Calumet Dark

Draft at the OF. Deep brown-black color. Deep dark malt aroma, lots of rich chocolate tones. Light crisp hop balance. Medium to full bodied, quite a nice Dunkel. Creamy and luscious, a step up from the standard version for sure. Some light coffee notes as well. Sweet toffee/caramel finish.

Growler fill from the brewpub - Pours like cola--dark brown but opaque. Smells of chocolate, anise, sour lactic malt. Taste is sweet, smooth malt with that lactic twang. It’s totally sessionable with it’s light-medium body and smooth feel. Out of the three growlers I got to sample, this was my fave, and the one I would order if I make it back to Chilton.

On tap at the Wisconsin Micro-Brewer’s Beer Fest. Poured clear, deep brown with a short cap of beige head. The aroma picked up toasty caramel, molasses, and treacle with accents of berries.. just a hint of coffee on the back. The flavor had berry and fruity sweetness at the core with lesser caramel, molasses, and toffee joining.. mild earthy and fruity bitterness surrounded.. tasty, longer finish. Creamy carbonation on the palate and dry overall (just enough sweets for balance).. light-medium bodied.. enjoyed the residual dark sugars at the finish. Nice one!

From notes: Sample from growler @ Flossmoor Pre DLD party courtesy of bwkreiger. Pours brown with reddish highlights and fleeting medium beige head. The aroma is roasted grains, caramel, slightly nutty, and a hint of hops. The flavor has more roasted grains, wheat grass, toffee, dark fruits, and a hint of smoke. Creamy mouthfeel. Enjoyable, but couldn’t stand up to some of the other beers around on this evening.

Pours a dark brown colour with a thin vanilla head. Slightly watery, plenty of carmel and nuttiness in the aroma. Mildly acidic with a soft hop finish.

In short: A very roasted Dunkel-ish beer
How: Growler at Flossmoor on Pre-Dark-Lord-Day party 2008. Big sample thanks to bwkreiger (or so I see from ratings below, thanks a lot dude whoever you are)
The look: Brown-ish body with a short-lived beige head
In long: Roasted grains on the nose bordering smoke (or maybe it’s the Calumet name playing tricks on me). A round body and smooth taste. Toffee, dark fruits and even some distant nutty notes. Like with the nose there was a strong highly roasted grains/wheat presence. I got an almost-smoke sensation on the nose and an almost-ashes sensation in the taste. Overall and ok beer that probably suffered from being drank at a party where there was just too many great beers. If you wanna look good and score tonight, don’t bring your date to a Chippendales show.

Growler @ Flossmoor pre-DLD fest, thanks to bwkreiger. Red with medium beige head. Aroma is very strong lager yeast, dry malt with some noble hops. Strong noble hop flavor with interesting sort of wheat note and dirty malt. Medium-thin body with subtle creaminess. Pretty nice but nothing out of the ordinary.

Growler @ Flossmoor pre-DLD fest, thanks to bwkreiger. Pours a clear brown with red hints and a beige head. Nose is grains, toffee malts, and nuts. Similar flavors of grains and nuts with chocolate malts. Decent dunkel, thanks!