Von Ebert Festbier

Review Date 2/28/2025 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Oktoberfest   Brewery: Von Ebert   Country: USA   State: Oregon   $ Per OZ: N/A   ABV: 6%

Festbier! It’s the best beer! OK well, with so many wonderful styles of beer to enjoy, maybe it’s not the best of all of them. It’s not even my favorite style of beer, that honor falling to doppelbocks. Still, I do love Festbiers, and were I brewery producing one, I would certainly tag it with the Festbier is the best beer ad line. Wouldn’t you?

I only come across Von Ebert beers, from Portland, Oregon, rarely. So far, though, they have impressed me, so I was anxious to try this fall seasonal. In a press release from August of 2024 Von Ebert announced:

“For a brewery honoring the German roots of Grandma Von Ebert, this beer embodies our motto ‘where tradition meets evolution.’ The festival beers of Bavaria evolved from darker colored Märzens to the lighter colored Festbiers you see today. In this beer, we highlight that modern presentation,” said Sam Pecoraro, brewmaster of Von Ebert Brewing. “Festbier’s smooth, subtle use of hops and slightly more malty notes makes it a perfect beer to transition from summer to fall.”

I couldn’t agree more. I drank my can in late February, not fall, and it’s delightful crispness and gentle toasted character was as welcome on a warm late winter evening as it is in the middle of fall.

Von Ebert Festbier has an alcohol content of 6% by volume and I paid $3.99 for a pint can from Half Time. That’s the only pricing information that I have. My can is stamped CANNED ON 08/07/24.

Von Ebert Festbier pours to a pale clear golden color with a thick fluffy white head and a nose of crusty toasted bread. Taking a sip, the beer is light to medium in body, crisp and malty. It’s as toasty as the nose promised, toasted bread is here crusts and all. Have I said toasty enough? There’s the lightest hint of caramel and the finish is balanced by an impressive earthy bitterness.

An excellent American Festbier.