Kulmbacher Eisbock

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

Creamy 2-finger tan head atop a black pour. Caramle malty aroma mixed with slight coffee and a light floral hoppiness. Full bodied mouth feel. Hints of maple syrup, toasty malt flavor. High abv well hidden throughtout. An excellent beer.

33,cl. This label must be a hoot at parties. (If an American brewer making *any* amoutn of profit tried this label, though, I’d bash it relentlessly.) Pours a gorgeous deep dark brown with a dense but thin layer of moussy off-white head that doesn’t stick around for too awfully long. Some occasional clingy lace. Buttery, toffeeish, brown-bread notes dominate the nose. Cloying, sticky-sweet attakc; thick body, low (but perceptible) carb, and bold flavors. Lots of malt sugar all over the place. Tastes almost like a stuck mash, there’s so much unfermented, but of course we know better. This is just a grain surplus turned into a refreshing party beverage. The mid-palate carries that explosion of meadow flavor across into a sticky, metallic finish. My brain certainly wants to understand how amazing this beer is and how highly regarded it’s been for so long, but this doesn’t satisfy as refreshment or as a contemplative beer to sit and sip. It’s groundbreaking, rather than timeless.

Brown clear and no head. Almost no carbonation. Very syrupy with maple notes. Mostly sweet flavor. It finished really smooth. Alcohol was well hidden.

Bottle. Pours a dark brown, almost cola colored, with a large off-white head that fades slowly. The aroma is deep roasted malt, with raisins and prunes. Heavy, sweet, with a dried fruit flavor.

Outstanding eisbock! Beers like this prove that Germany knows how to brew! The pour was a blackish red with a four finger lingering head. Malt and caramel in the taste and a bittersweet ending wrap it up.

11.2 oz. bottle. Poured a deep clear ruby which can only be seen when held to sunlight. Thick, luscious head. I would have rated appearance a 5 except the head was gone before mid-glass. Really nice aroma of malt, barrel syrup, dates and figs. Dates, figs and caramel noted in the flavor with a warming alcohol finish. Sweet, smooth, almost silky mouthfeel. As the beer warms, the alcohol becomes more pronounced as do the sugary flavors. I actually preferred this beer ice cold and liked it less as it warmed. Very tasty stuff.

bottle. I once left a can of beer out in the freezing cold and it exploded. I was left with an empty can. Had I known to look for the extract, what could have been? Dark amber pour with small head. sugar, cherry, malt aroma. light/medium body. cherry and plum. sugary mouth improves as it warms. slight alcohol burn that is very enjoyable. Not an enormous fan of this style but enjoyed this one.

Bottle, at Café Abseits in Bamberg, October 2006. Deep bronze, moderate lasting white head and muted condition. Fruity malt with slight oxidation and sweet burdock notes in the aroma, full bodied and malty sweet with some oxidation and spicy peppery fruit in the mouth and quite short sticky sweet finish with more oxidation lingering .