Country of Origin: Germany
DISCLAIMER .... DRUNK REVIEW.
Price comparison: A little over twice the price of everyday beer.
Alcohol percentage by volume: The label says 11%; the guy at the IHOD says it's been aged to the point where it's far beyond that and I believe him. He estimates it at a 25%. I personally couldn't pinpoint it that accurately even if I were sober. Which I am not.
Cute bottle/label? Slender, graceful 11.2 ounce brown glass bottle. Available in six-packs, but I didn't bother, just bought one bottle. It's enough.
Appearance: Bright clear orange; fizzy head that settled almost instantly into a thin ring of lace.
Scent: Ka-booze. Sugar, sweet fruits, malt, but the predominant aroma is that of unadulterated alcohol. In a good way.
Flavor: Very sweet and warming; a mixture of fruits and some toasted coconut, I guess. If I were at an official beer tasting, I'd get laughed out of the room, because the finish honest-to-God reminds me of honey-nut Cheerios.
Impressions: This was my first experience with an Eisbock, and I am indeed impressed. Whoa. This hit me harder than either of the Dogfish Head high-alcohol offerings. Do not, I repeat, do not gulp; for one thing, it burns a little going down if you don't sip it, and for another thing, you shouldn't need to. I drank this nicely out of a glass and still managed to get plastered.
Do this for yourself at least once in your life. Even if the IHOD kid is wrong about the final ABV, it's definitely more than 11% beer we're dealing with.
Will I buy this beer again? It's good. And even at twice the price of national-brand beer, it's more cost effective than scotch.
Rating:
5 out of 5 GOLD CHALICES
Reviewed: December 5, 2003
