One Helles of a Good Beer
Written: Oct 30 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Soft and delicate malty brew is drinkable and delicious.
Cons: Be sure to get it fresh.
The Bottom Line: Not a Marzen, but a great beer all the same.
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| Bruguru's Full Review: Weihenstephaner Festbier |
I'm betting more than a few beer fans here in the good old U S of A might be a little surprised when they pour a bottle of Weihenstephaner Festbier into a glass. That's because they won't be seeing the typical orange-amber colored liquid they might be expecting. Instead, they'll be getting a much paler colored brew.
But don't worry. Weihenstephan has certainly not resorted to false advertising to sell their beer. That's because these days, the beer they serve in Munich at Oktoberfest (and call "Festbier") is more often than not a pale lager style called Munich Helles rather than a nutty malty Marzenbier. That seems a bit of shame, form a historical standpoint if from no other.
Weihenstephan is not one of the original six Munich breweries (Spaten, Augustiner, Hacker Pschorr, Paulaner, Lowenbrau, and Hofbrau Haus). That means they can't offer up an "official" Oktoberfest beer. But don't cry in your beer for them just yet, because Weihenstephan can lay claim to an even more impressive title: alteste Brauerei der Welt. That means "oldest brewery in the world", and in fact they are, having obtained their first brewing license in the year 1040.
Back to the beer. The Weihenstephaner Festbier bottle itself is truly a celebration of German culture, festooned as it is with the white and blue checkered Bavarian flag. At $8.99 a six-pack, this is a bit pricey, too, but these days that's becoming the norm in the beer world. Ah well. Brewers have to eat too, you know.
Festbier has an alcohol content of 5.8% by volume, a bit heftier than your average mass market lager. I have only ever seen it in the fall, around the time of Oktoberfest (which in Germany actually takes place in September into Early October). That's probably for the best, as this is not a beer that will improve with age and is best drunk as fresh as possible.
Weihenstephaner Festbier pours to a pale golden color with a thick pillowy head of cloud-like foam and a wonderfully crisp fresh malty aroma. The palate accents soft, delicate biscuity malt and is remarkably clean at the same time. American megabrewers could learn a lot from this beer: it's refreshing, crisp, and drinkable but clean of adjunct-induced off flavors imparted by corn or rice. The finish is ever so slightly hopped, just bitter enough to balance but not nearly so much as a pilsner.
For my part, I think I'll always prefer a good Vienna-Marzen style Oktoberfest brew. That said, Weihenstephaner Festbier is a pretty darned good Munchner Helles. Perfect for washing down a plate of grilled bratwursts and knackwursts, a pile of sweet and sour red cabbage, and a giant soft pretzel slathered with mustard.
Recommended:
Yes
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