Hertog Jan Bockbier - Arcense Stoombierbouwerij (Hertog Jan Brouwerij)

Douberd

Netherlands

3.1/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I got a couple of those in a supermarket since they didn't have anything better. Your dutch bottle of 300 ml, poured into a snifter. Smells a bit sour as I open the bottle.
Once poured, it gave me a dark ruby coloured beer, with one finger of beige head, with average retention. Light lacing around the glass at first, then nothing. Some traces of foam insist during the whole drinking process.
On the nose alcohol, light caramel and if you inhale deep enough, a smell of burned wood. Although subtle, it makes a difference. Oh, also some dark fruits.
Taste is more sweet than bitter. Bitterness is more obvious on the back of the tongue though and for a little while lingers around the mouth. Mostly flavours of roasted malt and caramel.
Nice thick body. High carbonation.
Well, nothing too impressive, but with the dryness on the palate, the alcohol abscent from the taste and only present as a warming feeling, this beer has a high drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 20:08:17 | More by Douberd

RueSailmana

Netherlands

4.5/5  rDev +24%

05-20-2013 06:22:48 | More by RueSailmana

Arno

3.49/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A: Dark brown beer. Hazy, mocha foam top.
S: Sour yeast, light bitter hops, caramel and a subtle coffee scent.
T: Same as the smell suggests, but better. Has more sweetness to it then you'd expect, leveling out the light bitter and medium sourness. Not too sweet. Still fresh and balanced.
M: Low carbonation, giving it a somewhat creamy medium bodied feel. Could be a tad fresher for a better balance.

O: Nice balanced bock beer, but lacks a bit of complexity to call it very interesting.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 20:35:47 | More by Arno

Jose9e

Netherlands

3.75/5  rDev +3.3%

07-30-2012 11:46:53 | More by Jose9e

rekel

Netherlands

4/5  rDev +10.2%

11-30-2011 16:07:49 | More by rekel

Mar02x

Netherlands

3.3/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - A dark brown fluid with a off white fluffy head. No carbonation visible.

S - Citrus in the smell with some brown sugar and definitly yeast.

T - Sweet, licht in body with a medium bitter after taste. I am tasting some honey as well.

M - Medium to low carbonation, bitter after taste in total a bit unpleasant.

O - Not much to go for. Not complex so not special.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 07:59:04 | More by Mar02x

rarbring

Sweden

4.13/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer is very dark, almost brown, a tan nice and even head, good lacing.

The smell is sweet, brown sugar, dried fruits, some spiciness and fresh grass.

The taste is very sweet, dark syrup, dark bread, bitter oranges, clove and a hint of dark roasted coffee beans.

Medium carbonation, soft and oily, a full body and a slightly dry finish.

Nice as an aftre-dinner beer, but oh so sweet ...

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2010 23:06:22 | More by rarbring

rvdoorn

Netherlands

2.98/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Shared this beer with PapaEugene during our Bock-beer evening. This is a beer one can buy everywhere in the Netherlands. In the pub, the liquor shop and the supermarket.
Poured the 2009 version into a sniffer. The beer pours a dark brown-ruby color with almost no head and little lacing.

Smell: Metallic is the first that pops up in my mind, followed by grass, straw, spicy hops with some caramel and roasted malts in the background

Taste: Slightly sweet caramel at first, soon followed by bitter roasted malts, hops, grass, hay but also a bit dusty... However, the aftertaste is worst, bitter metallic...I really don't like this in my aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Thin-bodied with medium carbonation
Overall: I expected more from Hertog Jan. What I liked is that this beer is not too sweet, like most other Dutch bock beers. What I clearly didn't like, and for me spoils the beer, is the strong metallic taste that is present in this beer....

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2009 15:21:49 | More by rvdoorn

Absumaster

Netherlands

3.3/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This beer is a typical Dutch season beer and is usually dark and roasted with a sticky mouthfeel.

Color was deep redbrown, almost black with a thin head.

Smell was burned of the black malt and caramellic. I could detect a tobacco or sigar smell in it.

Taste was definitely not as sweet as the rest of the bockbeers I have tried, still a bit sticky. There is the burned malts and strong caramellic taste. The dark malts give the beer a good maltbitter and a slight strong coffee taste.

Everything a good bockbeer needs is in here. One of my favorite bockbeers this year (2006)

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2006 07:35:06 | More by Absumaster

johnnybravo

Netherlands

3.8/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The majority of beerloving consumers is leaning towards sweet bocks. This is probably the reason that Hertog Jan follows the trend and has made it's bock more sweet over the last couple of years. But being one of the sweetest 20 years ago, now it's probably just average sweet and I still like it a lot. Only a few brewers have had the courage to keep their Bock roasted and bitter. Strangely enough Heineken has done this with Amstel Bock and I can appreciate that one for it's bitterness. But Hertog Jan is more complex, has some roastiness but not just that. There's also caramel and some licorice in the finish. Nice mouthfeel, very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2005 14:41:25 | More by johnnybravo

paterlodie

Belgium

3.53/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

However bockbeerseason is already geting to an end in Holland, I still have my fridge full with them. Bought them but somehow seldom feel like drinking them. Mostly I think because most are just to sweet in my point of view and don't feel like getting my mouth stuffed with candy when I want to drink a beer. One of the positive exceptions is Hertog Jan. It has a nice brown head that last well, deep red/brown colour style like. Nose is malty but with some yeastsmell, no hops. Taste is karamel with litle roast and hardly any hop. After that a litle sweet comes in your mout what gives it a fullmalty sweet aftertaste. Decent bokbeer that could have some more hops... in my eyes!

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2004 14:27:41 | More by paterlodie