Allgäuer Festbier

Brewed by Allgäuer Brauhaus (Oetker Group)
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Kempten, Germany

Ahh, to be the first... Heck, I even beat DerekArent to this one; he’s gonna be ticked. Pours an amber color with a little bit of a head that left some lacing. Aroma is faint, but almost completely malt. Right on for the style, actually, only very weak. Flavor is also on the weak side but typical: sweet with a touch of hops. There’s some spices floating around that almost remind me of spiced apple cider. Palate is nice and thick, again right for style. It’s funny how thick it is without being stronger tasting though. Overall, a damn good example and worth seeking out.

Toasty, biscuitty and light ale. Nose of toffee and toast, hints of apples and earth. The mouthfeel is thin and a little slick, notes of caramel, earth, toast, honey, corn. The finish is a little grassy, but like old hops rather than fresh ones. Authentic offering, but could use a flavor boost.

This beer has a nice flavor. It’s a little bit bland, but it fits for the style. The mouthfeel is very good, with a little bit of thickness to it. This beer has a soft enough flavor to drink all night long, but it doesn’t have enough character to be a session brew.

Bottle from State Line, Elkton, MD. Pours hazy dark straw with 2-finger white head. Aroma of malt, corn flakes, hopcit. Tastes malty, with corn flakes and some hopcit in the finish. Not real complex.

Bottle sampled with Stegosaurus. Pours copper with an off-white head. Aroma of sweet malts and grain . Flavor is sweet, malty, weak, and thin for and oktoberfest. But drinkable.

(500 ml bottle: $2.85 at Liquid Solutions in Tigard OR) A malty but decidedly average German Oktoberfest with a mild, toasty, lightly sweet maltiness and a gentle bitterness. Up to this point, this is a pretty decent beer, however, there’s a noticeable metalic flavor in the finish that leaves an awful aftertaste and ruins the beer. However, the metallic flavor becomes less pronounced with each sip, and it’s gone after awhile. Medium bodied, but gets a little watery toward the finish. The nose is malty and lightly toasty. Pale golden color. Small whitish head that fades to a thin layer, but shows good head retention and some patchy lacing. Not the greatest Oktoberfest out there, but I kinda like the toastiness. I’m not reducing the rating for the initial metallic flavor.

Bottle. Light amber beer with a nice whitish head. Light caramel malt aroma with a bit of hop. Caramel, honey flavor with spice and earth. Medium body. Caramel and spice linger with a bit of honey.

Mine was labelled "Oktoberfest" rather than Festbier. In any event, the pour was fantastic, with a huge billowing head and excellent clarity. But I must admit to being quite surprised by the flavor. The malt was of the sort I associate with English ales, of all things. It had the woody apple qualities which do not seem frequently to pop up in a German beer. Not bad, really, on the whole.