Kulmbacher Eisbock

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

Serve in Dimpled mug, Snifter, Stein

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Bottle (330ml). Poured deep clear mahogany with a large foamy-creamy light brown head. Initially a little sour, but the roast caramel malt and moss come out, lots of spice, brown sugar and a hint of evergreen hops and sour cream. Taste of burnt caramel malt, with mossy winter forest notes. Mouthfeel is thick and syrupy - I really like this style, this isn’t the best I’ve had, but very solid.

Acquired via trade. This beer is dark brown/copper with a thin light tan head. Very little lacing. The aroma is very sweet with caramel, raisins and malt. Medium-bodied and chewy with a flavor that is very unique. It has some aspects of a Barley Wine, a Scotch Ale, and a Bock. Syrupy sweet with malt, molasses, raisins and brown sugar. There is a faint woody character at times too. The finish continues the sweetness but there is a bit of hops bitterness there. I am really unfamiliar with this style but I like it.

UPDATED: JUN 3, 2004 Very dark ruby and brown color with a very small tan head. The aroma is very sweet with vanilla and butterscotch. The flavor is still somewhat sweet. Cherries, caramel and lots of malt character. Maybe it is just me, but this another beer that I just find too sweet at the start. This does get more well balanced as you get through the drink.

<b>In short: </b>A syrupy typical Eisbock. Sweet sipper. Good for the style but not my style.
<b>How: </b>Bottle 11.2oz, vintage 1 year old.
<b>The look: </b>Very dark ruby body topped by a small tan head
<b>In long: </b>Big molasses and tobacco nose. Taste is sweet, molasses, dates and figs, graham cookies, spicy notes, brown sugar, hard candies. This really is a sweet dessert sipper with no balance attempt. Overall pleasant crispness but the body is a bit syrupy. 9.2% is apparent with a little bite in the finish. A reference for the Eisbock style but Eisbock is just not my style. Don’t recycle the bottles, give them to your acid-dropping stoner cousin for hours of psychedelic entertainment.

330ml bottle from Beers of Europe. Has a real funky glittery label, like snowy ice. This, according to legend, is the original eisbock. It’s a must have, just for that legend. Also, Michael Jackson rated this as a top class beer. I felt that the beer couldn’t live up to its legend and reputation, but - boy oh boy - this beer is lovely! It’s all about the malt. And I love malt. I love, dark, flavoursome malt. Sweet, sticky, brown malt, with bread and fruit, and dark, dark, flavours, like swimming in treacle and molasses. Oh, this is soft, and delicious. But it’s not one-dimensional, it twists and turns, and, despite the loveliness, it has its challenges and secrets. There’s aromas of oil and petrol and decaying matter and bubbling richness, there’s alcohol nips, and there’s bitter spots, and there’s a solid tobacco stained adult quality about this. There’s much to enjoy, and much to admire. This is delightful, and never boring. And, phew, it hits you with that alcohol strength because it’s so soft and drinkable, you’ve gone through a bottle in no time at all. Oh my, this is one of the best beers in the world. A fucking lager, for fucks sake!

Smallish off-white head, which subsides. Dark mahogany red body. Aroma is malty, with hints of alcohol and roastiness. Taste is dark and subtle, somewhat roasty, giving way to deep toffee-like sweetness and finally alcohol heat balanced by faint hop bitterness. A very good, and very interesting beer. I wouldn’t have that many at once (for more than one reason :), but very good.

Dark brown and clear. Has an off-white head, mostly lasting. Strong aroma, heavy sweetness, something sharp too, pepper? Flavor is heavy sweet. Syrup texture. Soft carbonation. Warming alcohol.

UPDATED: OCT 27, 2008 Bottle. Ruby brown, low golden brown layer. Toffee nose with a light herbal and wooden edge. Wooden start, caramel, chocolate, light nuts, tobacco, oranges, a hint berries. Fullbodied, slick mouthfeel. I tried a older bottle before and was surprised how badly it had aged.

31.12.03... Poured a dark ruby color with a medium sized off white head and some lacing. Sweet and grainy aroma of bread, malt and old fruit. Sweet caramel malt taste, some nuts, toffee and a slightly biting alcohol burn. Full and creamy mouthfeel.

Poured a ruby-black with what was an initially huge head, looking like the matrix scrolling data down the side of the glass ... but it quickly settled. Robust whiskey aroma rolls to the nose. Solidly delicious flavors here ... molasses, dark fruit, roast malt. Despite the strength, this is exceptionally easy to drink. Bravo.