This year, however, it dropped in time for inclusion. Let's see how their addition to the canon holds up. I present, at last, Listermann's Festbier.

Listermann started when Dan Listermann began manufacturing and shipping homebrewing equipment in 1991. Four years later, he and his wife, Sue, purchased a vacant space to use as a homebrew store and parts manufacturing space. In 2008, they acquired both equipment from a shuttering brewery and a brewing license. With that, a Norwood, OH legend was born.

Dan and Sue have since stepped away from the brewery, but it still proudly bears their shared name and carries on the legacy they crafted.

Festbier is (as of the time of this publication) the third beer listed on Listermann's Taproom page. It's billed as 5.4% ABV lager that's true to the area's German roots, brewed "... with Weyermann pilsner, vienna, and munich malts." 

The nose on this brims with simple presentation. It's straw, biscuit, bread, and very light notes of both caramel and toffee. Beneath this, however, is some grounding hoppiness, giving the the lager an almost cold aroma (think ice cubes in a glass or new-fallen snow). It's a wonderful bouquet and perfectly fitting for a beer you're meant to drink quickly and in large quantities (which is great because it's an Oktoberfest-style lager in a pint-sized can). 

Purrl gave it seven whiffs, indicating that she likes how the lager smells but isn't as infatuated with the nose as I am.

Festbier features a great flavor profile. I'm finding everything I previously mentioned in the bouquet: those good malt characteristics and the grounding hops. Seriously, the hops are the star of the show here as they only impart a slight bitterness that tempers the sweetness of the malt, which might otherwise soar to ridiculous heights. The hops also provide the beer with flavors of grapefruit and pine, both of which compliment all the lager has going for it. The finish (which is deceptively long) ends with that cold aspect I noted above, begging me to take another pull.

The mouthfeel here is spot-on. It's frothy, crisp, and infinitely quaffable. 

I'm drinking Festbier on my porch at night after our toddler has gone to bed. The air is cooling after a warm final day of summer, insects are buzzing and clicking, and, somewhere off in the distance, a dog's barking. Hell, our porch is already decked out for Halloween, with pumpkins, ghosts, a skeleton, and a scarecrow. All this to say, this is a perfectly calm night amidst the storm my life's lately become. I'm happy that right now, on this gentle evening, I have this beer in my hand.

Here's something I'll say without hyperbole: Listermann's Festbier might just be the greatest Oktoberfest-style lager I've had that isn't imported from Germany. I'm flabbergasted that I haven't had this beer before, as it's an easy 10/10. This is something I'll need to grab more of before it disappears for the season.