Altfränkisches Bauernbier Dunkel
Held Bräu

 

A: Very dark mahogany, thick looking, medium sized head which disappeared fairly quickly without leaving much lacing.

S: Espresso, dark chocolate and malt.

T: Followed the nose and added some sweetness.

M: Smooth texture, medium to thick texture.

O: Very nice dark beer, perfect for a November evening

Pours a clear, deep mahogany coloration with a large, foamy head. Smells of toasted, bready, slightly grainy and caramelly malt, with just a hint of dark fruit and herbal/earthy hops. Taste follows the nose, being dominated by a great malt complexity of toasted, bready, grainy, caramel malts with notes of coffee, dark fruit: fig, dates, as well as just a hint of licorice and herbal/earthy hoppiness. Finishes bittersweet, with a light/medium bitterness and some toasted, caramel malt and earthy hops lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

This remains quite easy-drinking despite a decent malt complexity that's spiced up just enough with some, bitter, earthy, herbal hops for a great balance. Perhaps still just a tad too sweet for my personal taste, but nevertheless quite enjoyable.

 

L:
-pours a clear cherry red with a small to medium,foamy,sand-coloured head
-medium carbonation visible
S:
-black bread,spicy,caramel,sweet malt,nutty,plums,faint smoke
T:
-plums,raisins,dates,spicy,bready,caramel,cacao
F:
-medium to high carbonation
-light to medium body
O:
Very good,overcarbonated Dunkel

Held bräu Bauernbier

Pours a vibrant hazelnut brown color, with ember hints in it, and a stable, small beige head.

Smells of a lactic sweetness, adding to toffee and earth. This foundation gets coated up by whole grain bread and a note of wet wood bark, building the bridge to the beers subtle tartness.

Has a smooth mouthfeel to it, resulting from its rich, soothing maltiness and well integrated, medium carbonation.

Tastes of earth, campfire, some roast and a nice, earthy maltiness. Its sour quality blends perfectly into this rustic foundation, adding a new twist to the taste, supported by a coppery carbonation. After processing this tart flavor, malts tend to get sweeter, due to glazed caramel, still easily balanced by grainy bread. In the finish, a short smoke appearance enriches the body, introducing an utmost clean ending, featuring a soft, herbal dryness, including hazelnut shell and warm earth.

I couldn't wish for more as it comes to this style. While the beer drinks perfectly easy with a smooth, refreshing mouthfeel to it, its malt backbone is truly ingenious. This is due to earth and lactose, perfectly complimenting the beers strengh.

 

Pours very dark ruby amber (hence: "dunkel" or "dark") with a nice tan head. Rich, malty flavor. This is what you expect when you order a dunkel in Franken. Easy to drink.

2023 Update: Still yummy!

 

appearance: Rich almost black with light amber on the edges. No head to speak of.

smell: Slight hint of liquorice. Earthy notes. Not a bad smell. But skunky but that could be me

taste: Bit sour but not what I would call citron smell. Has some sweet edges but not bad.

mouthfeel: Somewhat weak and watery but not too bad

overall: A decent brew that I would drink if offered and possibly recommend a buy.

 

 

Dark brown color, ruby edges. Dark beige foam, a lot, and beautiful.
Malt in the smell, with a touch of light toasted caramel. Some back grassy hop.
Caramel in the taste, but more than that, toasted and dusty, with a good green hop in the back.
Harmonious aftertaste, with a good balance of the same notes, without being too strong on the caramel.
Definitely pleasant.