Eisenbahn Dunkel (Escura)

Brewed by Cervejaria Sudbrack
Style: Dunkel
Blumenau, Brazil

Brown color, with a hint of red. Diminishing light mocha colored head. Light coffee, milk chocolate and a touch of toasted malt and ash trays in the aroma. Flavors have a lightly sugared pale malt sweetness. Light dark cocoa, charcoal and dry floral hops. This does seem to need a pairing with food. Smoked foods and heavier cheeses would seem to go well. Somewhat of a bore by itself.

Full brown body with a decent, actively carbonated head. Moderate dusty roast chocolate mingles with malt in the nose. Moderate roast body, with some bitter chocolate notes on the finish and a touch of burnt chocolate. Medium mouthfeel and medium malt. Brief appearance of caramel raisin at the end. Perhaps some nuttiness. A rather middle of the road dunkel.

My Bottom Line:
Toasted bread and accompanying roastiness dwell in a wet, sly body, where earth-covered mushrooms slowly grow. Although there’s nothing special in its expression, this Dunkel is still a drinkable example of the style.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-There was barely a ring of foam around the brownish black.
-The mouthfeel is rather flat and frail, which is disappointing.
-Some wooden dryness accentuates the roast’s presence/bitterness in the finish.
-Caramel is found, supporting but not developing.

Bottle.

As soon as the modest beige head reduced to a ring, this has the look of a glass of Coke. The sweetness of the aroma almost drove me away, dark chocolate covered caramel with a quietly roasty background. Fortunately the roasted malt increased in the flavor and a dash of earthy bitterness was added. This worked to counter the caramel & chocolate sweetness, balancing the drink nicely.

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A beginner’s dunkel. Soft chocolate and coffee bean aromas and flavours. Quite light bodied and just a hint of astringency in the back palate. Drinks very easily and certainly not sweet of cloying.

(Bottle (batch 36) from <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/maine/portland/ target=blank>Downeast Beverage Co.) My least favorite of the Eisenbahns so far...Pours dark brown, looks clear. Half-inch or so of tan head that rather quickly becomes nothing. Light malty aroma of vanilla and brown sugar. Mouthfeel fairly smooth but not much real texture. Fine needle-like prickliness. Pleasant cocoa-like flavor but also something a little off in there. Not much here to really get excited about.

Poured a slippery black-mahogany-copper with no head. Nose of sweet, roasted, peaty malt. Molasses, toffee, and stale malt flavor. Kind of smoky. Not very smooth and very watery.

Bottle. High creamy and long lasting off-white head. Clear dark brown body. Roasted malt aroma with notes of caramel and cocoa. Heavily carbonated caramel cocoa flavor. Not sweet but also not especially bitter. Short aftertaste.