Oktoberfest Festbier - Sierra Nevada Review
There are two things that get us really excited while exploring the world of beer: a great beer collaboration, and the Oktoberfest season. And this next beer is a marriage of those two things we love so damn much.
Enter Sierra Nevada’s Oktoberfest Festbier. A modern homage to the traditional festbier lager brewed with Briess, 2-row pale malt, Cascade, Tettnang, and Tradition hops, and falling in line at 6% ABV and 30 IBUs.
Sierra Nevada is well known throughout America as one of the first companies that brought the world of heavy hopping and craft beer to life. Their legacy reaches far and wide and has inspired hundreds, if not thousands, to create some amazing beers. So, naturally, they brought us an Oktoberfest beer in collaboration with Kehrwieder brewery, another craft brew innovator out of Germany.
While I am not yet familiar with Kehrwieder, I can tell you just from a glance at their products that they are great beer innovators. And to bring this festbier collab to life, these two breweries brought the best of each of their breweries, using hoppy inspiration from Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale and technique from Kehrwieder’s Prototype, a cold-hopped lager. They wanted to keep it traditional, drinkable, and light while also adding their own flair, and I must say, I’m pretty damn excited.
So, enough rambling, let’s pour.
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--Golden and clear as can be. Topped with a persistent cream-colored head.
On the Nose--Crisp and bready. Certainly hoppier than a traditional Oktoberfest beer, with citrus and floral coming off a dose of Cascade—a nod to Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale. Being familiar with big, hoppy flavors in American Ales, I’m very intrigued by the aroma.
On the Palate--My initial thought is that it is really balanced—not overly malty, not overly hoppy—which, considering its hop inspiration, I was worried it might not be. I like the crisp sweetness of the malt and the definitive Sierra Nevada touch of strong floral and citrus hoppiness. It does remind me of a hoppy lager, which is a style that has been trending a lot lately. The bread notes come through, to be quickly balanced by the hop flavor. It is light on the tongue, medium-bodied, dry, and certainly drinkable and light, while still adhering to the tradition we love to see in our Oktoberfest beers.
Final Thoughts:
This really is a fantastic combination of two of our favorite things in craft beer. These two expert brewers brought their skill and respect for each other to create a fun to drink beer. While I haven’t had a Kehrwieder beer before, I must say that this Oktoberfest Festbier does have some noticeable elements of Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale, specifically, the iconic Cascade hoppiness. If you like a hoppy and aromatic lager, this is your Oktoberfest go-to. But don’t wait, it will be gone soon.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew