It’s September and that means only one thing for beer lovers: Oktoberfest. And at the heart of Oktoberfest you’ll find a very special beer that will forever be synonymous with the German tradition: Festbier. September also happens to be the time that we launch our version of this fan favorite.
In this video Bill Covaleski of Victory Brewing Company breaks down Festbier 101, it’s orgins, the tastes and best pairings. So if you don’t know what a Märzenbier is or what cheese pairs perfectly with Festbier then stop what your doing and watch this now.
For more info on Festbier just click through to it’s profile page on Victorybeer.com (click here).
Nice Video! You were citing the yeast issue as a reason for brewing the last Lager beer in March (in former times). That's probably a good point. I always heard of the temperature being the main reason. March was the last month when big ice blocks could be transported into the Lagering cellar for maintaining low temperatures that are necessary for making a good Lager beer. Regards from Germany, Alex
Ok Victory,
That was a pretty damn good review of the beer…and I'm usually bored to tears by video reviews. So good work
The history of that style is more than simply interesting to me and of origins that I never knew. It's telling of the reasons that beer was brewed through out history…as in the past many styles and beers were brewed as a result of necessity or because that particular style was all they could brew. Something tells me that they didn't sit around reviewing beers the way we do today, and wondering "hmmm shall we brew a Porter, Stout or an IPA this time." All this makes the history and origins of this beer extremely interesting.
Now I have to go and find it here in Dallas!
P.S. I've been enjoying (among your other styles) your Prima Pils all summer this year…AWESOME…AWESOME Pilsner!
Ilya
Ilya, you can usually count on whole foods lakewood to have a good selection of victory brews….if festbier makes it to texas
I love this beer. It is different from many other commercial marzen beers as it has a soft, almost light roasted character that I didn’t expect. I would have sworn their was a token addition of chocolate or pale chocolate in there. When I looked at the website to see that only Pils, Vienna, and Munich I was shocked. I’m guessing there is a healthy portion of Munich to get that flavor in there. At any rate, this complex malty beer is right up there with some of my favorites!