City Festbier

Brewed by City Brewery (Melanie Brewing Co)
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
La Crosse, Wisconsin USA

Minnetonka, Mn. - MGM Liquors - 12 oz bottle. Light orange pour, white head. Ripening vegetable aroma. Faint, sweet caramel flavor with a ripening vegetable finish. Just a hint of chocolate. Thinnish mouthfeel. Below par.

Pours a clear light copper color, briefly topped by half an inch of white foam. This dies back to a ring in no time. Zero lacing. Dry toasted malt in the aroma. I can taste the toasted malt and some caramel malt, but these seem like they were blended with a generic macrolager. Somewhat thin in the body at first. It leaves a good fruity sweetish aftertaste, however, and this goes a long way towards masking the generic macrolager flavor. An Oktoberfest it isn’t - an amber or an all-malt lager, okay. Has the makings of an okay session beer - if you can get past the first couple sips without being disillusioned. Not much of a glowing endorsement, is it?

12 oz bottle from the Woodmans on Gammon Road, Madison WI (October 2006) sampled in early November from a pint glass a bit below cellar temperature. Quite clear dark amber with a moderate receding almost-white head....pleasant enough malty-doughy sweetish aroma, a touch smoky and toasty on the second nosing....sugary, thin and fairly dull on the palate, a bit like caramelized flat watery soda but not really unpleasant tasting....difficult to finish the bottle as it’s cloying in it’s sweetness despite the watery thinness.

This is a very nice beer, and I like it because of the hop presence. Many Oktoberfest beers are too sweet for me, but this one does not come across that way. Clear, light amber color, with a diminishing head. Malty aroma. A bit livelier carbonation than other Oktoberfest beers, too, and that makes it all the more refreshing. Extremely drinkable.

Good lord. Im not one to waste beer, so i didnt. But i do still have two cans of this in my fridge from a six pack i bought last January, so thats nice. It seemed to be very sweet to me from what i remember. but i could be mistaken. I love the City Brewery, but this was not the way to go. But on that note, i think i will go crack one right now and possibly change my mind.

Pours a five finger, white head that fades to a thin layer leaving a good lace. Crystal clear amber color. Medium carbonation and medium bodied. Malty/hoppy nose. Starts balanced some malts, mildly hoppy finish. Late aftertaste bitterness. 89¢ for a 12oz bottle from John’s Grocery Iowa City, IA.

Wasn’t expecting much from this because I’ve been disappointed in other cheaper city products. 12 oz, twist off. Nice label. Almost clean, river or spring aroma. Lighter than expected in my steeler stein. Color of pale yellow American lager. A little bitter initially. OK, it is a little octoberfestive. Slight hint of hops on the finish and it lingers. Good, but not as good as others I’ve had, however, compared to other City products I’ve tasted, it excels.

Poured a clear copper color with a thin off-white head. Swwet caramel malty aroma. The flavor had more caramel but was a little light and some tartness on the finish.