Einbecker Dunkel

Brewed by Einbecker Brauhaus
Style: Dunkel
Einbeck, Niedersachsen, Germany

Bottle. Barley - sweet corn syrup aroma. Dark brown with small head. Simple sugar and barley flavor. Not sure what trendiness has to do with the difference between dunkel and schwarzbier. This sample tasted on the old side as it was much sweeter than the typical dunkel - probably much better in Germany. Re-rate in Germany - actually a much light aroma and taste - much drier and hoppier. Very different but really can’t say I’d rate it much different - still not very impressive.

Bottle (330ml). Labelled Schwarzbier. Poured deep hazy brown with an average diminishing fizzy-foamy tan head. Faint aroma of roast malt, light chocolate, some sour cherry, light grain and hops. Taste is of slightly sour rye grain, chocolatey dark roast malt, hint of fruit and cashews - even tastes a little like a cola. Sharply lively mouthfeel, quite watery - decent beer, very solid nutty roastiness, pity about the weak body.

perhaps the best schwarzbier i have had, though that probably doesn’t say a lot. dark brown with beige head. nice malty aroma and flavor. solid.

bottled at home in Hannover ; aroma is faint, of nuts, hops and malt, maybe the strongest hint is roasted malt, compared with some nuts. Taste is more complex than I expected, the same dunkel character is in any other brew of this style but with a stronger palate and complexity. Again roasted malt is obvious. Nice brew and surprising

I was fortunate enough to enjoy this beer fresh on draught at a wonderful little pub in the Altstadt or "old town" of Hannover, Germany called the Broyhan-Haus. Einbeck beers are proudly featured here, and I enjoyed a few nice glasses of this wonderful beer. Einbecker Dunkel has been labeled as a schwarzbier or "black beer" for the American market. This really isn’t too far fetched, as schwarzbier, is just a darker, roaster, version of Munich Dunkles. Einbecker calls all their beers, bockbier, but their Dunkel is only 4.9% abv, on par with a Munich Dunkel, making this beer stylistically, a dunkle. In fact in Germany, this beer is only called Dunkle, not schwarzbier, so schwarzbier is more marketing for the US market than anything else. Einbecker Dunkle is a very good dark lager. It is a very clean, very malty, nutty, dark lager, with tremendous flavor and character. Einbecker Dunkel pours to a very deep/dark brown color, with a slight tan head that fades, and a soft carbonation. When held to the light this beer has very bright deep brown hues. The nose on this beer is just bursting with malt character. Aromas of sweet, toasty, nutty, malt aromas flood the nose. The palate is soft but firm, with big malt flavors. Like the nose this beer is just loaded with sweet, toasty, and nutty malt flavors. The body is clean and round, making this beer very smooth and drinkable. This beer finishes with more big sweet and toasty malt flavors up front, then ends with enough hop bitterness to balance. This was an extremely impressive beer. A fantastic version of dunkel. I really enjoyed the wonderful showcase of malt flavors, the toasty and nutty flavors, and hop balance added to this beer’s class. I would match this beer with classic German fare. This beer would be the perfect match for a dinner of sauerbraten, red cabbage, and spatzel. It would also work very well with a spankenfel pork or chicken dinner, and even as a desert beer with a big, thick slice of Black Forrest cake. Seek this beer out if it is in your market. It is a bit pricey at $9 a six pack, but well worth it in my opinion.

(Bottle) Pours a mahogany body with a moderate off-white head. Aroma of malt, berries, cherries, and marzipan. Flavor of caramel, malt, raisins, and mild hops with a bitter finish.

Not really sure where to class this beer... but it is decent none the less. Pours a dark purplish red. a little head, and a moterate amount of carbonation. Taste is very on dimentional. Same taste throughout the glass. the taste is a smooth chochlate roasted nut flavor. not very complex, but tasty none the less.

Well I sure was surprised to see this is also the dunkel. I’d sure peg it as a schwarz. Pours a very dark purplish red, small head, very bubbly in the glass. Aroma of sweet chocolate, hints of cinnamon and pecan pie. Flavor more caramelized, with some bittersweet chocolate. A bit over-carbonated, with a carbonic bite/twang. Could be smoother.