Victory Festbier

Nothing very special for number 1200. Victory makes some good stuff. A Victory brewed beer is usually among the top beers I’ve tried in a given style, such as Storm King (stout), Old Horizontal (barleywine), Prima Pils (pilsener). This was a pretty good Ok/Mä. Poured out a nice chestnut color with a small off-white head. Pleasant caramel malt aroma with some notes from the German hops. Lively carbonation and a smooth mouthfeel. The flavor had some sour notes to it but was decent. Nothing I’d look to have again but nothing I’d turn down, either. [Every time I write the word Victory, I hear cheerleaders spelling it out in my head as that old cheer V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! Very strange.]

Beautiful transparent copper-orange with a persistently creamy tan head and sticky lacing rungs. Aroma proceeds in true-to-style format: toasted grain, caramel and Wonderbread being the most prominent. Flavor is an upswing. Wonderfully rich. Caramel and oats help to carry a smooth nutty sweetness. A milk and honey persona is met with a hazelnut crème characteristic. Carbonation subsides earlier than anticipated, but a cask-smoothness quality is then imparted to carry on in its wake. Bready house yeast comes out most in the finish, leaving a flavoring akin to honey oat sandwich bread to remain in its afterlife. Well done. This brewery has perpetual momentum.

bottle from whole foods. medium amber, very little head. aroma is very bready. medium/light bodied, flavor is smooth and caramel malt-y. finish is sweet, but i guess that’s the style. still, nothing that great.

Decent pour with a tiny bit of head. Smell and taste are both vegetably, marzen-like, really nothing special. Palate was pretty balanced, pretty nice, but again, doesn’t really do much for me. An average beer at most, though sticks to the style pretty well.

another pretty looking october beer. clear copper w/ quickly dissipating head. aroma of malt and caramel. decent. re-rate: 5/5/5/3/10 beautiful reddish hue with off white head, it has tea like aroma but also slight sweet and caramellly. the flavor has hints of biscuit and munich malt.

amber color with medium white head...aroma of sugary malts, caramels, but a tad indistinct...flavor is of caramels, sugars, and a touch of flowery hops...good palate

I am a huge fan of Victory and have been for a long time- but this beer is not their strongest. It’s not flawed in any way, but there are other American versions of Octoberfest beers that are more flavorful, Brooklyn and Dominion are two that I have tried this year that come to mind. This tasted more like a basic lager without the caramel notes that I usually assosciate with Fest beers. Good, butnot Victory’s best.

Bottle: Aroma is light Euro-lager sweetness with moderate grassy hops. Pours a bright transparent amber witih a small white head. Flavor is just like the aroma. Euro-lager sweetness up front with a grassy hop finish. Very bland and not a good example of the style in my opinion.