EKU 28

Brewed by Kulmbacher Brauerei (Schörghuber)
Style: Eisbock
Kulmbach, Germany

12 oz bottle, aged nearly a year. Pours a lovely clear ruby with fizzy, vanishing beige head. Massive toffee aroma with sherry warmth, red licorice sweetness. Ungainly on the palate, with strong oxidation metals countering an initial fruity sweetness, huge brandy-like alcohol presence and faint medicinal hop finish. Thin on the palate, but quite sticky afterwards. OK once in a while.

Golden, actually more red-brown with a nice, creamy and lasting head. The aroma is malty and slightly hoppy. The mouthfeel is fat and warming from the alcohol. The flavour is sweet and malty with notes of roasted malt and candy sugar, and the rather long finish has a light bitterness. In spite of the high ABV it’s surprising that the alcohol isn’t more obvious in the flavour. It’s not one I’ll buy again, but it’s fun to have tasted it.

I think that the circumstances under which this beer were tried would greatly influence my rating of this beer. As it happens, I think that I enjoyed this beer within the perfect setting-- in front of a warm fire, Christmas tree lit up beside me, Christmas songs playing in the background, Scrabble game with my wife. Pours a clear copper amber with a yellow, sponge-toffee head that is surprisingly as short-lived as it is dense. English toffee, bourbon, wood aroma. Flavours of toffee, brown sugar, with a sherry touch to its character and a definite subtle kiersch flavour in the finish. Very warming but nat at all harsh, sweet but not cloying. A perfect winter sipper, and along with the circumstances, I enjoyed it very much!

ruby amber color with a very small off white head. toffee oak aroma. syrupy thick body. roasted maple wood taste with a light orange liquer note.

Pours a deep amber color with a thin tan head that leaves quickly. This beer has a strong malty caramalized sugar and toffee smell to it, a bit of brown sugar and dark fruits at the end of the sniff. Taste is again more caramel and toffee. Sweetness is present but not too sweet or overpowering. I feel this is a fairly balanced beer, alcohol is noticable though. I need to let this warm up a bit and sip again.

Clear orange in color with minimal white head. Sweet caramelized aroma with fruits, apricots, burnt sugar, and a touch of alcohol. Thick body. This is almost a delicious beer. Carmalized malts, sugar, apricots, and alcohol. The alcohol is too intense, burning like a shot of vodka. The finish is mostly sweet alcohol. I was initially intrigued and excited by the flavor untill the alcohol kicked in. I generally enjoy big, intense beers. But I would have liked a more mellow, well blended beer. Still, on a cold winters night this would be a fine beer to have.

Wow. I was blown away by the INTENSE flavor of this one. I’m a big fan of Erdinger hefeweisen and this by comparison is like taking Erdinger an multiplying it by 3x the flavor intensity plus a bit of sugar and a bit more complex flavor. I guess if it came down to it, I can more easily drink large quantities of Erdinger. This is a bit more potent than I’m used to, but I have a feeling that I could get used to this beer really fast. It’s definitely not what I expected after drinking so many lackluster German beers lately.’

Powerful, sturdy brew. I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from this one, but it really surprised me. Enjoyable sipper to end the evening, I took my time sampling this. Aroma of candied sugar and rum, exceptionally sweet to the nose. Golden-amber pour with a surprisingly generous, thick head that provided ample lacing. Harsh mouth feel, overpowering alcoholic sweetness. Aggressive, warming, and pleasing. Smaller sips yield a more enjoyable experience. Flavor is thick with heavy malts, gritty sugar, syrup, and aftertastes of fibrous vegetables. Fermented dough, with a flowery perfume taste. Fairly complex and deep, it overpowers the senses. This would be a good beer to have on hand tucked away in the cellar for when the mood seems fit to enjoy.