RyansBooze

Hohenthanner Schlossbrauerei Märzen Festbier – Oktoberfest / Märzen at 5.6% ABV (C$4.83 at Costco Okotoks, 500 ml, best before 1-Dec-2027, acquired 1-Sep-2026, reviewed 3-Sep-2026)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fat fingers of pillowy pale ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, toasted bready malt, light citrus, grass/floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

My sixth from a Costco 12-pack of German festbiers. (I couldn’t resist, since I’m flying to Munich in under a week, and will be at Oktoberfest in under three.) A decent example of the style, albeit without much to distinguish it from other similar offerings. (14/20)

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7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Schlossbrauerei Herrngiersdorf Grantler Festmärzen – Oktoberfest / Märzen at 5.6% ABV (C$4.83 at Costco Okotoks, 500 ml, best before 1-Dec-2027, acquired 1-Sep-2026, reviewed 2-Sep-2026)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of fluffy pale ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, spotty soapy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: toasted almost smoky bready malt, minerality, grass/floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

My fifth from a Costco 12-pack of German festbiers. (I couldn’t resist, since I’m flying to Munich in a week, and will be at Oktoberfest in three.) “Grumpy Bavarian Festbier” (“Grantler” literally means “grumpy”.) Is it a festbier for grumpy Bavarians, or a grumpy festbier for Bavarians? Inquiring minds want to know… I’m not suggesting this is a Rauchbier or anything, but for me this invites that comparison, with the toasted malt verging on smoky. Not that I’m complaining – I appreciate the variation, but I’m sure a purist would disagree. (13/20)

This will be my 6,500th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Brauerei Aldersbach Kloster Festbier – Festbier at 5.8% ABV (C$4.83 at Costco Okotoks, 500 ml, best before 1-Dec-2027, acquired 1-Sep-2026, reviewed 2-Sep-2026)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of fluffy pale ivory head diminishing rapidly to a thin skim, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: honey, biscuity malt, mild citrus & spices. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, medium duration slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

My fourth from a Costco 12-pack of German festbiers. (I couldn’t resist, since I’m flying to Munich in a week, and will be at Oktoberfest in three.) As usual, there’s not a lot of variation in this style, and relatively little to distinguish one offering from another. (That’s why I’m glad I’m doing these in relatively quick succession, because it otherwise might be a bit hard to rank them.) Nothing egregious going on here, but ultimately it falls just a little lower on the scale. (13/20)

This will be my 6,499th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Privatbrauerei J.B. Falter Pichelsteiner Festbier – Festbier at 5.9% ABV (C$4.83 at Costco Okotoks, 500 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 1-Sep-2026, reviewed 2-Sep-2026)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fat fingers of pillowy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: caramel, toasted bread, mild floral. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mild finish. (4/5)

My third from a Costco 12-pack of German festbiers. (I couldn’t resist, since I’m flying to Munich in a week, and will be at Oktoberfest in three.) An excellent implementation with absolutely no negatives, but as is so often the case with the traditionalist German brewers, nothing particularly memorable either. (15/20)

This will be my 6,498th unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Graminger Weissbräu Graminger Deife – Oktoberfest / Märzen at 5.6% ABV (C$4.83 at Costco Okotoks, 500 ml, best before 1-Dec-2027, acquired 1-Sep-2026, reviewed 1-Sep-2026)

Appearance: clear pale gold with one finger of fine white head diminishing rapidly to a thin cap, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: caramel, toasted bread, faint herbal. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration mild finish. (4/5)

My second from a Costco 12-pack of German festbiers. (I couldn’t resist, since I’m flying to Munich in a week, and will be at Oktoberfest in three.) It’s fine, but that’s as far as I’d go – clean, but unremarkable. (13/20)

This will be my 6,497th unique Untappd check-in.

6.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Herrnbräu Tradition – Festbier at 5.6% ABV | 20 IBU (C$4.83 at Costco Okotoks, 500 ml, best before 1-Dec-2027, acquired 1-Sep-2026, reviewed 1-Sep-2026)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fat fingers of pillowy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (5/5) Aroma: honey, bready malt, hints of floral & banana, faint metallic. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, medium duration mild finish. (4/5)

My first from a Costco 12-pack of German festbiers. (I couldn’t resist, since I’m flying to Munich in a week, and will be at Oktoberfest in three.) It’s not particularly memorable, but is well-balanced and a very faithfully traditional example of the style.  I did catch a slight metallic note that was out of place, but it seemed to fade quickly and wasn’t a strong negative. (14/20)

This will be my 6,496th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Dandy Brewing Company Skeeter – American IPA at 5.8% ABV (C$5.65 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 24-Jul-2026, reviewed 29-Aug-2026)

Appearance: hazy straw with two fingers of loose white head diminishing gradually to a thick cap, minimal spotty lacing. (3/5) Aroma: citrus zest, faint tropical fruit. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, short duration crisp finish. (4/5)

“Citra and Talus”. I don’t find the brightly zesty/pithy citrus notes off-putting, but it does seem a little one-dimensional to me. Likewise, I don’t find the bitterness level excessive in any absolute sense, but I do find it disproportionate for my appreciation of the style. (14/20)

This will be my 6,495th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Changing Colours Brewing Project Howdy Cerveza Lager Lite – American Light Lager at 4.2% ABV | 15 IBU (C$6.75 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 8-Jul-2026, acquired 24-Jul-2026, reviewed 27-Aug-2026)

Appearance: clear pale straw with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: corn, crackery grainy malt, grass, hint of DMS. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium-light body, moderate-lively carbonation, short duration crisp finish. (4/5)

“Project 032.2026”. Eh. Hard to get excited about a pale lager, especially one that uses a macro-style recipe with corn. I mean, it’s pretty, and it does the job of quenching my thirst after a swim, but beyond that it’s barely above mediocre. (14/20)

This will be my 6,494th unique Untappd check-in.

7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Backcountry Brewing Former Greenskeeper – American Pale Ale at 5.0% ABV | 20 IBU (C$7.15 at Collective, 473 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 24-Jul-2026, reviewed 26-Aug-2026)

Appearance: hazy pale gold with two fingers of fluffy pale ivory head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, stone fruit, resiny pine, faint floral. (8/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (8/10) Palate: medium body, moderate carbonation, medium duration slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

“wafts of Mosaic and Strata”. Yeah, that tracks. Quite flavourful, especially for a quite low ABV. These almost-local (sorta) folks are fast becoming one of my favourite Canadian brewers. I’ve now tried an even dozen of their offerings, and for n=12, μ=7.7 & σ=0.39. That’s not quite as good as, say, The Establishment (who are local) or Bellwoods (who aren’t) but it’s not far off and definitely places them in elite company. (16/20)

This will be my 6,493rd unique Untappd check-in.

8/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com

Eighty-Eight Brewing Summer Break – American IPA at 6.1% ABV (C$6.85 at Collective, 473 ml, packaged on 6-Jul-2026, acquired 24-Jul-2026, reviewed 23-Aug-2026)

Appearance: clear pale gold with two fat fingers of fluffy white head, excellent retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: zesty citrus, mild pine, faint lactose. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Palate: medium body, moderate-lively carbonation, medium duration slightly spicy finish. (4/5)

“Zested with Cara Cara Orange and Lemon” Just slightly unbalanced, with citrus zest dominating over the pine and a faint creamy lactose. (15/20)

This will be my 6,492nd unique Untappd check-in.

7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com