Festland (Tonka Bock)
Kuehn Kunz Rosen

 

A 33cl bottle bought in Aachen, best by 16/07/16. Gorgeous dark tea color, murky in my mug (like a weizen glass with a handle), visibly effervescent, with a lasting scrim of antique-ivory head. A few degrees below room temperature, it smells a bit like a warm, welcome bowl of oat meal with brown sugar. Other smells of break baking, a bit of pepper and apricot. Quite balanced for a bock -- still malt forward, with what must be a lavish grain bill, tasting of cinnamon toast, but counterweighted by a good lash of herby hops, mildly bitter. Full in the mouth but dries out nicely with the hops. A distinctive tweak on the style.

8 months before sell-by date.
I'd say better tasted above cellar temps - this did flower a bit on warming.

Looks great, 'feels' great...
Smell is mainly concentrated black-tea style tannins, some faint natural-brown sugar and caramel, dried fruit maybe.
Taste is tannins again, a natural sweetness, prickly bitter-hop surround. They're very nicely balanced with a satisfying finish, yet there's not a whole lot going on here.