24 Oct Back Pew Kingsbrau Festbier

Back Pew Kingsbrau

Back Pew Brewing

Porter TX
Festbier Lager
ABV: 6.3%
IBUs: 22
Packaging: Draft, 6 pack 12 ounce cans

Since it’s still October, and you may not have tried all the Oktoberfest beers yet, here’s one more to seek out before they’re all gone. Festbiers are an interesting bunch because they pop up in small quantities, and then, POOF, they’re gone like Batman in the night. That’s one of the reasons we tried to make our rounds to try them all. We failed. Please forgive us.

Back Pew Kingsbrau pours a pale, straw, gold like the king’s crown – just shy of transparent. The airy, ghost-white head sticks around for the party, err fest, and the spotty lacing is delicate like that of a dirndl.

The first whiff of Back Pew Kingsbrau let’s you know it’s a beer fit for a king. Festbiers are all about balance, and this one strikes it well. The bready malt characteristic shines while a quiet floral/spicy hop note plays the background serenely.

Again with the balance, each sip of Back Pew Kingsbrau is one part party like a rock star, and another part as welcoming as your granny. What I mean by that is the higher ABV is deceiving and sneaky because it’s crisp and super easy to knock back a few. It doesn’t feel right to call this “crushable” (air-quotes), but well, here we are.

The malts shine on my palette just like they do on the nose, but it’s in a very tame, restrained way. The hops are just enough to finish each dry sip off and make you want to reach for another. This is beer flavored beer on steroids. After tasting so many Oktoberfests this year, Kingsbrau is in a category all its own. The light, approachability of the lager style paired with the spicy floral finish from the light Hallertau dry hop makes this bad boy one of a kind.

Where can you find Back Pew Kingsbrau? HEBs around town and Total Wines usually carry Back Pew’s stuff, most notably these limited releases.