Victory Wiesen Lager

Brewed in the USA.... Courtesy of AFI96, thanks Waylo. Pours a lite orange color with a very thin white head. Aroma of grains, warm bread and caramel. Taste is much of the same with a slight fruit flavor. Very drinkable, but i feel it was a bit on the weak side.

As an aside, if you simply look at the board at the brewpub and order a ’Wiesen’ what kind of beer would you expect, fortunately i knew what i was ordering.... Pours a clear pale yellow with a nice head... Very bready aroma, hops are nearly non-existant... Malty flavor, nice beer, medium bodied...

On tap at the Victory brewpub. A slightly lighter color than I was expecting, it tapped a medium gold color with a thin head. The smell and taste were on target though, sweet bready malt and floral and spicy hops. A bit more hops than your average fest beer. Nice full body. Finishes balanced leaning slightly to sweet. A decent interpretation of the style.

There aren’t many brewers (at least in my area or in my distribution reach) that can produce a decent Marzen-style beer, but Victory is definitely one them. I have sampled several offerings from brewers lately of this style, but none of them stand up to this. The Marzen-style is quite often attempted, but many fall short of the true spirit of its orgin. I believe that Victory has captured just that. This offering pours a classic amber color with a generous and sticky white head. The aroma is full of bread, a bit of caramel, yeast and grains. The body is not too heavy but yet not too light. It is just right, in between the confines of the all-too-advertised drinkablitly. This beer goes down well-too-smooth, with the capability of being drunk billiard-side and catching you off-guard. The flavors themselves consist of a bready mix of grains, yeast and toast with a super-balanced mix of flowery hops, earth and oats. The finish was quite malty, with a level mix of sweetness and dry, flowery hopiness. This is definitely a Marzen-style beer, in my opinion, that could stand up to the best in Munich.

Draught at Victory: Aroma of malts, hops, fruit, bread, dough, and grains. Poured deep gold/apple juice/amber/slight orange in color with a medium-sized, rocky, creamy, white head that lasted throughout. Clear. Not sparkling. Good lacing. Flavor is lightly sweet and light to medium bitter. Tastes of grains, malts, noble hops, wheat, light toasting, and grains. Light to medium body. Thin, slightly sticky texture. Average carbonation. Sweet, malty, grainy finish is lightly dry.

On tap at Victory. Pours a translucent golden amber with a medium creamy/bubbly off white head. Aroma was bready and cereal like noble hops and doughy. Flavor was a lot of the same. A very solid Marzen.

Sampled at the brewpub. Smells like feet that had been wearing cardboard shoes. Fortunately, it tastes rather better. Crisp lager bite with a distinct fruity sweetness. Toasty. Pretty good once you get past the odor.

I’m a big fan of Victory. Hard to imagine this white lager as the descendant of a Marzen, but I guess I believe the guys at the bar. This would appear to be what an Oktoberfest is no.w. Crystal clear golden. Lager-like nose. Simple and enjoyable, easy drinking, but unremarkable.