Festbier - Victory Brewing Company

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

3.95/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a tumbler pint, the beer is a bright, slightly hazed, orange-amber coloring with a slow cadence of carbonation bubbling and a thin, sparse, off-white filmy coating on the surface. Aromas of roasted malt, both nutty and richly sweet, with a bready backbone and some old world fruit highlights. Flavors are rich and thick, with a roasted backbone supporting fresh and sweet flavors of pumpkin, nuts, and a spice blend of nutmeg, cumin, and cinnamon. Very forward and bold on the palate. Sweetness has a touch of brown sugar going into the aftertaste, which is tangy sweet and only lightly roasty/toasty. Good transition of the flavors as you drink. The finish is rich and smooth, with a tangy, slightly lingering sweetness. Very flavorful and very easy to drink. The light body keeps the sweet, rich flavors from overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 01:57:33 | More by GarthDanielson

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a crystal clear very dark copper in color with light amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall dense beige head that reduces to a medium sized thin patch and a very thin ring around the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of caramel and toasted malts.

T: Lots of real malty flavors to the taste of this beer - toasted and caramel malts with a fair amount of sweetness. There is a touch of grassy hop bitterness in the finish and just a touch of spices.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth and clean with some very light amounts of dryness in the finish.

O: Enjoyable and very easy to drink - there is a nice balance between the malty sweetness and hop bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 23:23:48 | More by dbrauneis

chanokokoro

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a mug

Pours an orange doused copper capped by one finger off-white head. No lacing. Caramel, toffee, bread dough and fruit accents including a bit of pear and sweet apple on the nose. Light, sweet caramel malt, doughy pie crust, joined by apple peel, and then finishes fairly dry with grassy hops. Lighter medium body, slick with hints of syrup. Decent level of carbonation. Overall a solid marzen, however a bit more depth to the flavors would be welcome.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 04:43:36 | More by chanokokoro

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-orange amber color with an off-white head and some lacing

S-malt, caramel, hint of spices

T-malt, yeasty bread,caramel, mild hop bitterness

F-medium body with moderate carbonation, slight slickness

O-a decent Octoberfest beer, but not among my favorites

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 01:32:40 | More by MDDMD

RussBecker1

2.5/5  rDev -33%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A- Pours a somewhat cloudy orange. Much more colorful than a number of other marzens I have had. It is also a good deal lighter, and reflects light in a pretty fashion. Maybe a 1-2 finger white head that was decently thicker than I expected. Little to no lacing to be had however.

S-Not the most appealing smell. The malts are the most apparent, but they appear to be roasted slightly too much, as the caramel and toffee flavorings are too burnt for my taste. There are hints of light fruit (something muted like a banana although that is not quite it).

M-Nothing too special. Carbonated enough to make it easy to drink, but it neither enhances nor detracts from the experience.

T-Very bland for a marzen. As to be expected, European marzens have ten time the flavor (German/Austrian), but even for an American style marzen, this fest beer did not make much of an impression. The tastes did not mix, and it was surprisingly bitter for a beer of this style. As expected, the malts were too smokey which left an undesirable taste.

O-Had it not been described as an oktoberfest then I may have seen this beer differently, but overall I will avoid festbeer in the future

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 15:30:36 | More by RussBecker1

Celtics76

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I decided to have one of these before heading out to Thayer St. to meet up with my fiance. I had it last year and thought it was a nice alternative to the usual, that being Sam Adams Octoberfest. Time to re-visit.

Well, it looks like a Marzen and smells like one too. The profound malty aroma definitely has me thinking of Patriots football and Halloween. Really flavorful - strong malt base with some caramel undertones. Has a "roasty" aftertaste. There is some mild carbonation and a medium-bodied feel to it. Quite drinkable - not a "slow sipper" for me by any stretch.

I have yet to dislike a beer from this brewery. This is no exception. Will buy more if I come across it again.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 22:01:07 | More by Celtics76

BEERMILER12

Maine

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a golden amber color with a fingers worth of head that quickly fades to nothing

S: Lager yeast, malts, and a bit of husk. Fairly simple, but definitely to style

T: Follows the nose, tastes a lot like a dark pils. Yeast brings forward grains and very light fruitiness. Husky. Leafy hops

M: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation

O: A nice O-Fest that displays a bunch of the characteristics of the style. Easy to drink too. Solid

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 22:31:13 | More by BEERMILER12

claspada

New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a light reddish-brown with a sturdy tan head which recedes to leave some minimal lacing.

Aromas begin with doughy bread with some yeasty light fruit and caramel malty notes.

The tastes begin with a rich caramel maltiness with subtle hints of toffee. There is a slight doughy, toasty, grainy maltiness that joins as well. As it warms the grainy aspect is joined by surprising amount of earthy and spicy hops.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Finish is fairly clean and crisp as the style would call for.

Overall this is one of the better American interpretations of a Marzen/Oktoberfest that exist in today's market. The caramel, sweet maltiness is probably overstated for the style but I enjoy that more than one that is heavy on grainy, pilsnery flavors. Good, not great, worth a go amongst others.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 17:10:23 | More by claspada

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

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

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

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.68/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours a dark color nearing copper. Decent glow. Head is minimal. Little bubbly clusters. Also, mild lacing.

S-Standarn Oktoberfest aromas. Caramel, dark baked bread, barley and an elegant Noble hop whiff. The hops are fairly noticeable which is definitely a plus.

T-You getting all the toast and caramel and grains, but you are also awarded with a significant grassy hop finish that lingers respectably. One of the better overall Oktoberfest beer flavors I have stumbled upon.

M-Medium bodied with zippy carbonation and a creamy feel. Light bitterness and dryness. Sessionable.

O/D-One of the better takes on a style I don't love. Enjoyed the hop intensity. Another solid Victory brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 23:46:20 | More by VelvetExtract

Luigi

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours out a clear and rich amber color, almost caramel like. Nice two finger off white head with great retention, with plenty of lacing going around the glass till the last drop.

The aroma is rich with toasted malt! Big caramel hints but roasted enough to give some smoky characteristics. Keeping with the style of lager the hops a well blended a bit leafy, but the toasted malt is the focus of this lager.

The taste is rich with toasted caramel and smoky malt. Nothing fancy, just rich toasted malt with a bit of earthy/ medicinal hop lingering at the end.

Rich, almost full bodied and slick on the palate. Yet, easy going down the hatchet.

This was the first time I have ever seen and Oktoberfest lager from Victory, so I had to pick it up. Probably one of the best American made versions of this style of beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 06:48:05 | More by Luigi

rdacey

Connecticut

3.85/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Aroma: sweet, toasty malts, slightly vegetal in aroma which fades to a complex malt/medicinal, solvently aroma

Appearance: Amber/red color; thin/off-white head dissipates quickly,

Flavor: complex, but balanced more towards bitterness than malts for the style. Tastes slightly woody/toasty with german noble hop presence

Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium bodied, medium to low carbonation. Although a decotion mash is used, I don't pick up on the rich complex malt character, but finish is slightly sweet

Overall: very smooth and drinkable, but for a decotion mash being used would have liked to see a more assertive malt background and less bitterness

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 03:02:44 | More by rdacey

DeltaGolfSierra

Tennessee

3.55/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance is a dark amber color, with an initially generous head that fades pretty quickly. The smell is strong, with bread and biscuit scents standing out. Toasted bready malts are dominant in the taste, reminding me of sourdough bread. There is a bit of nutty flavor, and a floral bitterness in the finish. Just average mouthfeel. Nothing really remarkable about this beer, but nothing bad either.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 23:17:24 | More by DeltaGolfSierra

BeerLover99

New Jersey

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

A: orange/copper body, finger beige head,
light lacing

S: caramel, bread, malt, grain

T: caramel, nutty, big malt/sweet bread, mild
bitter/earthy finish

M: med body, solid carbonation/smooth mouth

O: Very flavorful American Marzen brew, Love
the style and brewery. Would get again + recommend.

QUITE NICE, WORTH TRYING!

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 16:54:54 | More by BeerLover99

Hopdaemon39

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a 12 oz mug- pours a clear dark orange with one finger of light beige head, decent retention, minimal lacing.

Smell is pretty grainy- munich barley, a hint of caramel. Good, but a little faint.

Taste is very nice and certainly a rousing oktoberfest. Lots of good solid barley flavor, some caramel, a little toffee, BARELY noticeable hops that just sort of tend the edges of the malt sweetness.

Mouthfeel is good as well- medium bodied, light carbonation on the tip of the tongue. Very drinkable. I love this style but haven't had the opportunity to try too many- this one is good but perhaps in a month I might say differently.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 23:29:19 | More by Hopdaemon39

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from 11/2010 notes. Poured into a Nostradamus flute glass. Pours a medium orange amber. Slight head dissipated slowly leaving light lacing. Grainy, light malt aroma. Caramel, malt, slightly sweet. A pleasant light malty ale. A straightforward, but unremarkable Marzen.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 03:36:39 | More by LiquidAmber

MrKennedy

Australia

3.65/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle from Warners at the bay, poured into a Mikkeller tulip.

Light amber appearance with an off white foam that laces sporadically.

Smell is of sweet malt, not honey sweet, but just sweet malt in general with some small herbal note there as well early on.

Tastes clean, decisive and as you are led to expect with sweet malt the cornerstone. Some toffee as well.

Good medium body, nice oilyness to start with and then smooth out with a slight herbal bitterness at the end stops it becoming cloying.

Really nice, well executed. Not an overload of the senses, but what is there serves a good purpose. Hard to fault what Victory do, one of the more consistent breweries across styles.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 10:48:41 | More by MrKennedy

Offa

California

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Copper amber, medium pale tan head soon thins to thin ring.

Aroma is toasty, caramelized barley, peppery resiny hop, hint of brown whole wheat bread dough, wood stain – a nice, full, but not complex Vienna style.

Taste is nice caramelly barley, toasty bread crust, woody-peppery hint, light bitterness. It’s very slightly on the sweet side. It is very good, enjoyable, solid, but simple and 2-dimensional .

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 05:03:03 | More by Offa

danieelol

Australia

3.75/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a golden amber with OK head and lacing.

Nose is quite enjoyable. Yeast, earthy hops and sweet malt. Gritty, earthy toffee.

Taste is yeast dominated with a bit of the amber malt sweetness coming through, and gritty earthy toffee. Fruity, hoppy qualitites.

Mouthfeel is thin but appropriate for the style.

Overall quite a good beer, interesting somewhat Americanised take on an Oktoberfest.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 12:52:00 | More by danieelol

Fcip78

Pennsylvania

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

Victory's Festbeer is one of the better Marzen style beer available. Nice amount of malt, mouthfeel is pretty good. Marzens can be a little too light or way too much malt, but Festbeer is a perfect balance. Nice hop bitterness to cut some of maltyness.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 20:06:03 | More by Fcip78

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.28/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from session notes.

A. Another orange-tinted amber beer, with a minutes worth of sand-colored foam head and mediocre lacing.

S. Very light on the nose, just a faint caramel malt with a dash of floral and citric peel hopping. Could benefit from about 20% strength amplification.

T. Kind of generic compared to other marzens. Malty sweetness and a kiss of noble hopping, nothing particularly memorable stands out as special or unique in the flavor here.

M. Pleasant enough medium body but somewhat undercarbonated in texture again...

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2012 00:51:09 | More by WastingFreetime

jeffjeff1

California

3.15/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I picked this up the other day at Travis AFB.

Appearance- amber color, thin head that goes away quickly

Smell- malt

Taste- big malt flavor up front

Mouthfeel- medium bodied

Drinkability- A pretty good beer, kinda average, nothing spectacular about it.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 00:46:41 | More by jeffjeff1

thekevlarkid

Maryland

3.63/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Out of a bottle this beer was a clear amber color with some nice tangerine highlights. The tan head displayed decent lacing and moderate lacing as well. The aroma was of caramel, bread, butter and a bit of toasted malt. The flavors were an interesting balance of very sweet caramel malt and dry but floral hops. The bready malt and dry yeast also came through in the middle and I also got some toast and pine nuts as it warmed up. The sweetness seemed a little too much for a Marzen to me and I wasn’t exactly ‘wowed’ but I suppose this could just be my impression of the Victory interpretation. The mouthfeel was good, the body medium and the carbonation moderate.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 22:10:00 | More by thekevlarkid