January 13th, 2007 by Andy
Ice beer was all the rage a number of years ago– indeed, it was a successful marketing ploy that got a lot of people drinking beastly beer containing a lot of alcohol. First, there was Icehouse, then the venerable Beast Ice, which became the choice of sophisticated frat boys looking to impress the ladies, and even the much sought after Colt Ice became a hit– this was indeed a serious drink for the refined fellas among us. Somehow, I suspect that many people eventually figured out that these beers, and others with the same sobriquet, were simply awful.
It’s easy to understand then, why this beer snob was quite suspicious at the notion of imbibing a beer that claims to be the “original ice beer.” To my surprise, the Kulmbacher Eisbock is outstanding– I mean, this beer is phenomenal! What’s more, its icy-ness is authentic!
The Kulmbacher pours a deep dark brown hue with a slight white head that disappeared before I could take in its aromatic, sweet malty nose. Its taste was equally as pleasing in all its sweet malty glory– indeed, I was able to discern a slight hint of raisins, which was complemented nicely with a smooth and spicy warming finish.
Weighing in at a hefty 9.2% ABV, this beer is made to be sipped, preferably after a hard day’s work, which is much the opposite from Beast Ice, which was made to be pounded at any given hour, preferably an early one (say, before 10am). So the next time you’re tempted to snub an ice beer, make sure it’s not the Kulmbacher Eisbock– this is no beer to knock!
