Victory Festbier Review

Victory Festbier

Review Date 10/5/2007 Last Updated 9/25/2016

Try? Re-buy?

Do you wait until October to celebrate Oktoberfest? If you do, then you’re missing out on all the fun. Despite the name, Oktoberfest really begins in late September in Munich, Germany, where it originated in the early 19th century. Traditionally, the celebration featured the last of the previous spring’s Marzenbier hauled out of the icy caves where it has been lagering all summer long. Nowadays, you’re more likely to be served a golden, slightly sweet malty Helles style lager instead.

Here in America, Oktoberfest celebrations pop up all across the country, though not all of them feature a beer as pleasing even as a Helles. Still. That does not diminish the fun to be had by attending one. And there certainly are plenty of delicious, authentic Vienna-Marzen style Oktoberfest lagers to be found on store shelves beginning in late August here in the states.

One of the more supernal versions, if you can find it, is Victory Festbier. The authentic German ingredients go a long way towards making that a reality. Downington, Pennsylvania’s Victory is, of course, ensconced relatively unobtrusively in a well-hidden industrial park, as if the locals want you to truly work to find it. But when you do, the reward is well worth the effort. Much like hunting for a six-pack (or better yet, case) of Victory Festbier.

I first tried it in 1997 at the brewery when I took these notes:

I visited Victory Brewing Co. in Downington, PA back in July. Every beer I sampled there was of the finest quality, but for some reason or another the Festbier (available only on draught at the time) didn't stick out well enough in memory to do it justice in a review. Fortunately, Victory is now bottling the Festbier, and rfdb contributor Oliver Weatherbee was kind enough to leave a sample for me when he visited the Emerald Isle Brew Works.

The label states that this beer is brewed from Bavarian malts and a decocted mash. I have seen impressive things done with this style without using decoction mashes, but none quite match the German Oktoberfest beers that are decocted. Victory's Festbier comes close to the German Oktoberfest beers, but is a bit thinner in body. The beer is deep orange in color with little carbonation and a slightly sweet malty nose. The traditional toasty, nutty malt flavors are present, and perhaps because they don't have to compete with the crystal sweetness found in most domestic Oktoberfest beers, they pervade the beer at the beginning, though they seem less pronounced in the finish than in some of the German Oktoberfests I've tasted. A very good example of the style.

Victory Festbier pours to a bright reddish amber color with a light creamy head formation and a tantalizing nutty malt nose. Oktoberfest-Marzen style beers should be all about the malt, and that’s definitely the case here. Sweet, nutty, toasty malt notes assault your tongue as soon as you sip, and sit there for a while with subtle hints of molasses and chocolate tossed in for good measure. Some Ofest beers, I think, go overboard on the malt; some don’t seem to have enough. Victory appears to have found the perfect Schwerpunkt, as the Germans might say, to make theirs just right.

Once again, Oktoberfest beer is about the malt, and that’s true even in the finish, which tries to be sweet but is balanced off by a gentle kiss of honest to goodness German hops. If you’re going to brew a decent Oktoberfest beer, you’d better use some genuine Germanic malts, too. Victory does: Munich and Vienna are part of the grain bill, and it shows. But despite all that wonderful nutty malt flavor, Victory Festbier is remarkably smooth and drinkable. And it’s not that much stronger than Budweiser as far as alcohol goes, clocking in at about 5.6% by volume.

Victory Festbier compares favorably to some of the better German examples of the style, I think. It’s available in bottles only from about September through November according to the official Victory website, so grab some while you can. Ein Prosit!

Update: 9/25/2016: Year over year, Victory festbier has been one of my favorite domestic ofests. This year, however, I was a bit disappointed. Truth be told, I still enjoyed it, but it was lacking a bit in the toasty nutty Munich malt ooomph I want from the style. I will buy it again next year for sure, but I'm taking it down a peg to 4 stars this year. It's still about average in price at $9.99 a six-pack.

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

(D)=Draft

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