Bestla

Left Handed Giant Brewing Co. in Bristol, Bristol, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Collab with: Põhjala
Stout - Pastry / Flavoured - Imperial Series

Score

7.50

ABV: 8.4%

IBU: -

Ticks: 11

Imperial Stout with Cacao, Coffee & Vanilla

Brewed to celebrate our 10th Birthday, with our friends at Põhjala; supported by Ruby Hue chocolate makers & Round Hill Roastery.

Using beautiful Chanthaburi Thai cacao, roasted & cracked but left whole to unlock notes of green tea & apricot jam. Circles is a gorgeous single-farm Brazilian natural coffee that, via cold-infusion, has rounded & amplified the nuttier sweetnesses in the underlying grain profile.

Sweet, Fruity & Complex.

Vegan.

Artist Notes

Bestla is a mysterious but powerful figure in Norse mythology — a frost giantess, the daughter of Bölþorn, and the mother of Odin, Vili, and Vé. Though little is told about her directly, she represents the quiet strength and ancient wisdom that underpins much of the Norse cosmos. Through her, Odin and his brothers inherit not just their giant blood, but a connection to deep, primal knowledge — some even say Odin’s runic wisdom came from Bestla’s side of the family.

For this label, I wanted to capture a sense of that quiet, mythic presence. Bestla sits at the base of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, her expression calm and serene. Her braided blonde hair catches the wind, and above her, a golden ring glows, surrounding the tree with nine orbs, one for each of the realms it supports. The hill around her is littered with ancient swords and faded flags, weathered by time not a scene of battle, but a place of memory, where the weight of myth settles into the earth.

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mart (27297) ticked Bestla from Left Handed Giant Brewing Co. 3 months ago

Magus, mõru, röst, kuiv, linnaseline, šokolaadine, kuiv, nats suitsu. Ok.

Tried from Can on 24 Oct 2025 at 19:32

7.5

Leighton (34941) reviewed Bestla from Left Handed Giant Brewing Co. 6 months ago

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5

Alright balance, mellow roast, dry cocoa. Soft earthy hops. A.I. the boozy warmth. Pretty OK balance.

Tried from Can on 23 Jul 2025 at 21:12

Fergus (31329) reviewed Bestla from Left Handed Giant Brewing Co. 6 months ago

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Can shared at the craft beer junction bermondsey tasting. A clear reddy brown coloured pour with a halo of tan head. Aroma is semi sweet rounded, brown sugars z jammy, red semi sweet, woody brown sugars,. Juicy. Tangy.

Tried on 23 Jul 2025 at 20:08

7.8

cagarvie (40076) reviewed Bestla from Left Handed Giant Brewing Co. 6 months ago

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

can at home ...dark black ...small tan head ..soft sweet chocolate Roast malts nose ...dark dusty chocolate roast malts nose ..soft dusty vanilla chocolate

Tried on 18 Jul 2025 at 12:05

LazyPyro (9998) reviewed Bestla from Left Handed Giant Brewing Co. 7 months ago

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

440ml can. Pours black with a tan head. Aroma of rich chocolate, vanilla, coffee. Taste of sweet chocolate and vanilla, coffee, roast malts, caramel, fudge, bitter finish. Medium bodied.

Tried from Can from The Fuss Club on 05 Jul 2025 at 22:59

7.1

jjsint (8631) reviewed Bestla from Left Handed Giant Brewing Co. 7 months ago

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7

Keg draught at the Real Ale Classroom, Leicester city centre. Dark brown and clear with a small and slightly scummy tan head. Peanuts, coffee fudge, yeast extract and fleeting notes of smoke on the nose. Taste is sweet initially with more peanut notes with an intense and slightly jarring sour/bitter finish. Medium body and carbonation. A little strange in ways but I'm fond of this.

Tried from Draft at Real Ale Classroom - City Centre on 03 Jul 2025 at 18:08

7.9

Reubs (35480) reviewed Bestla from Left Handed Giant Brewing Co. 7 months ago

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Dark sweet and roasted malty with notes of chocolate, coffee roast, dark caramel and toffee fudge cake, full bodied, touch of vanilla into the dark malty finish. Great stuff.

Tried from Draft at Taphouse on 03 Jul 2025 at 13:51

allmyvinyl (21071) reviewed Bestla from Left Handed Giant Brewing Co. 7 months ago

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Can from the Low Cost Beer online shop. Pours black with a thin beige head. Aromas of coffee and chocolate, light fruit. Taste is more of the same. Roasty finish.

Tried on 02 Jul 2025 at 18:12

NilsAS (11500) reviewed Bestla from Left Handed Giant Brewing Co. 7 months ago

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Utseende: Sort.
Lukt: Kaffe, larkis, røsta malt.
Smak: Kaffe, lakris, røsta malt.
Skum/kullsyre: Dekkende skum.
Medium: Rating:8-8-8-8-8=8, Draft@100ml, ABV@8.4%, Når@2025.06.14.
Hvor: DGB Invitational 2025
Navn: Bestla
Stil: STOUT - PASTRY - IMPERIAL
Bryggeri: Left Handed Giant Brewing Co.

Tried from Draft on 14 Jun 2025 at 15:32

8.1

WingmanWillis (38284) ticked Bestla from Left Handed Giant Brewing Co. 7 months ago

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Tried from Draft from Favourite Beers on 13 Jun 2025 at 19:23