Victory Festbier

Brewed by Victory Brewing Company
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Downingtown, Pennsylvania USA

Bottle Pours a hazy red brown with a small off white head. Head has fair lacing but diminshes quickly. Has a decent aroma of grass and grain. Taste has a dull flavor. Good palate and mouthfeel. A touch light on the carbination. Good duration and an okay finish. Has a light aftertaste. This is okay but lacks the big punch I expect from Victory, but its still very drinkable.

This beer has a mild malty/fruity aroma that is similar to the earthy smell of wet decaying leaves. It is amber in color and pours a thick cream colored head that dissolves quickly leaving only a small trace of lacing. This thin beer produces a weak fruity nutty/ biscuit flavor. It produces a gentle hint of a metallic substance as it lingers.

Hazy amber-brown with an off-white head. Aroma of caramel and apples. Sweet malts dominate flavor, with lots of earthiness and caramel, some spiciness. Lots of carbonation, but it’s not overly harsh.

12oz bottle. Pours clear copper with a nice off white head. Aroma malt, caramel, and lager yeast. The problem with this one is that it was just too watery for the style, and lacked some sweetness. This one was just ok, but sub par when compared to their other beers.

This was a strange brew. Poured deep copper with little short lived head. Aroma was very faint tho I stuck my nose a scant mm from the brew. Taste was an odd combo of faint caramel and french fried shrimp. That faded as it warmed to a watery marzen. All I can say is "interesting" but glad I only bought a sample bottle for $1.49

Dark copper with no head. Malty and caramelly in aroma. Flavor malty and a little bitter. Less body than most oktoberfests. Decent

12 oz bottle, via Thaichile. Pours a hazy copper with a small white head that faded to a thin film quickly. Sweet caramel malt nose, but overall very little aroma. A light cooked veggies aroma as well. Light caramel malt flavor. Finish has touches of oxidation creeping in, consumed 01/26/06 with a best by date of 12/12/05. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Not the freshest sample by Victory’s calculated best by date, but not ridiculously past date. I know it isn’t fair to rate a beer that is by their own admission too old, but I thought that I would do so simply as a cautionary tale to those out there to heed the "best by" dating. They mean it with this one!

This beer is fantastic. It is Octoberfest season, and this is the time of year that I buy, the literally dozens, of German and domestic examples of this style, Octoberfest/Marzen. This very well may be the best domestic example I have sampled so far. Victory uses the decoction method in brewing this beer, and that is key in making this beer so authentic and delicious. This beer rivals German examples that I have had, and that is saying a lot. Decoction is a brewing technique where a portion of the mash is removed to another vessel, heated to a higher temperature, and then returned to the mash. This step in the process, really brings out that "toasty" and nutty malt character that really defines this style. The Germans swear by it, and I must agree, the German examples are still my favorite. But I am happy to say, there are a few really great domestic examples that come really close, Victory Festbier is for certain one of them. This beer pours to a bright, amber color, with a nice white head, and a good carbonation. The nose on this beer? Welcome to Germany. What fantastic, malty, toasty, nutty aromas. The palate is even better. More wonderful toasty, nutty, malt flavors. Such a great depth of maltiness, a touch sweet, but the toast and nut character which defines this style is here in such a big way. Really nice body, a good malt backbone, this is a hearty, beefy beer. This beer finishes with more great malt character. Hop presence is there, but just to balance. This is a fantastic example of Octoberfest/Marzen. Very, very authentic, as stated, probably the most stylistically accurate domestic example I have sampled so far. I’m really impressed with this beer. Would you expect anything less from Victory? Match this beer with German fare, or any hearty dish. This beer would go great with roasted pork or turkey. Prost!!