Holsten Festbock

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

Dark, strong beer, sweet and full. Good as an occasional beer with a suitable food. I keep getting it. Quite a nice beer from a foreign macrobrewery. A quality beer to enjoy as a cheap drink.

Canned. Dark brown, rich head. Sweet, toasty and burnt. Medium-ful bodied with molasses, butter, coffee and salt. Medium bitterness. Boldly flavourful.

slightly sweet slighly fruity flavour; deep golden colour. not too much flavour for a dark beer

a nice cheap beer with tonnes of flavour and alcohol, very dark and decent head great smell, sweet burndt kinda smell, strong tasting but interesting finish, not to bad

500ml can. Dark brown/black with a frothy pale head. Smells of grassy hay, sweet malts, and hops. Tastes sweet and has a flavour of toffee and bananas. Similar aftertaste.

Can. Second beer of the night for my own Swill (or almost swill) Fest. This one’s rated considerably higher then the last beer I rated so I guess this falls more under the "almost swill" category. It certainly looks better, that’s for sure. Pours a clear deep ruby-brown with a large diminishing tan head. Mild aroma of caramel malt, lightly toasted with some dark fruit and hints of brown sugar and alcohol. Sweet flavour of caramel malt, dark fruit and a hint of bitterness with a mild yet slightly harsh alcoholic finish. LIght to average bodied. Not bad, definitely one of the best Holsten beers. I have a feeling it’s all downhill from here for "Swill Fest".

Appearance: dark brown color, with reddish tones. Not head. Aroma: soft malty toasty, candy tones, roast sugar, nut, hoppy (significant for the style); ripe fruits like figs and blackberries. Flavor: sweet malty with soft toasty, mainly candied, butterscotch, toffee and roast sugar. Fruitiness of nuts, ripe figs and candied berries. Progressive final with soft hoppy, but persistent; candy-toasty aftertaste. Some liquory, but the sweetness hidden your power. Palate: medium body and low carbonation. Silky texture. Nice toasty-candy aftertaste, not complex.

Holsten Festbock is darker than I expected from the can, and has a caramel nose and body. Not much of an aftertaste. Good amount of carbonation, making it surprisingly easy on the palate. Not bad for what it is: I consider this a strong party beer.