7.3

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

1 liter swing top bottle into lager glass; Bottle 881/1862, bottled in October 2012. Pours lightly hazy reddish copper color with a nice 1-2 finger dense light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with some moderate streaming carbonation. Aromas of pear, apple, grape, caramel, toast, brown sugar, brown bread, floral, light pepper, light nuttiness, and herbal earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and decent strength. Taste of pear, apple, grape, caramel, toast, brown sugar, floral, light roast, brown bread, pepper, and herbal earthiness. Lingering notes of light fruits, caramel, toast, brown bread, floral, pepper, light roast, and herbal earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Solid balance of bready and toasted malt with fruity notes; with solid complexity and minimal cloying sweetness present after the finish. It was overly fruity at first, but it balanced out a bit as it warmed to room temperature. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy, slick, and lightly crisp mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with nearly zero warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a good Dunkel lager style. Pretty good balance of malt, fruit, and earthy flavors; and very smooth to drink. A nicely enjoyable offering.