Stacked Deck The Airing of Grievances Festbier

 Stacked Deck The Airing of Grievances Festbier.

6 % ABV, Stacked Deck Brewing, St. Paul, MN. 

This beer arrived right around the time that Stacked Deck announced that it was closing down. I wondered why they released an Oktoberfest-style beer slightly outside of the season, but then give it a name reflective of a fictional holiday that was meant to correspond to Christmas. Slightly confusing. And Brent Schoonover's illustration has a Last Supper tableau that featured many of the characters he's drawn in his labels over the past few years. There's Larry from Weekend at Larry's (a hazy IPA, which is why you never saw it here), the Hardy Boys, Kurt Russell, the superhero cat, the Beastie Boys, Bob Ross, and more) And then I got it. He knew this was would be his final label, and he knew they were closing up shop, for whatever reason. 

And I didn't think that this one would enter this blog, for I didn't want to spend money on a 4-pack, since Festbier isn't one of my favorite styles. And then Ed gave me this crowler, and I have no choice. That's how it works. So, let's gather around the pole and air some grievances. Or not.

Crystal clear, amber hued (not golden, as I'd expect from a Festbier), slim layer of whitish head. 

In the nose: Malty, herbal, lightly floral, slightly sweet. 

I am getting the impression that this is actually a Marzen, but called a Festbier. Oktoberfests can be so confusing, for this very reason. 

In the mouth: Yep, it's a marzen. Rich maltiness. Deep flavors. Hearty. Medium bodied. Excellent drinkability. Moderate h0ppiness. Delightful and delicious. I certainly would have bought a 4-pack if I knew it was truly a marzen, not a festbier. 

I'm enjoying this one, which will be the second to last beer from this brewery to appear here, and I especially like how Brent is utilizing the "infinity cover" concept here, where the characters in the image are drinking from the can with the image that appear on ....and on the can, they are drinking the can, which has them drinking from the can, where they are on the can, and on the can, there they are, and they're drinking from the can that they're on...and so on, and so forth...and most of them are drinking from a glass, though, not straight from the can, like truly civilized people. This concept was used in comic books over the years, such as Superman reading the very copy of his own comic book that you are holding in your hands, and that Superman in that issue is also, and so on, and so forth, unto infinity....

Smooth, Creamy & Dank German Hop Flavor.