Niagara Falls Eisbock

Formerly brewed at Niagara Falls Brewing (Moosehead)
Style: Eisbock
Brampton, Canada

Serve in Dimpled mug, Snifter, Stein

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Might be a bit harsh in my rating as this was really a fairly decent brew. It certainly didn't live up to what I expected in an eisbock. Surprised that it is 8% might have to do w/ all the other equally strong beers sampled prior). Was expecting to find a glorious, thick malty surprise. Just understated in most ALL respects. Good, but very dissapointing.

Bottle. After shelling out $20 Canadian (like $1.50 US) on a bottle of this that came with a nice pint glass and a pine box that I beat the crap out of in the LCBO parking out, I was expecting a LOT more that what I got. WAY light appearance, considering that it's an eisbock. Some apples and pears in the smell...Very mild chocolate/coffee aroma and flavor, but not what an eisbock is supposed to be. A bit ridiculous.

Tasted at 6C. Copper red dark colour. After first poor generates immense head - white, fluffy, very nice lacing. Toffee/caramel vanilla aroma. Taste is sweet malt. Slight yeasty flavour, and a lingering bitterness in the aftertaste. However, the flavour isn't that intense and comes off slightly watered down and weak. Little or no hint of alcohol.

I have had this a few times and enjoyed it. On the sweet and malty side, I have yet to have to wherewithal to either get it on tap or cellar a bottle.

2002-3, 750 ml bottle, great label design. Great dark-maple (grade A) color, huge dissipating head leaves a nice off-white clotted cream topping. Nose malty-sweet and alcoholic; dunno what it is about eisbocks but the alcohol is always prominent to me. Smooth and creamy on the tongue, hints of vanilla along with thick caramel, a light smokiness, virtually no hops. Very very sweet and malty, not extremely complex but easy to drink and shows less of the alcohol going down than in the nose. The final test: strong enough to stand up to the powerful Cabrales cheese I'm having with it? Unfortunately, not. Good, just not great. Thanks for the beer & cheese to Oakes!

2002-03 bottling. Pours a nice amber-brown with small head. Very appealing aroma of caramel/brown sugar, malt, and some dark fruits. Body is crisp, but the flavour is weak, giving only a hint of what the aroma promised. Some hoppy bitterness comes through in the finish. Smooth for its 8% ABV, but lacking strength in the flavour dept.

UPDATED: JAN 27, 2003 Rerate the 2002/3 rendtion: Huge Diacetyl (butter) aroma and flavour. A definite flaw in any lager. I had mistaken this for English hops in my previous rating. 01/24/03 On tap at the winking judge in Hamilton. This is a very confused beer. It looks like bock, perhaps on the lighter spectrum with a healthy dose of white head. The aroma is all hops. Your first sip lets you taste some malt at the front end of the profile, but it is faint. There is almost no bitterness, but then you get a mouth full of English hops and then nothing. Repeat the process over and over and still, not much changes. I was dissapointed witht his beer and what is this English hop crap in a German beer. Either way, the flavoring hops are way too imposing for the style. Wierd brew.

UPDATED: JAN 15, 2004 Re-Rate: March 21/03 - Not nearly the beer I sampled before. Very hoppy but lacking the original complexity and body first encountered. (3.0/5) Original: (750 ml Bottle) Another copper coloured body by Niagara Falls Brewery, this one with an almond frothy and lasting head. Nice, malty-spice and roasted aroma. Great dry and smooth malt flavour. Easily the best beer by this brewer! I love it. (3.8/5)

Bottled. 2000 version sampled in March 2000.
Red-brown. Softly malty, dry, yeasty but well balanced.

UPDATED: OCT 24, 2003 Pours with a thick head. Great dark copper color. I had good expectations, but has an unusual aroma and taste that I personally don't find pleasing.