Schell's Maifest - August Schell Brewing Company

JamesMN

Minnesota

3.13/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a hazy orange with a white head.

Aroma: Yeast and malt. This is a slightly old bottle so it's not a big surprise that there aren't much hops in the nose.

Taste: Really malty. Has that molasses taste that you get with higher gravity brown ales. There's a hint of bitterness but the malt dominates this one and not in a good way.

Mouthfeel: Thick but well carbonated. Has the mouthfeel of something much bigger than it's 7.20% abv.

Final Thoughts: I've had better Maibocks than this one. Perhaps the bottle was a little further past the expiration date than I thought (couldn't find a date anywhere on the bottle). If you like a big blast of malt then this one will give you that, but it really doesn't even do that completely well.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 05:23:03 | More by JamesMN

heytomcat

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +9.6%

06-18-2013 22:27:11 | More by heytomcat

garrettherzig

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

06-12-2013 03:28:43 | More by garrettherzig

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.66/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

From: Beertopia, Omaha, NE
Date: Best by 2013-07-22
Glass: Ayinger willi glass

Schell's Maifest is a solid-tasting maibock with, at least in the case of the bottle I have, a fairly weak aroma. The overall flavor is delicious enough that I would purchase this again in the future if the option existed.

Pours a 3cm head, cream-colored, fades in above average time (about two minutes) with minimal lacing (a few spots) to a thin cap atop the beer. Body is transparent, orange in color with yellow highlights, brighter shades of yellow when held to the light. Carbonation is visible, quite active and numerous.

Fairly bland aroma of light malt, faint honey, and caramel. Would appreciate more strength or assertiveness here.

Tasting opens with pleasant malt sweetness; slighty honey and caramel flavors. Mid-palate picks up increased malt sweetness and additional honey, caramel, and faint toast flavors. Continental hops deliver noticeable and pleasant bitterness at back of palate, suduing the malt characters. Aftertaste is of mild grain, some malt sweetness, and residual bitterness from hops.

Medium-bodied with lightly effervescent carbonation, though never feeling overcarbonated. Result is a smooth, slightly foamy-pillowy mouthfeel. Finish is semi-dry with modest stickiness lingering on the palate.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2013 05:39:39 | More by falloutsnow

harrymel

Washington

3/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

Best by 09AUG13

Light amber with a solid quilt of light creamy foam. Smells of sweet malts, hint of carbboard, artificial cherry, some sweet biscuit. Flavor is quite sweet, some herbal character, some tea, some grain and orange. Medium bodied with sharp, but fleeting carb and a moderately wet finish. Not my favorite.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2013 04:34:26 | More by harrymel

NickSMpls

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

05-21-2013 22:44:22 | More by NickSMpls

Ish1

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

05-18-2013 18:07:59 | More by Ish1

SaxmanRick

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -11%

05-06-2013 18:49:01 | More by SaxmanRick

sparx1100

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -11%

04-30-2013 03:21:43 | More by sparx1100

HoistinBrews

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

04-25-2013 02:25:31 | More by HoistinBrews

gdornfeld

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

04-07-2013 06:05:05 | More by gdornfeld

NodakEric

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +23.3%

03-30-2013 21:59:35 | More by NodakEric

bscalt

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

03-24-2013 15:15:17 | More by bscalt

PingBob

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

03-09-2013 03:06:55 | More by PingBob

Chucker17

South Dakota

2.75/5  rDev -24.7%

12-19-2012 17:59:44 | More by Chucker17

Weli

Wisconsin

4.18/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Poured into a Schells pint Glass: Golden blond with lacey white head

S- Munich malt and toasted grain

T-Starts sweet with a big hit of munich or vienna malt, almost tangerine like, quite hoppy for a bock with a smooth bitterness. Slight alcohol warming, very pleasant.

M-Medium thick without being cloying, smooth with a slightly tart finish

O-One of my favorite examples of the Maibock style, a great lager for hop heads, in many ways it reminds me of some of the sweeter pale ales and IPAs except less bitter and much smoother. Despite its high gravity feels almost session-able because of its light color and balance between malt and hops

Comments: Love this beer, one of the first beers I ever had, and really turned me on to craft beer. I hadn't had it in a while and wondered if it still lived up to my memories of it. Happy to say it has held up well. Still a really wonderful beer, as good or better as my memories.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 21:41:36 | More by Weli

joefinnigan15

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

10-09-2012 04:06:08 | More by joefinnigan15

harpus

Alabama

4/5  rDev +9.6%

10-06-2012 04:04:23 | More by harpus

NilocRellim

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

09-29-2012 03:59:22 | More by NilocRellim

Doyle

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

08-05-2012 03:16:18 | More by Doyle

brewcrew12

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

07-15-2012 19:05:41 | More by brewcrew12

MN_Beerticker

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%

07-15-2012 00:09:15 | More by MN_Beerticker

jcjerabek

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +2.7%

06-12-2012 19:05:42 | More by jcjerabek

csorensen3

4.5/5  rDev +23.3%

05-30-2012 16:40:55 | More by csorensen3

jjanega08

Minnesota

3.33/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle Neck Reads
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A= Pours a nice golden yellow color with a small head on it that falls to a thin skin with little lacing or retention.

S= Smells of an ester poopy schells aroma. Damn you schells for smelling so similar. A sweetness backs it all up however.

T= The taste is a nice mix of bitter and sweet. There is a definite bitterness that I do not usually get from Maibocks. The sweetness is there for the bock but again a little different from the bitterness. There is the typical poopiness from schells in there as well.

M= A nice high level of carbonation that keeps the tongue fresh.

O= Much more bitter than most bocks I've had. I actually like the change. Worth trying and buying for a bocky change.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 06:07:11 | More by jjanega08