DAB Original

Brewed by Dortmunder Actien Brauerei (Oetker Group)
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

no head; pale color; tasted skunky and flat; thin-bodied beer with heavy finish

Undated bottle (probably 03). Nice soft rusty yellow color, mostly clear and bubbly with a good-sized white head. Smells of crisp clean hops and lagered yeast. Body is light but not thin or watery. Dry pear flavors, light champagne grapes flavors. Flavor of crisp bitter hops does not let up. Dry, lightly biscuity malt balances it, with an herbal finish that is clean and quick.

First, let's set the record straight once and for all. This beer is not, and never has been, a "dortmunder" by style. It is a pilsner. DAB Export is the regular dortmunder from this brewery and it's damn near impossible to find, even in Dortmund. This pilsner has a pale gold colour and bubbly white head. The aroma is predominantly hoppy (grassy, minty, anise) with a hint of bready malt. Bitter to the tune of about 25-28 IBUs (more than I remembered). Lean, dry body, spritzy carbonation. Hops lead throughout, with malt sticking to balanced background. I've only ever had this in cans before and I remember it being a lot lighter. This is from a bottle and it's obviously very fresh, and it's also quite good - on a par with the finer German pilsners we get in Ontario. Well balanced and stylistically bang-on.

Sample- 500 Ml can- Poured a thin and weak looking head that took off after about 3 seconds. Aromas include mild herbs and a slight corn aroma. Tastes of malt but also sugar?? Hmm strange....End result is that this beer is fairly watery. Probably decent for sitting in the backyard in the summer with some friends over.

Subtle malt aroma. Light body. Semi-sweet grain feel in the flavor. Mouthfeel is full but needs a better hop profile. Aftertaste is smooth with a light bitterness. A decent beer on a lazy hot day.

Mild caramel malt aroma with light, clean flowery hops. Golden yellow beer with very generous white head that recedes with some lacing. Clean, sweet malty flavour with just a touch of hops. Medium, smooth mouthfeel. It's a pretty decent Helles if somewhat simple. Bottle (green).

Golden color, resiny saaz hop nose and taste. Medium bodied, dry finish. I will try again in the hot summer months.

Light gold with a thin white head. Skunky hopped aroma. Mildly roasted malts with some spice. Slight grass and caramel. Fairly good.