Scratch Beer 73 - 2012 (Fest Lager)
Tröegs Brewing Company

Scratch Beer 73 - 2012 (Fest Lager)Scratch Beer 73 - 2012 (Fest Lager)
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From:
Tröegs Brewing Company
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
Märzen
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.81 | pDev: 10.5%
Reviews:
24
Ratings:
68
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 28, 2016
Added:
Aug 16, 2012
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  3
To commemorate the annual German tradition of Oktoberfest, Tröegs unveils Scratch #73 – 2012, an OkTröegerFest, if you will. This rich, pumpkin-colored lager goes against the grain by boasting a fairly hefty hop presence for the style, giving the flavor a moderate bitter twist while still maintaining the classic malt character that you’ve come to expect from a traditional Fest Bier.

35 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.24 by ogman from Pennsylvania

Feb 28, 2016
 
Rated: 4.14 by reitzbrewing from Pennsylvania

Dec 13, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by Durandal_777 from Pennsylvania

May 22, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by BillRoth from Maryland

Dec 11, 2013
 
Rated: 4.5 by UncleJimbo from Massachusetts

Dec 01, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by InspectorBob from New Jersey

Nov 08, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by scxcrunner from Massachusetts

Sep 08, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by StaindProject86 from Pennsylvania

Aug 25, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by djre4orm from Virginia

Jun 13, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Boone757 from Virginia

May 03, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by spycow from Illinois

May 01, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by RyFikes from New York

Mar 21, 2013
Photo of donkeyrunner
Reviewed by donkeyrunner from Massachusetts

2.72/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5
$7 at Meadhall, Cambridge MA.

Octoberfest in February? Yes please.

Cyrstalline clear dark auburn with a staunch, never say die head. Sticky Kanagawa wave lacing clings onto the glass like intentionally festooned decoration. Such an impressive foam show I doubled checked the menu to make sure it was a lager and not some weird amber wheat. Flawless looking marzen.

Smells like crystal malts. Maybe some herbal hop. That's about it.

Way too sweet. Tastes like someone squirted marzen extract into my beer and was too heavy handed. There's an herbal hop in back that gives an antiseptic flavor which I really don't like but it does help cut some of the sweetness off my palette.

Really didn't like this one.
Feb 02, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by ejimhof from Pennsylvania

Dec 25, 2012
 
Rated: 3.75 by stereosforgeeks from Virginia

Dec 18, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by MarvinSnyder from West Virginia

Dec 15, 2012
Photo of chefhatt
Reviewed by chefhatt from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I poured this one into a pefect pint glass, it has a copper colored body with a 1' finger of white foamy head that hangs out for a while. The aroma of toasted malt and carmel. The taste has a toasted malt and grain taste, with a little hop bit on the finish of it. The mouth feel is really good and overall a really damm good O-fest, one of the best i have had.
Dec 06, 2012
Photo of tectactoe
Reviewed by tectactoe from Michigan

3.66/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4
Pours a nice shade of orange and copper, slight clarity with a bit of hazy particles in the middle, some small white sediment floating around. Beige-like, small head that sinks down to a thin cover around the edges of the glass quickly. Smell is hard to pick up on, not as powerful as I'd hoped. I am getting some mild spice and sweet, buttery malt, but that's about it. It's definitely getting stronger as it warms up.

After the first taste I was thinking, "Wow, this tastes like an O-fest!" - Then I realized, it is called FEST Lager. Hah, must be the Munich malts. Very malt heavy beer, biscuity and full of caramel and some toffee. Slight sulfur smell in the background, but not too heavy or distracting. A bit of grains and almost some fruity sweetness, although I can't pinpoint one specific fruit. Bitterness is very low and appears only briefly at the end in the form of very, very, VERY faint, floral, musty hops. I also picked up a slight weird, astringent flavor, almost old cork-like. Not a big deal. Aftertaste is like buttered toast and full of grains. Medium body, slightly stick with low-medium carbonation.

This beer was pretty damn good. I wasn't expecting much from it, but it certainly delivered and then some. I'm also not a huge fan of O-fests, but I still enjoyed this one very much. True to the style and full of flavor. Low ABV doesn't hurt, either. Some slight off-flavors here and there which prevented a higher rating, but I would definitely have this one again.
Dec 04, 2012
 
Rated: 4.25 by jculler82 from Pennsylvania

Nov 27, 2012
Photo of RonfromJersey
Reviewed by RonfromJersey from New Jersey

4.45/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Awesome copper color, outstanding clarity, carbonation streams, topped by four fingers of highly whipped dense snow white foam. Good stretchy lace.

Great deep toast aroma. Toast with caramel poured on it.

Terrific depth to the malt without being overly sweet. Veers off from tradition with a tasty bigger hop bite than expected.

Light to medium mouthfeel with a bit of chew.

An exceptional traditional Octoberfest with an extra hop bite. Find it if you can.
Nov 22, 2012
Scratch Beer 73 - 2012 (Fest Lager) from Tröegs Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 68 ratings