Tucher - Festbier Review
Tucher is a Bavarian brewer that started in 1672 and is well-known for their wheat beers, especially their helles hefe weizen and their dunkel hefe weizen, as well as their oak-aged rotbier. But they are also true Germans, which means they of course have their own Festbier, because, whether greeting fall or saying goodbye to winter, Germans love their festivals… almost as much as they love their beer.
But what is a festbier exactly? Well, I like Tucher’s importer’s explanation best: “Brewed as a fuller-bodied helles lager with a slightly louder presence of old world hops instead of a marzen.” That really is the best way to describe a festbier. Just think about your favorite moderate ABV lager and make it fuller and hoppier and voila! you have a festbier.
Tucher’s Festbier (according to their importer) is actually brewed for Fruhlingsfest, which is a festival celebrating the end of winter. Either way, it landed on our shelves in time for Oktoberfest, so we’re going to give this 5.8% ABV lager a hearty Prost! before we slug it down. We’re expecting a lot here.
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--Golden, clear, and topped with a tight-pored and cream-colored head that maintains well.
On the Nose--Zesty, malty, and a touch floral and herby. Very lively and very inviting. I can see how they relate it to the helles lager with a touch more hops. Perfect for a festival!
On the Palate--True to its aroma (as most good lagers are) Festbier is filled with full-bodied malt balanced with gentle citrus zest and herbiness lifted with the airy effervescence. I get a touch of roastiness from Munich malt followed by a creaminess from Pilsner malt, and a touch of that cereal malt essence lingers in the dry finish.
Food Pairings: Tucher’s importer, Wetten, suggests pairing Festbier with charcuterie, Cotswold cheese, grilled whitefish, and celebration. All of those sound great, but a classic roast chicken, pretzel, and bratwurst are hard to beat with a German beer.
Final Thoughts:
I personally prefer a marzen over a festbier. I always felt festbiers to be a touch too hoppy and light for their own good, and that the marzen, the original beer served at Oktoberfest, was more fitting for the autumn festival itself. I also think many American brewers perform better with the marzen but miss the crispness required for a successful festbier. Tucher, with all their experience and class, have shown me the naivety of my ways.
I always preach, if you don’t like a style of beer seek out the original and make your judgement off of that. Tucher is undoubtedly a German original, though not one of the typical 6 that come to mind when we think of Oktoberfest, but their festbier is everything I want in not only a festbier but in any lager. It has layers of malt from fleetingly roasty to bready and creamy, and it has the perfect old world hop presence with the balancing zesty and herbal notes that don’t overpower the malt richness. Add a light effervescence and a dry finish and you have a beer you want to quaff all day. That’s how festibers should be, and that’s how this one is. We bought ours in a four pack of tall cans and the price was a reasonable $9 for the final product. If you love a festbier or a really great lager, give Tucher a try.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew
Looking for some Oktoberfest beers approved by the Brew House? Check out Ayinger’s Oktober Fest-Marzen, and Hacker Pschorr’s Marzen. And for our Texas neighbors, try Live Oak’s Oaktoberfest.