Festbier, Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan, Freising, Germany

The World's Oldest Brewery?!? I feel like I've heard this claim about 50 times from different European breweries. But a quick check suggests that these guys have a decent claim to the title. And I thought it was all marketing baloney...

Weinhenstephaner Festbier is a pretty good Octoberfest beer, even though it seems to deviate from the traditional style a bit. First, it is a pale yellow color and a bit cloudy after the pour. The aroma, while initially musty, settles down into a nice German hop/malt combo. The taste is good, but not great, and seems watery at times. There seems to be quite a bit of fizzy carbonation, which I think is odd for this style.

The ABV comes in at 5.8%, good and healthy.

Rating = 3.0

All things considered, this one would probably be good for drinking in enormous German steins. It goes down nice and easy.