It’s Oktoberfest time! Yes it is, and there I was at Publix here in Canton where they had an entire endcap of Oktoberfest beers, pumpkin beers (America’s first contribution to the beer world) and assorted German goodies like sauerkraut and spätzle. What caught my eye first, though, was a four pack of Benediktiner Festbier in convenient half liter cans.

I very much enjoyed a hefeweizen from this German brewer in the past, so was looking forward to this. There isn’t much information on the Festbier on the brewery website, but when I see “Festbier” I know I’m going to get a Munich Helles style soft malty lager with a dash of Munich malt perhaps.

Benediktiner Festbier has an alcohol content of 5.8% by volume and I paid a mere $7.49 for the 4-pack! Compare that to the 4-pack of 12-ounce bottles of Southern Tier Pumking for $14.99. Twice the price for less beer, and while I understand that the Pumking is stronger for sure, German beer has a sublime quality all its own that makes this very much a bargain.

My cans are stamped as packaged on 5/29/2019 and best before 5/28/2020. Mine won’t last that long, rest assured. My cans also say the beer is brewed at the Licher Brauerei in Ettal for Benediktiner. Licher and Benediktiner are both brands owned by Bitburger.

Benediktiner Festbier pours to a pale golden color with a thick fluffy head and a wonderful bready malt nose. Taking a sip, the beer is again bready malty with soft caramel and a hint of toasted nuts. A balancing bitter finish ends this Helles-Marzen fusion nicely and makes this extremely quaffable.

And that’s what I want in a festbier, bready malts, a little nuttiness, balanced finish and high drinkability. Why do you think this beer comes in a liter maas glass after all? It’s meant for quaffing. This one is quaffable indeed and at the bargain price, you can afford to do it, too.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled, canned

(D)=Draft

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