Try?
When you love beer as much as I do, it’s inevitable
that you end up talking about it at work, at parties, at play-basically
everywhere. Equally inevitable is a question that invariably pops up: just
which beer, then, is your favorite? That’s truly a hard question for a beer
aficionado to answer. It’s like asking a mother which of her children she
loves the most.
Be that as it may, were I truly pressed to answer, I could at least say that double bocks are probably my favorite style of beer. And when you take a double bock (or doppelbock as the Germans call them) and do something very special to it, so special you end up with an entirely new style, you may well at least be on the trail of one of my favorite beers.
OK, enough digressing. The “new” style I’m referring to is called Eisbock, and it is produced by taking an already strong and malty double bock beer and freezing it slightly. The resulting ice is then removed from the beer, intensifying the sweet rich maltiness and the alcohol potency.
The classic example of this style has long been Kulmbacher Reichelbrau Eisbock, was sadly discontinued in 1996 when the two giant brewing concerns in Kulmbach, Germany, Kulmbacher Reichelbrau and EKU, merged. EKU was calling the shots, and they decided to discontinue the brand in favor of EKU 28, a similarly strong brew.
One last run was made, and I sampled a bottle dated July 11, 1996. In fact, I bought a small supply at the time and set aside a few bottles in cold storage, to be opened on special occasions. Being the first anniversary for the brew, I popped one open on July 11, 1997. Here's what I wrote then:
The name Eisbock is derived from the fact that the beer, a dopplebock, is
partially frozen, allowing the removal of the frozen water. This raises the
final gravity and alcohol content of the beer, and makes it a richer version
of an already rich style. This particular bottle appears to have held up
well with age. The dark brown color of the beer quickly fills the glass
after pouring, while the thin head quickly fades to nothing. Carbonation is
extremely
minimal, this is thick, syrupy beer. Powerful hints of chocolate, molasses, and alcohol assault the palate. This extremely thick, rich brew slowly slides across the tongue, warming it and lingering there for a good while. A minor hint of hops in the finish seem to have long since surrendered to the malt here, but provide just enough balance to keep the beer from being overly cloying. A wonderful sipping beer, but one much better suited to a cold December evening than a hot July one.
In May of 1999 I opened another bottle and took more notes:
Popped a bottle tonight, still fantastic after all these years. Almost three years old now, I've kept them very cold next to the freezer compartment in one of the Dedicated Beer Refrigerators. Incredible, wonderfully malty, molasses and chocolate, nutty melanoidins in abundance, big alcohol warmth in the finish. I'm down to five bottles now, and more reluctant to drink them.
In 2000, I remarked that the beer was still much as I had described above. Clearly, then, this is a brew that will age out well.
And now for the really good news: Kulmbacher Eisbock is back! And as always this beer is a sheer delight. The latest incarnation of Kulmbacher Eisbock pours to a deep brownish color with a very light head formation and a sweet, chewy molasses and malty nose. The palate is thick, sticky, and rich; a true sipping beer if ever there was one.
The palate just explodes with notes of chocolate, rich raisin, molasses, prune and sweet sticky-nutty malt melanoidin flavors. The finish is decidedly sweet and I’m amazed with the fresh malt flavors I’m getting from this bottle. There’s also lots of alcohol warmth, too, from this 9.2% alcohol by volume brew.
At just $2.29 for an 11.2 ounce bottle, this one is a steal folks. It is, in my opinion, one of the best beers in the world. And it’s a beer you simply must try.
Be that as it may, were I truly pressed to answer, I could at least say that double bocks are probably my favorite style of beer. And when you take a double bock (or doppelbock as the Germans call them) and do something very special to it, so special you end up with an entirely new style, you may well at least be on the trail of one of my favorite beers.
OK, enough digressing. The “new” style I’m referring to is called Eisbock, and it is produced by taking an already strong and malty double bock beer and freezing it slightly. The resulting ice is then removed from the beer, intensifying the sweet rich maltiness and the alcohol potency.
The classic example of this style has long been Kulmbacher Reichelbrau Eisbock, was sadly discontinued in 1996 when the two giant brewing concerns in Kulmbach, Germany, Kulmbacher Reichelbrau and EKU, merged. EKU was calling the shots, and they decided to discontinue the brand in favor of EKU 28, a similarly strong brew.
One last run was made, and I sampled a bottle dated July 11, 1996. In fact, I bought a small supply at the time and set aside a few bottles in cold storage, to be opened on special occasions. Being the first anniversary for the brew, I popped one open on July 11, 1997. Here's what I wrote then:
The name Eisbock is derived from the fact that the beer, a dopplebock, is
partially frozen, allowing the removal of the frozen water. This raises the
final gravity and alcohol content of the beer, and makes it a richer version
of an already rich style. This particular bottle appears to have held up
well with age. The dark brown color of the beer quickly fills the glass
after pouring, while the thin head quickly fades to nothing. Carbonation is
extremely minimal, this is thick, syrupy beer. Powerful hints of chocolate, molasses, and alcohol assault the palate. This extremely thick, rich brew slowly slides across the tongue, warming it and lingering there for a good while. A minor hint of hops in the finish seem to have long since surrendered to the malt here, but provide just enough balance to keep the beer from being overly cloying. A wonderful sipping beer, but one much better suited to a cold December evening than a hot July one.
In May of 1999 I opened another bottle and took more notes:
Popped a bottle tonight, still fantastic after all these years. Almost three years old now, I've kept them very cold next to the freezer compartment in one of the Dedicated Beer Refrigerators. Incredible, wonderfully malty, molasses and chocolate, nutty melanoidins in abundance, big alcohol warmth in the finish. I'm down to five bottles now, and more reluctant to drink them.
In 2000, I remarked that the beer was still much as I had described above. Clearly, then, this is a brew that will age out well.
And now for the really good news: Kulmbacher Eisbock is back! And as always this beer is a sheer delight. The latest incarnation of Kulmbacher Eisbock pours to a deep brownish color with a very light head formation and a sweet, chewy molasses and malty nose. The palate is thick, sticky, and rich; a true sipping beer if ever there was one.
The palate just explodes with notes of chocolate, rich raisin, molasses, prune and sweet sticky-nutty malt melanoidin flavors. The finish is decidedly sweet and I’m amazed with the fresh malt flavors I’m getting from this bottle. There’s also lots of alcohol warmth, too, from this 9.2% alcohol by volume brew.
At just $2.29 for an 11.2 ounce bottle, this one is a steal folks. It is, in my opinion, one of the best beers in the world. And it’s a beer you simply must try.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
