Chateau Kamiya Dunkel

Brewed by Chateau Kamiya
Style: Dunkel
Ushiku-shi, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

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Well made true to style beer. Lots of roast and chocolate, it is perhaps a little heavier than I would like in a dark lager, leaning almost towards a bock in some ways. Decent, though ultimately just passable.

UPDATED: APR 30, 2010 Bottle, mail order from the brewery. Dark brown with a tall tan head and a touch of red. Slightly sweet malt aroma with chocolate and dried fruits. Dark malt flavor, slightly burnt, chocolate, not overly sweet at all, dry and mellow. Dryish, but a little too light. Not as rich as it should be. Decent, though, and nicely dry.

330 mL ‘pull’ cap bottle…straight from Japan via Santa’s (IslandHaole) USPS box, Cheers!: clear, reddish mahogany. Creamy, taupe head. Rich, milk chocolaty aroma with roasted almonds, sweet raisins and a lactic quality. Sourish flavours bring out the malt backbone, leave a bitter flavour on the back of the tongue, but don’t quite satisfy. The fresh tartness doesn’t quite work as well with this one as it did with the Helles and Pilsner…I would have preferred a bit more roasted flavours and malt chewiness.

Muddy chestnut colour. A little bit nutty, malty in the aroma and flavour. A slight clean lactic tang in the finish. Fairly full body for style. Way too funky.

Dark brown beer with a light brown head. Sweet leathery aroma, tobacco, fresh cut grass with some strong herbal notes laid over top of a sweet caramel malt aroma. Flavour is also a bit herbal, some light caramel and a bit of licorice and leather character. Light sourness in the finish. Another unconventional, but interesting brew.

A nice amber/chocolate brown color with a thick but quickly fading light brown head. Sweet malty nose with caramel,prune and soy sauce tones. Looks and smells just right for a Dunkel. A tart grainy flavor, seems out of place for the style. A bit overcarbonated to me. A nice brew but I'd like it a touch less tangy and a bit richer. Still a rare treat for a Japanese beer!

The aroma is very sweet and wheaty. The color is an unclear amber and it has a fine beige head though disappearing. The flavor is very sweet malty with hints of roast, but then the sweetness comes back with notes of oranges and fruit before it ends on a slightly bitter fruity (lemon) note.

Hazy amber coloured. Very wheaty. Sweet/sour and fruity with caramelly notes. Thin and watery.

Hazy amber color. Malt aroma, with some caramel and alight sweet wax. A light sourness and a bitterness in the front, fading later. Caramel. Dry mouthfeel. Light roasted malt.
Thanks to Jens (Ungstrup), Jacob (Lövenlund) and all the Danish crew for these rare beers!