Dunkel Fester
Wychwood Brewery Company Ltd

Dunkel FesterDunkel Fester
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From:
Wychwood Brewery Company Ltd
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Munich Dunkel
ABV:
4.4%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.57 | pDev: 7.28%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
26
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 03, 2019
Added:
Oct 14, 2015
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
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Ratings by TwiggyCZ:
Photo of TwiggyCZ
Rated by TwiggyCZ from Czech Republic

3.33/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Oct 14, 2017
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.7 by Beer_Rabbit66 from England

Jan 03, 2019
 
Rated: 3.74 by Houborg1 from Denmark

Nov 29, 2018
 
Rated: 3.05 by Haybeerman from Colorado

Sep 22, 2018
 
Rated: 3.62 by georgeanthorpe from England

Mar 11, 2018
Photo of jazzyjeff13
Reviewed by jazzyjeff13 from England

3.29/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
A 500ml bottle with a BB of Aug 2018. Purchased recently from ALDI. A seasonal brew for Halloween - the label calls it a disturbingly dark beer....

A: Poured into a tulip pint glass. A dark reddish-brown hue that appears virtually black in the glass. Good carbonation is visible when held to the light. Produces a large head of creamy tan foam that lasts for a few minutes before reducing to a patchy surface layer. Some lacing.

S: Aroma of dark malt with hints of faint roasted grain, caramel, fruity ale yeast, stewed leaves and a twinge of spice. Rather muddled.

T: Tastes of dark malt with notes of subtle roasted grain, vague caramel, ale yeast esters, stewed leaves and a touch of harsh cardboard in the background. Faintly sweet, followed by a moderate bitterness upon swallowing.

M: Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with lively carbonation and decent body. Aftertaste of mild roasted malt, a hint of grain, ale yeast and acrid stewed leaves, along with the merest whisper of spice.

O: A bit meh - the character is just indistinct. Looks OK, while the aroma and flavour are an odd mix of mild roasted malt, faint caramel, estery ale yeast and stewed leaves. Slightly unbalanced. Decent body. Drinkable but weird; not sure I can recommend this one.
Oct 25, 2017
 
Rated: 3.73 by CurtisD from Canada (NB)

Oct 20, 2017
Photo of PorterPro125
Reviewed by PorterPro125 from Canada (NB)

3.68/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Serving Type: 500 mL Bottle

L- Pours a very dark, slightly ruby colour and a 1/4 inch off-white head that quickly dissipates to a few thin patches.

S- Not exactly in your face, but dark Chocolate and coffee can be found on the nose if you dig for it.

T- The taste opens with a dark fruit sweetness (Plum?) that leads to the dark chocolate and coffee from the nose. Things finish off with an earthy bitterness. Complex and delicious.


F- Much thinner than I expected for a Dunkelweizen. Light-Medium (more towards light) body and moderate carbonation.

O- Definitely a decent beer but I was quite disappointed in how little wheat played a part in this brew. Nothing in the aroma, taste, or body would suggest the wheat composition; the only clue is the ingredients list on the back label. In my opinion, this beer would be a perfect Fall brew if the wheat came through in taste and body. The taste is quite fine as it stands now but the body could definitely use some tweaking (in my opinion).
Jan 17, 2017
 
Rated: 3.6 by BCborn from Canada (BC)

Jan 11, 2017
Photo of thehyperduck
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)

3.76/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
500 mL bottle from the LCBO; best before July 31 2017 and served slightly chilled. Reviewed on my phone.

Pours a dark chestnut brown colour, with ruby-red highlights and one finger of foamy, light tan-coloured head. Within two minutes' time it has largely disappeared; some messy swathes of lacing are generated, alongside a narrow collar on the surface. Roasty elements on the nose - especially coffee grounds and dark chocolate, with notes of brown sugar, cherry cola, plum, bread crusts and a few leafy, herbal hop undertones.

Not a bad little brew at all. Dark, bready malt flavours combine with brown sugar and molasses sweetness, with suggestions of fruity plum and cherry. Roastier towards the back end, with touches of cocoa and coffee amidst that leafy, earthy English hop character - common to most Wychwood products, but particularly Hobgoblin (and now Dunkel Fester, I guess). Persistent bittersweetness in the aftertaste that weakens only after a few seconds. Light in body, with fairly low carbonation, featuring tiny bubbles that gently agitate the surface of the palate. Quite quaffable, and sessionable.

Final Grade: 3.76, a B+. Wychwood Dunkel Fester is an easy-drinking, "light" dark ale that fans of this brewery's other beers should find to be highly agreeable. The malt flavours are robust for only 4.4%, and skilfully balanced by a familiar-yet-understated hop bill. Worth a look.
Jan 07, 2017
 
Rated: 3.65 by Electros from Canada (ON)

Dec 10, 2016
Photo of ghisty
Reviewed by ghisty from Canada (NB)

4/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
pours a deep brown. a bubbley inch of head. minor tones of red as promised by the bottle,
always love the art on these bottles, just adds to the experience, gives it a context.
but overall very dark, the head has a slight yellowish tan edge as it mixes back into the liquid below it. looks malty.
nice lacing, head retains for quite a while, a very nice beer to sit with and enjoy.
smells sweet, a hint of berry or sweet dark fruit like plum or dark cherry. malts come thru in a sort of deep way.
taste is bright, the sweetness from the nose comes thru after the initial malt and grain roastyness, ends on a sort of sour
tail, has an almost resiney after taste, with a bit of an almost almond hint going on.
mouth feel is as the taste, bright and sweet and crisp, surprisingly sharp for the look, more carb than it appears
the overall is a solid 4 stars, love the easy drinkability of a dunkel, and this nails the style and adds a little flair.
this brewer always knocks it out of the park for me, and this beer is no exception to that.
a perfect starter for an evening of sessioning a few interesting beers.
Dec 02, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by GoHabsGo from Canada (ON)

Nov 13, 2016
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3.84/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Dunkel Fester looks a lot more handsome than Uncle Fester (though it shares that bulbous, dusty off-white, egg-shaped dome). There's barely a sliver of colour in that dark, ebony complexion - think of a new moon in a clouded midnight sky. Combine that with cobweb-like lacing and you've got an appropriately spooky look for a Halloween seasonal!

English brewers aren't renown for lagers - Wychwood brews a huge variety of styles but have no regularly available lagers. It's not an easy art to master and it requires money and patience - two things that large commercial breweries aren't typically thrilled to commit. Given this brewery's mediocre track-record, I'm skeptical about their ability to make a good Dunkel...

Fortunately, every now and again, I'm wrong. This aroma is fairly rich and roasty, showcasing a lot of bitter dark chocolate flavour. Most importantly, there are no esters present to distract from all that deliciously dark malt. The flavour is equally clean and impressive, also brimming with heavy roast and cocoa notes as well as a long, malty finish.

Style purists may wish to point out that this recipe is more like a Schwarzbier than a proper Munich Dunkel. We're splitting hairs but they're probably right; the mildness of those toasty breadcrust (Maillard) notes, the complete absence of caramelly or nutty undertones and the relative strength of the roast do suggest this is slightly miscategorized...

But of course "Schwarzel Fester" isn't as clever (and doesn't really ring off the tongue). Besides, this is a very respectable and seasonally appropriate beer regardless of what you call it. Wychwood have tried to carve a niche for themselves with Halloween themed offerings and Dunkel Fester definitely is an improvement on Scarecrow, Hobgolbin and WychCraft.
Oct 30, 2016
 
Rated: 3.42 by BcCraft710 from Canada (BC)

Oct 25, 2016
 
Rated: 3.69 by Bf_89 from Canada (ON)

Oct 22, 2016
Photo of mak83
Reviewed by mak83 from England

3.62/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Love the bottle and image of this Wychwood product. Great for Halloween and Autumn. Lives up to its tag 'disturbingly dark beer' in the colour which is really dark with red tones. Not a huge amount of smell but pleasant as you would expect from Wychwood, im picking up mainly malt with slight dark fruits, which also appears later in the taste. Mouthfeel is good but maybe a little thin with a touch more carbonation then I would have liked, Not my favourite beer from this brewery maybe because I had King Goblin last night which was amazing but at 6.6% not a weeknight beer for me! The beer grew on me more as I got towards the end with sweetness appearing and som brown sugar taste and coffee notes. Would definitely buy again. Good job.
Oct 16, 2016
 
Rated: 3.93 by OneTuffPony from Canada (ON)

Oct 14, 2016
Photo of taxandbeerguy
Reviewed by taxandbeerguy from Canada (ON)

3.25/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
500 ml bottle with great artwork as always, served cold into a pint glass. Purchased from the LCBO for around $4 CDN.

Appearance - very dark brown and with loads and loads of tan head. Great retention and lacing.

Smell - plenty of wheat and some dark grains, but not really as aromatic as expected. Just a faint hint of bubblegum and nothing in the way of bananas or cloves.

Taste - rather bitter and earthy like a Oktoberfest, but amped up even more so. Bitter for the sake of being bitter. Not much balance here. Some hints of treacle as it warms.

Mouthfeel - smooth and creamy from the wheat and a super duper dry finish. Lighter than expected body.

Overall - here the over the top earthy bitterness seriously detracted from my enjoyment of the beer, so if that type of thing is your thing I would recommend Dunkel Fester otherwise I would probably avoid in the future, especially with many other great fall seasonal being available.
Oct 07, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by RedAleMan from Canada (ON)

Oct 01, 2016
Dunkel Fester from Wychwood Brewery Company Ltd
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 26 ratings