Festbier - Victory Brewing Company

crossovert

Wisconsin

2.9/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12 oz bottle.

It pours a reddish orange with a fizzy white head.

The smell is of oxidized fruits and caramel.

The taste is a bit bland, it starts with a mineral water character and moves into a doughy sweetness with a bit of bitterness.

This beer hardly excites me, one of the more forgettable Oktoberfest beers.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2010 06:00:47 | More by crossovert

SilentSabre

Georgia

2.93/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A pretty average oktoberfest, IMO. Poured up nicely with an orange bronze colour and a foamy sand coloured head. Smell was honestly a little BMC-ish with a bit of sweet malt. Taste, Mouthfeel, and Drinkability are all pretty average. Overall, this wasn't bad, but honestly, I wasn't impressed.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2007 20:52:40 | More by SilentSabre

AlexanderSelby

North Carolina

2.95/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

With a delightfully dense amber color, Festbier's appearance is beautiful and on-point for the style. The hops sneak themselves behind the sweet and buttery first wave and barely hit the side of your tongue with slight bitterness, but then the malts come back for the finally. The flavor is too unbalanced for me, weighing heavily on the malty sweet, almost buttered bread, side.

Overall, Festbier is a malty, buttered bread experience that spoils my appetite, especially during a big Octoberfest celebration where you are encouraged to drink a few rounds. I am, however, tasting this offering on the later end of it's life-span, so it is very likely the hop flavor has subsided, thus creating an imbalance.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 19:40:51 | More by AlexanderSelby

BeerSox

Virginia

2.98/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle into nonic.

The only head on this beer was a really thin off white one that vanished to nothing. No lacing to speak of.

The aroma is more along the lines of what I expected. A bit of caramel and some brown sugar. Seems a little bland though.

The plainness is repeated in the flavor. The caramel and candy sugar is there like in the aroma, but it's not very robust. The flavor doesn't last long either. The finish is just a bit of biscuity grains. Lighter bodied with average carbonation. Seems a bit watery.

I was expecting a little better from Victory. This one seemed boring, to sum it up in one word. The flavors were there, they just weren't anything to be excited about. Not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2007 00:00:18 | More by BeerSox

Thrasher

Oregon

3/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Clear amber with full head that completely vanished. Aroma mostly of caramel malts. Victory has put forth a big sturdy malt base for this beer... and leaves it at that. No appetizing hop dryness, no traditional spiciness. Just a sweet syrup of a beer, hints of butter but cloying. Well-made but ho-hum, esp. for Victory. Drinkability low for a Fest, since the hops do not pull their weight in creating a dry tasty finish or spiciness. Not bad by any means, in fact those who don't warm to O'Fests might actually enjoy this especially if they roam around the dopplebock end of the spectrum. May also be good for cooking.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2002 19:52:11 | More by Thrasher

Scoats

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Unlike several American takes on o-fests, like Flying Fish and Brooklyn, which have a great hoppy finish, this beer beer seems to be very true to what I recall of real German o-fests. Very malty, somewhat sweet and not very hoppy. The result is a beer that is very well made, very true to the style, but to my tastes not very satisfying. Not by any means dumbed down, but not smarted up either.

Heaven knows Victory has more than enough great beers to keep us beer geeks more than happy.This one though is probably made to keep their less adventurous brewpub patrons content.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2002 06:19:10 | More by Scoats

maxpower

Missouri

3/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Clear orange-copper color, nice white foamy head. Has a light flowery and malty caremel aromas, sweet, balanced malts and clean tasting, light body, a little thin semi-watery mouthfeel, this is a decent oktoberfest, but nothing special, there are alot of other better ones out there.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2003 14:05:11 | More by maxpower

JasonA

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

average ... thats what I got from this beer.

Pours a dark copper with little to no head. Almost a translucent carmel.

I dont get much from the smell. Some sweetness and a little spice. Not much there.

A little biting, may be due to the alcohol content. Tastes like the smell. Not a whole lot there. Wish there was more to talk about. Some sweet, no real hops. Little malty with some spice finish.

Average. Carbonation and bite may be a little more than desirable.

Overall I would rather move forward from this beer than drink it again. Not bad, simply not something worth coming back to.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2007 21:23:26 | More by JasonA

LumpyGuitar

New York

3/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Picked this up on a whim, I'm a sucker for seasonals.

Poured a crisp amber with an orangey hue. Thin white head and no lacing.

Smell is faintly earthy, with a faint waft of hop and yeast.

Taste is pretty average fare for the style, bittersweet with a mild hop presence, yeast is sharper than I'd like.

Mouthfeel is again average. Fairly light with a decent amount of carbonation.

Drinkability here is lower for me. I can tell from others in the style what I think this should be - clean, crisp, with a light hop feel and a nice and easy mouthfeel and drinkability. I can't say that this doesn't match that profile, but what I can say is that it doesn't do it very well, at least the way I like it. Theres better out there but this is a good try.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2008 02:52:35 | More by LumpyGuitar

magictrokini

California

3/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours clear amber with a short head. Pleasant lager aroma; sweet caramel, straw, and corn. Taste is watery and flat for the style. Bread dough, metal, graham cracker, and corn. Wanted more and didn't get it. I am convicnced that marzens and me just do not go together.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2008 19:23:16 | More by magictrokini

rootbeerman

Virginia

3/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: poured into my duvel tulip, with a nice clear amber/copper body, with a thin finger of off white head that fell semi-quickly with not much lace.
S: not a powerful nose, very light grainy, nutty and bready
T: grain and nut comes through from the aroma, a bit dry cooked grain and a very light grassy hop.
M: the grain makes it seem a bit rough. carbonation fits the style.
D: mostly fits with the style but is not my favorite due to the cooked grain flavor.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2010 23:55:35 | More by rootbeerman

TheDudeRules

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into my Surly pint.

Pours an amber red with a full finger and a half of off white foam. Dissipates rather quickly. Lots of caramel malt in the nose. Biscuit too. Rather ho hum malty flavor. I wish I could be more positive or negative. This beer is rather average at best.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2011 01:03:23 | More by TheDudeRules

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.03/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz Bottle

Appearance - The beer pours a clear copper colour with an average size frothy/fizzy beige head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is just a little bit of lacing on the sides of the glass. The head lasted for over 5 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - malts, an earthiness, toffee, hay/straw, cask wood?

Taste & Mouth - The beer doesn't have a whole lot or carbonation and it feels slightly watery. The beer has a very interesting taste consisting of malts, toffee, and lots of bread/grain flavour. It really has a lot of earthy notes as well.. even some hay/straw. It finishes with an earthy/malt aftertaste.

Drink - Another beer that falls in the category of 'not for me'. It's not an awful beer but not something I'd seek out again. It reminded me too much of a barnyard smell..

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2010 18:07:16 | More by spinrsx

mooseo

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into pint glass.

A - Brilliant, clear dark amber with a small head. Not much retention.

S - Inviting aromas of roasted malts and spices.

T - Big roasted malt flavor up front, followed by some caramel and bready flavors. Hops are noticeable at the end and lend a good balance with the malt. Finishes rather dry with a lingering bready taste.

M - Light - medium in body, smooth mouthfeel. Very low carbonation, which was surprising (possibly a bad bottle?).

D - Nice example of the style, but not great. It has decent drinkability and is worth a try during the fall season.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2011 02:10:43 | More by mooseo

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.03/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I picked up a bottle of Victory's Festbier last week for $1,89 at The Lager Mill. I know it's a little late for Oktoberfest beers, but I just now so this beer on the shelf and I'm going to take a chance on it, so lets see how it goes. No visible bottling date. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A- The label on this beer is pretty simple, but I like it and I think it's well done. It poured a hazy amber color that took on a nice caramel color when held to the light with a finger and a half of slightly off white head that quickly died down to a thin ring that faded to nothing and it didn't leave any lacing. This beer didn't look that great, the color was good, but the head and lacing were disappointing.

S- The aroma starts off with a high amount of sweetness that's followed by the malts that impart some caramel, brown bread, grains, and a biscuit like aroma. After that comes a slight nutty aroma followed by some yeasty spices. The aroma was pretty average, it could have been cleaner for the style.

T- The taste seemed to be fairly similar to the aroma and it started off with a higher amount of medium sweetness and lots of malts which imparted a grainy, brown bread, caramel, and biscuit like flavor. After that came a slight nutty flavor and an even lighter amount of spicy yeast. On the finish there was basically no bitterness and it had a very malty and slightly sweet aftertaste, This was a pretty average tasting Marzen, there was nothing to set this beer apart from all the other Marzen's.

M- Pretty smooth, crisp, on the lighter side of being medium bodied with a higher amount of medium carbonation that was a little prickly. The mouthfeel was a little above average for the style but the pricklyness held it back a little.

All in all I thought this beer was just ok and I thought it was a pretty average example of the style, I didn't pick up any hops, just lots of malts that seemed a little too dull for the style. This beer had ok drinkability, it was smooth, but the flavors didn't hold my attention, I could drink a couple of these but I would rather have something with a little more flavor. What I liked the most about this beer was the mouthfeel, it was the truest to style and it worked well with this beer. What I liked the least about this beer was how boring this beer was, a little hops would have helped this beer out and impart a little bit of complexity. I don't think I would buy this again, there's many other Marzen's that I would much rather have and would buy instead, it's worth trying if you really like the style, but I don't think it will make the top of anybody's list of great Marzen's. All in all this beer was pretty middle of the road and not that memorable. I have yet to be really impressed by Victory, most of their beers seem to be pretty average, better luck next time guys.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 04:40:38 | More by StoutHunter

edchicma

Massachusetts

3.05/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Hmmm...was this a Victory brew? My first disappointment from this brewery. Smell was heavily malted...not pleasant. Taste was malt on the front with a light hop finish...very unspectacular. Mouthfeel was overly oily..once again..not great! Drinkability suffers likewise.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2004 20:53:48 | More by edchicma

joeskirkie

New Jersey

3.05/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a rich copper with an off-white short-lived creamy head.

Smells doughy, thats the only way I can think to put it.

The taste has caramel notes, a balanced, spicy hop presence, and a slight tartness throughout. It's ok.

It's smooth and slightly sweet. Theres not a whole lot going on. It's good, but I suppose I was expecting more.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2007 00:05:07 | More by joeskirkie

JamesS

Indiana

3.05/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured a nice light copper color with a bit of head and no lacing. Nice clean malty scent, but not very deep or strong. Nice amber ale flavor, but nothing deep or fall-like that an oktoberfest should have. Goes down fine. This would make a slightly above average amber ale, but as far as the deeper complexities that an oktoberfest should have, it just wasn't quite there. Not a bad brew, just not a great marzen.

Serving type: on-tap

09-14-2009 14:12:51 | More by JamesS

MbpBugeye

Ohio

3.05/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Enjoy by Jan 2, 2012.

Appearance
Soapy, weak head with no lacing and poor retention. The color is getting towards the darker side of the Oktoberfest spectrum.

Aroma
Toasted grain, bread crust, a spike of lemon and grass.

Taste
Middle of the road. Toasted bread crusts, some caramel malt and a grassy hop fining.

Mouthfeel
Too much carbonation. Its fizzy and prickly. The finish is dry.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 03:42:58 | More by MbpBugeye

jasonpeckins32

Michigan

3.08/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

It pours a copper shade in color, with a fizzy, pop-like head that almost immediately dissappears. The nose is packed with a rich, sweet malty scent. Smells delicious. The taste is also malty, but with a slight hop bitterness, or maybe tangy-ness, towards the end. The sip finishes with an odd aftertaste that I just cant seem to figure out. The mouthfeel is crappy. Maybe not terrible, but too thin and too fizzy when it first hits the palate. Drinkability is average. There are a lot better octoberfests out there, this one isnt terrible but it really isnt anything to get excited about.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2005 12:27:21 | More by jasonpeckins32

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.08/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours little leasting fizzy head. peach colour. Initially quenching and fruity but soon strong carbonation overwhelms and burns, and sugar sweetness in finish it doesn't work for me.
Had it again a bit more than a year later and noted sourness as well as aggressive carbonation and peach colour.,

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2005 01:42:25 | More by northyorksammy

Retsinis

California

3.08/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

It's now October, so I was in the mood for a Marzen/Oktoberfest beer.

The bottle has a "drink by jan 24th 2012" stamp near the neck, so I would assume this is relatively fresh, and still what it should be.

A: The beer pours clear, with a light copper/amber tinge. A half inch of white bubbly head rose & quickly settled, little to no noticable lacing.

S: Not too much going on, scents of grains, lager yeast, and light caramel.

T: Mirrors the nose, slight bread flavor, a mineral quality flavor in the malt, lager yeast, and some light caramel notes.

M: Medium carbonation, light body, crisp.

O: Easy to drink a few of. Not bad, unoffensive, but nothing special. I'd actually take Sam Adam's Octoberfest over this, or Paulaner though.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 00:44:23 | More by Retsinis

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A-dark amber with a thin cream colored head

S-honey nut cheerios. Roasted cocoa malts. Good strength. A bit off for the style.

T-comes in with a bitter roasted flavor of honey grains. It's an odd and lightly watery flavor. Doesn't quite fit right. After-taste is oddly bitter.

M-creamy medium carbonation with a semidry finish.

O-this isn't a good Oktoberfest beer. The flavors just don't mesh well and it's not drinkable as the style is supposed to be. 

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 02:27:12 | More by AdamBear

raven3131

Pennsylvania

3.1/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I was a little dissapointed with this offering - though the color is good I found the nose a little soft, and had to really work it to bring out the character. First sip didn't deliver the roasted malt flavor I am used to from a Oktoberfest lager. Don't get me wrong, this is a nice fall beer, well made and very easy to drink - but I know Victory can do better. I typically look for more initial mouthfeel in alcohol and malt in a fest beer - the spice was faint, but there by the end.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2005 17:08:07 | More by raven3131

Tbone

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a crystal clear copper with a big fizzy head that dissapates quickly.
There's a slight barley odor and taste. It does have a characteristic German lager character. However, its a lot less malty, toasty and full bodied than I like to see in a Octoberfest, and a lot less bold than I expected from Victory.
To be honest there's a quality of the smell and taste that reminds me of Anheiser Busch (that's a bad thing).

This is the least impressive product I've had from Victory.

Its a slightly above average beer that should be the hands-down best of its style to justify the extravagant price of $10/sixer.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2006 02:57:37 | More by Tbone