Kulmbacher Monchshof Schwarzbier

As a matter of comparison to the last review, I purchased this brew, a true German schwarzbier. Yet another thing I’m not used to in NJ, a beer bar that has bottles, but charges a corkage fee (pretty much like wine). Despite this, beer is still insanely cheaper in Virginia than New Jersey. So, let’s see how this one fared.

ABV: 4.9%

Style: Schwarzbier

Trivia: This beer is from the specialty profile of the brewery. Cool!

Random: I hate the heat. I’m sitting under a fan and still sweating like crazy. This is not fun at all. Is it fall yet?

This brew poured with a finger and half of tan head that left lots of lacing on the pint glass. By the way, also love this glass. Anyways, the body was a dark brown color with visible heavy carbonation. The nose had smoke, coffee and dark chocolate to it. Compared to the last brew, this nose was really big. The taste was really full bodies with lots of chocolate up front with smoke that quick to follow up. Toasted malts came through as well. The body was medium to heavy with a lot of carbonation. The finish was long with a decent amount of smoke. This wasn’t overly complex, but had some great flavors to it. I really enjoyed this one, especially having it side by side with another beer of the same style. It wasn’t watery, but wasn’t too heavy for the style. The flavors were spot on and I could see this really complimenting a barbecue dish. I would definitely have this one again.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

EKU 28

Second brew of the night. Another German beer. Apparently this is one of the world-class doppelbocks. Given how well the last one went, I have high hopes. I’m still watching my movie. Lately, I’ve been getting really good movies from Netflix. I have a few documentaries lined up which I’m really excited about. So, last brew of the German sixer…

ABV: 11%

Style: Doppelbock

Trivia: According to the Shelton Brother’s website, “In the early 1950’s, the EKU brewery of Kulmbach, Germany set out to make the world’s ‘biggest’ beer. Naturally, it would be done according to the Bavarian Purity Law, using nothing but barley malt, yeast, hops, and water. However, beer yeasts are not the hardiest of organisms — too much of the alcohol that they produce will kill them, stopping the fermentation process cold. But the ingenious EKU brewers had a plan: to take traditional techniques of bock beer brewing to the extreme. Malt concentration was doubled or tripled (the exact formula still remains secret), giving the yeasts more fuel for conversion to alcohol. Above all, since stunned yeast can only work very slowly in the presence of high alcohol levels, this beer would have to be given a lot of time. In fact, it had to be fermented in cold storage for an unheard of nine months! After those nine months, EKU 28 was born.”

Random: There’s a bunch of German stuff on the label. No idea what it says.

The brew poured with a half a finger of pure white head that dissipated quickly and left no lacing on the glass. The body was a clear brown-orange with light, visible carbonation. The nose had malt sweetness, booze and some dark fruit. The taste was significantly sweet with booze, dark fruit and caramel sweetness with some bitterness at the end. The body was thick with lighter than expected carbonation, yet it was incredibly velvety. The finish was long and boozy and sweet. I really enjoyed this brew. It really reflected the style and was incredibly satisfying. I would definitely have this one again. I love this one. Go grab one!

Untappd Rating: 5.0/5.0