Holsten Festbock

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

Can, 500 ml, best before 11.2007, savoured on June 28 2007; eye: ruby, clear, light effervescence, beige head that turns into a tiny ring around the glass, no lacing; nose: caramelized malt, hops, yeast, bread; mouth: in that order, carbonation, caramelized malt, light hops, finale in caramelized malt which is gradually replaced by an enjoyable hops, lightly sweet and bitter, medium body, a bit thin, quite carbonated; overall: fine FRANÇAIS Canette, 500 ml, meilleure avant 11.2007, savourée le 28 juin 2007; œil : rubis, claire, légère effervescence, petite mousse beige qui se transforme en un petit anneau autour du verre, pas de dentelle; nez : malt caramélisé, houblon, levure, pain; bouche : dans cet ordre, carbonatation, malt caramélisé, léger houblon, finale en malt caramélisé qui est graduellement remplacé par un houblon plaisant, légèrement sucrée et amère, corps moyen, un peu mince, assez carbonatée; en résumé : bien

Not bad by any means...it’s a nice dark strong beer, though i could get no head on this one...a bit of roast in the back of the mouth, some nice burnt flavour. Not as flavourful as Faxe Festbock (which is no huge prize in itself), but a nice enough alternative when you’re faced with a shelf full of bland Euro pale lagers. Exactly why I picked it up today.

500 ml can, serve it ice cold or STAY AWAY. Seems weirdly unbalanced and sweet, not like a Bavarian Lager at all. In the end I could choke it down and it wasn’t outright ’bad’ but it gave very little enjoyment. It lacked the balance of finer Murich area beers, just not at all entertaining in the aromas, jarring really. Nicht ein sehr gutes Bier!

Canette. Couleur brune foncée clair, très fine mousse. Arôme de malt caramel. Saveur de malt torréfié, sucré, mais un peu trop mince pour le style. Légèrement houblonné. Finale en alcool. L’équilibre est là, mais ce n’est pas une grande bière.

Can, 500 ml: Pours a clear mahogany color with a big beige creamy and long lasting head. It leaves a small lacing. Aroma is less malty than expected, clear notes of cereal grains, bread, straw and lots of caramel. Later sniffs give hints of chestnuts, sherry and surprisingly hoppy presences of grass and herbs. Alcoholic but some metal distrubs though... Flavor is initially sweet, showing notes of caramel, hazelnuts and marzipan, but it becomes pretty bitter, roasty and alcoholic with touches of rye bread, coffee, nuts, cigar smoke and bitter chocolate. Unfortunately there is a metallic touch always present. I’d like to taste a bottled or draught version. Medium body with more water than your usual 7% ABV beer. Chalky finish, weird. High carbonation, fizzy on the tongue. A pretty harsh bock...unrefined.

Very cool to see a Mai and Fest bock from Holsten at the local LCBO. Nice dark pour iwth a thick bubbly tan head. A slight quick cascade on the pour. Hean a bit too thick & lingers a bit too long. Maltay scent with some odd unpleasant smell. Boozy taste. I know it’s a strong beer, but it’s like they wnted people to notice "Hey, Festbock, it’ll get you hammered". Much better then most macro strongs.

500ml Can, 7% a/v Dark brown with a generous tan head. The nose hints at wheat, rye and metal. The taste is cola/coffee, with an unpleasent metal taste and a horrible aftertaste.

Can. Dark brown, fairly flat, not much head. Others have mentioned cola, and it is indeed a little like flat cola, with a little more body. Given my other Holsten samplings have been drain pours, this isn’t bad. Doubt I’d buy it again though, unless I forget I’ve tried it.