is lacking. I expected more from these guys

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2008 03:29:18 | More by russpowell

DavoleBomb

Ohio

3.43/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass.

4.0 A: Clear deep amber color. Thick frothy head with good retention. Moderate amounts of lacing.

3.5 S: A little bit fruity, a little bit grainy, a little bit spicy, but not a whole lot of aroma overall. Just a touch of herbal hops.

3.5 T: This has a unique taste. No other Oktoberfests are quite like this one. I admire that Victory would make a product that isn't just a clone of a generic Oktoberfest. However, the taste leaves something to be desired. Biscuity and caramel from malts. Spicy. Then there is something pungent. Maybe that is what makes it unique, but it is a bit off-putting. By no means is this a bad brew, but it isn't up to its potential.

3.5 M: Medium body, a bit under-carbonated. Otherwise smooth.

3.0 D: It's the pungency in the taste that lowers the drinkability by quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2008 01:13:12 | More by DavoleBomb

Fredk24

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I snagged a forlorn bottle of this beer from my local package store's shelf a week ago, and I'm just getting to it. Sadly there is no production or freshness date on the bottle.

Upon pouring, the beer has a nice copper color to it, with a decent, quickly dissipating head.

The smell is unobtrusive, if anything there is a smell of slightly sour bread.

Decent maltiness, thin-to-medium body. Finishes clean.

I prefer Harpoon Octoberfest to this one because it has a deeper malt flavor. I'll probably give this another try next October.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2009 23:37:04 | More by Fredk24

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Boulevard in J'Town, PA had the Victory Festbier on tap. It poured a clear amber with decent frothy head and laced. The aroma included malt, barley, and some spiciness. The tase was powered by barley and malt....very grainy beer. The mouthfeel is ok, the taste leaves something to be desired. Over all it was ok,,,never been that big of a october Marzen fan. Certainly worth a try though.

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2011 03:18:12 | More by WoodBrew

TTAmod

Michigan

3.43/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into pint (although this begs to be poured into a mug.)

A: Deep, clear amber with a one finger white head. Dissipates kind of fast.

S: Slightly roasty malts and caramel make up the smell.

T: Lots of malt present....it has the slight roast flavor giving it a distinct taste. Also a nice, clean grain flavor, as well. There's a nice dose of leafy hops to balance the malt out a little bit. Finishes with a very slight bittenessr and roastiness.

M: Dangerously drinkable. Smooth, creamy, medium-bodied.

O: A highly drinkable, flavorful marzen. It's pretty standard for the style and doesn't really bring anything too new to the table. It's easy to appreciate the simplicity of this beer, though. A perfect fall party beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2012 01:17:00 | More by TTAmod

Bierman9

New Hampshire

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had this on tap at the Sunset Grille. Poured a tawny, brown color, and it was quite cloudy. What's up with that? Had a creamy, tan head, which faded quickly, and left no lacing. Verrry mild malt nose...where is it? Mouthfeel was quite nice, though; good body and smooth. Flavor had some ok malt, a smooth flavor but mild. Even a hint of some fruitiness present. Not bad, but not really fest-like. Perhaps it's the tap lines? I'll try it again elsewhere, and keep an open mind.

overall: 3.45
appearance: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | mouthfeel: 4 | drinkability: 3.5

352

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2002 14:34:50 | More by Bierman9

mjohn27603

Michigan

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours orangish out of the bottle. Thin white layer forms on top, less than one finger head. Smell is malty with some spices mixed in. Taste is a little bitter with a stale taste. Not as malty as other Oktoberfests. Mouthfeel is a little thin and watery. Not one of Victory's better offerings.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2005 23:44:44 | More by mjohn27603

clvand0

Kentucky

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy amber color with a small head that falls fast and doesn't leave much lacing on the glass. The aroma is mostly caramel malt with some sweetness and possibly a little toasted. I'm not a huge fan of the flavor. It's comprised of caramel malt and some toastiness but there's a hop flavor in there as well - whatever hop it is, I'm not a fan of its flavor. Not necessarily something off in the beer, I just don't like this hop. Finish is sweet and slightly bitter and the mouthfeel is moderate. Drinkability is ok.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2005 20:14:33 | More by clvand0

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

On draught at the Mill Hill Saloon in Trenton, NJ: The beer pours a clear copper color with a medium thin light beige head that dissipates slowly. Spotty lacing. Light malt and caramel along with hops in the nose. Medium body with a soft mouthfeel. Flavors of toasted malt and caramel, plus mild hops and fruit. The finish is sweet malt and a hint of hops. Slightly above average all around.

Serving type: on-tap

12-19-2007 20:09:03 | More by Dogbrick

eljefe21

Virginia

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Light copper color with a 1 finger head.

S: Slightly faint malty smell.

T: Malty balanced nicely with a slightly dry and bitter flavor.

M: Sharp and carbonated up front, thin in the middle, and a dry finish.

D: A nice beer that tastes like fall in Germany.

Served: in a standard pint glass

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2008 22:18:15 | More by eljefe21

magnj

New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

a - Orangey Amber color, 1 finger head settles to a faint ring. Quite a bit of bubbles rising from the bottom, fairly clear.

s - Fruity, a little dry.

t - Banana and Orange. Not real malty, sweet or hoppy. Has a slight twang. It really tastes like a Hefeweizen without the Belgian yeast. It's not bad but I've had better Octoberfests.

m/d - Pretty thin, flavor lasts only briefly. Sessionable but not too tasty. On the low side of carbonation. I bought this mid December on a whim. It's now mid January and probably past it's prime...I'll have to give it another chance next year.

EDIT: Bottle was in fact past it's Enjoy by date...but they must be drank.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2009 23:35:38 | More by magnj

BigMike

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

"Gather with your friends for a festive moment of Victory!"

poured from a 12 oz. Bottle into a pint tulip.

Color is tangerine orange with some rusty brown mixed in. A hard pour produced a fluffy two finger head that only lasted briefly.

Some spice on the nose with some light caramel. Not a real overpowering aroma.

Very light and watery on the tongue. A bit of sweetness at first but not much is going on flavor wise here. Actually this has a pretty boring flavor profile.

Mouthfeel is light with moderate carbonation. The best thing about this beer is the fact that its so crisp and clean that at under 6% its extremely easy to drink. I mean i polished off three bottles before i knew it in about 20 minutes.
Definitely a sessionable one.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2009 21:15:43 | More by BigMike

merc7186

New York

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I had this beer from a 12oz glass poured into a pint glass.

This beer has a decent malty color with a slightly reddish orange color to it. The head was a nice white but minimal head that quickly disappeared. The smell is a nice malty smell with a good maltiness and a mild nuttiness to it. The taste starts of with a great malty, nutty flavor but it quickly fades away to nothing, which was disappointing. The mouthfeel was a lingering malt and nuttiness but was minimal at best although it tasted better after I belched. Overall, a decent marzen style beer but my only concern was drinking an october beer in july. I wouldn't search this beer out but wouldn't shun it if it was available either.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2011 00:14:37 | More by merc7186

amphion1065

Massachusetts

3.45/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

On-tap at Russell House Tavern, served in a pint glass.

Pour is a deep copper, golden orange - seasonally appropriate, at the very least. A one-finger white head last for a while, though there's minimal lacing.

A lot more spice than I was expecting in the aroma. Herbal, with a lingering scent of pepper. There's also some sweet, biscuit malt that reminds me of caramel. Not a huge departure from the style, but interesting.

The taste is very bready, with the malt shining through. Sweet, with the caramel from the nose playing a big role. There's also a pretty noticeable bitterness, and a slight astringency in the finish.

A little overcarbonated, could be toned down a notch. As it stands, the feel is a little distracting.

Unremarkable for the style. There are too many equivalently-priced alternatives to make me return to this one.

Serving type: on-tap

09-02-2011 00:54:55 | More by amphion1065