Archive for the 'Kulmbacher' category
Eku 28
Last, but not least, from our friends at Beer of the Month Club, we have the Eku 28. Now, I happen to know that this is a serious beer. I actually first tried this beer in Maryland at a friend’s house – THEY actually got this from a different (and, I’m sure, inferior) Beer of the Month Club. At the time, I was a bit earlier in my beer-lovin’ career, but I still found it very interesting. This one clocks in at about 11% ABV, is considered by Michael Jackson to be a “4-star World Classic”, and can’t be cheap to produce or purchase – for these reasons, I’m very impressed that BOMC chose to include it in this month’s offering when they could’ve easily cut corners and given us something less interesting. Hats off to you, BOMC, for spending the extra cash to give your customers something really worthwhile…
This one pours a lovely dark ruby golden color with an off-white head that is super dense, flares up, and then dies down to a thick ring around the glass. In the nose, this is a flavor explosion. There is a ton of horehound candy flavor here, layered on top of some maple syrupy sweetness. Frankly, smelling this stuff feels like drinking a beer – it’s just that thick. In the mouth, this is stuff is bonkers. It’s super complex and super big. The primary flavors are sweet and rich. Initially, there is a thick maple sweetness that quickly gains some additional bitter notes, rendering it more of a horehound candiness, as indicated in the aroma. As this progress through the mouth, some bourbon flavors seem to develop as alcohol and a sharper sweetness come to the forefront. As this finishes up, the aftertastes flashes out with a very syrupy sweet flavor that surges up into the nasal cavity and then sticks around for ages. Long after this is gone, the big thick mouthfeel covers the entirety of the tongue and tends to coat the throat and back of the mouth. This is certainly not a session beer. Rather, this will be killer as a dessert beer or a late night apertif by the fire – I might even recommend enjoying it in a brandy snifter, ’cause it’s just that big.
Eku Pils
I’m not quite sure how this all plays out, as Kulmbacher has a Pilsner that we’ve reviewed before. This, however, is the Eku Pilsner, as brewed by the Kulmbacher brewery. So, I dunno – you guys can figure out the relationship here. I’m just gonna drink the beer. And, FYI, this is from the latest shipment from the Beer of the Month Club. Matt and I have been anxiously awaiting this – seems like it’s been a while!
The Eku Pils pours a super clear and light golden color with a thin, dense, stark white head. Basically, this looks like the lightest of light beers, like you might not even feel it go down your throat. It’s probably so refreshing you’ll have to towel off after drinking it. In the nose, there is a surprising amount of biscuity malt aroma, considering how slight the beer appears. On top of the maltiness, there are some light hop hints and an aroma that is gassy, likely from the carbonation. To be honest, I’m quite taken with this beer. As expected, it IS super refreshing and thirst-quenching. In addition, though, it’s pretty flavorful. There is a ton of the characteristic pilsner flavor here, full of biscuity malt and some sharp-but-fleeting hop characteristics. This is also chock full of carbonation, which only adds to the refreshing aspects and makes this pretty perky on the tongue. Overall, this is a great Pilsner, one of the best I’ve had in ages. I really hope I can track this down on shelves in NC!
Kulmbacher Pilsner
Lo and behold, we just got another shipment from the folks at the Beer of the Month Club. This month’s shipment is looking pretty good, with a couple of great German offerings and a couple of good US brewed options. The first of these that I’ll dig into is the Kulmbacher Pilsner, a nice light brew that would likely be at home on a summer day a bit warmer than this winter NC day.
This beer pours a barely cloudy deep golden color with a lacy fine white head. The aroma of this is especially heavy with malt and a sugary sweetness with very little hop presence. In the mouth, this beer is peculiar. It is, initially, sweet and biscuity at the tip of the tongue, and then a metallic bitterness hits about halfway down the tongue. The sweetness doesn’t really proceed any further down the tongue, but it has good lasting power at the front of the mouth, so you end up with a dual aftertaste with a musty bitterness at the back of the mouth and this biscuity sweetness at the front. This gives the beer an interesting presence in the mouth, and I rather like how it all works out. While the flavors are simple by themselves, there is a complexity inherent in the way it sits in the mouth. Overall, this is a good beer, although it doesn’t carry a great deal of typical Pilsner flavor. However, this IS a German Pils, and they occasionally take more liberties than their Czech counterparts. Overall, it’s more interesting than most Bavarian lagers, but it won’t blow your mind. If you’re looking for a light beer with some interesting characteristics, though, this might just fit the bill.
Kulmbacher Eisbock
This German Eisbock is the 2nd Eisbock I have ever had, but claims to be “German’s Original”. The pour of this is very dark, but not very viscous. The aroma is fairly non-distinct. It actually has the smell of slightly metallic ice which, while interesting given the nature of this beer, is slightly unexpected. The taste of the beer is rather good – it is smooth and rather light. There is a lot of chocolate on the tongue and a slight malt sweetness. Down the throat, the malt seems to stick to the sides of the mouth and makes for an altogether pleasant brew. It seems like Eisbock is a very agreeable genre to me, and this beer only helps to cement that theory.
