Einbecker Dunkel

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

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.

Beautiful dark brownish red. Sugary aroma. When touched to the lips, a definite butterscotch taste. Followed by some caramel and chocolate. Frothy head which disapates rather quickly.

Not sure if I’m on the same page as these reviewers. Malty caramel aroma, amber purplish color. A bit flat. Taste is sweet, note of grape. Smoky finish with a minor bite of hopes..

This beer pours a very dark amber color with very small head and a little lacing on the glass. The aroma is sweet and fruity - very pleasant. Alcohol is also slightly apparent in the nose. Malt is very apparent in the flavor. It is very smooth and the mouthfeel is very good. The fruit taste is pretty strong in the taste, making it very pleasant on the tongue. Great beer.

11.2oz green bottle from The Lighthouse in Manchester. Pours a dark copper brown with ruby-red highlights and a thin light tan head. Smells strongly of caramel with coffee and chocolate playing strong supporting roles. Tastes very roasty with chocolate and coffee at the fore. Caramel and hints of continental hops are also present. Flavors are a bit more subtle than expected but mesh rather well. On the lighter side of medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. Not the most robust Schwarzbier I’ve tried, but there’s nothing wrong with this one. It’s tasty and very drinkable. A solid Schwarzbier.

Deep ruby color; Thick and rocky head; Good dry Saaz hops mixed with coffee in the aroma. I liked this beer much more then any of the other raters. Very cool little bottle that it comes in. Very full mouthfeel. Chocolate malt/ clean and crisp finish. Very tight. Bubbly mouthfeel. I think this is a fine example of the style.

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

Poured from an Einbecker Schwartzbier bottle, very dark brown with ruby highlights when held to a bright light. A beautiful beer in presentation, the bouquet of malt aromas as well as the complex flavors brought about by the grain bill, hops and underlying water chemistry. Bitter but not harsh, roasted or toasty but not scorched. The body overall closely matches the flavor and aroma so no expectations are lost although the body could be a little beefier and not hurt this beer. The DMS and honey (minor) that was picked up on tasting this beer could easily be from storage of this one year old beer. An excellent example of the style and well worth seeking out.