Holsten Festbock

Brewed by Holsten-Brauerei (Carlsberg)
Style: Dunkler Bock
Hamburg, Germany

Pours black aith almost no head. Aroma is sweet and malty with subtle coffee notes. Very full bodied, but smooth and refreshing. Flavour is very malty with notes of coffee and chocolate. The malty character really blends in the 7% making the beer very drinkable. I like it.

Dark brown body that is crystal clear, a thin noisy cap tops of the brew but completely vanished in a minuet leaving not one single bubble floating on top this just looks like a glass of brown water. Very mild aroma, faint roast malts, some cigarette smoke (now that’s something you never want to find in your brew), coffee maybe, a hint of apple juice, and some noticeable alcohol on very deep inhales. Mouth feel is way to flat but at least this isn’t thin or watery. Flavor has very noticeable alcohol but it’s the bad rubbing alcohol kind not the tasty kind. Lots of caramel malts and just a hint of coffee can be tasted, beer starts off with some nice mild bitterness but finishes at the back of throat with a over the top sweetness. Man this is just way to over the top sweet for me and has way to much of a alcohol presence I can only imagine the killer hang over I would have if I drank this all night. Did I get a bad can of this my description and experience seems completely different from everyone else’s, oh well I might have to try this again.

Nice light tan bubbly head that produced almost an inch of head on a careful pour. Beer is dark brown / ruby red. Roasted malts dominated the aroma, but a slight fruitiness does exist. Could use a tad more smell. Taste is also mostly rich roasted malts and a lot of them. Mmm mmm mmm! The sweetness that is there is caramelly. Nice balanced bitter touch. It’s chewy forsure. Why do mushrooms creep into my head...that’s pretty screwed up! I hate mushrooms. It’s all in my head. There is no mushrooms here.... Mouthfeel is quite smooth with just a hint of the 7%. Nice soft carbonation. Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaltssssssssssssssssss. Mushroooms again on final taste. I’ll never buy this again, unless I need a bock and lots of malts, which I always do...crap. How come I cannot find Frankenheim in Edmonton anymore?

Pours a dark mahogany brown with a thin off white cap. The aroma is malty, brown sugar, some light dark fruit notes, maybe a some light note of anise in the background. The flavour is decent enough, brown sugar sweetness, a strange fruit juice flavour hits the front of my tongue, a bit of boozyness in there but I don’t mind, finishes on a touch of anise. Sweet finish. I liked faxes version better. But this is good too. Can’t argue with the price, a tasty treat and it packs a kick.

Got thiis 500ml can at the nearby Supermercado Carrefour here in Recoleta, Buenos Aires last week and trying it now. Poured with a big tan head that quickly faded to a hint of head and barely any lace. Dark mahogany color. Aroma is dark sweet malt and dark ripe fruits. Flavor is very similar. Shallow. Bit watery in spite of the heavy sweet malt.They’re definitely not brewing this for flavor or aesthetics. Might be fun to add a vinegar culture to it since it’s an all malt product. Finish is.... not worth coming back to.

Pours a very dark brown, almost black with a small grey coloured head. Aroma has molasses, prunes, raisins, and alcohol. Tastes like a ton of molasses with port like characteristics. Prunes, raisins, brown sugar, plums, black licorice, and alcohol. The mouth feel is decent. This beer is ok, a little too much alcohol showing through though.

500mL Can. Pours a deep brown with a 1-finger tan head that quickly subsides but leaves lace on the sides. Earthy aroma with a hint of molasses, sweet malt, and toasted malt. Full, rich flavor of sweet and toasted malts, nuts, followed by a mildly syrupy aftertaste. Smooth and rich in the mouth. Okay taste for a dark beer. A good dark beer for the money and a good beer for seeing the end of winter.

500ml can. Poured dark brown with thin tan head. Burnt molasses aroma. Thick mouthfeel. Roasted coffee and sweet raison flavour. Medium bitterness in the finish with some alcohol at the end.