The Triangle

Issue date: 2/6/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Karl Kuchs

Here's to the official beer review of The Triangle! Each week I'll be ranking different beers from my own personal scale: The Suds-o-Meter. Rankings will take into account looks, tastes, smells, inebriation levels and all that other stuff that makes beer so good (or so bad). But enough of this formality crap: let's talk brewski.

I've realized that although I've tried a wide assortment of beers, I've been neglecting lagers almost entirely. Although many of the crazier and more exciting beers that I've had are ales, there's got to be some good lagers out there, right?

Why else would they be made if they were all bad? This week's style is an interesting one since it's one we all know about without even realizing. This week we'll be exploring the eisbock.

As you could guess, this style originates from Germany. Translated as "ice beer," this style is defined not by the way it is created, but rather by the process the beer goes through after brewing.

An eisbock starts off as a typical bock, which is a traditional German beer. Defined by heavy malt character, bocks are a staple and popular lager in Germany.

However, bocks are transformed to eisbocks via placing barrels of the beer in extremely cold temperatures.

If you paid attention in chemistry, you would remember that certain things freeze before others. Since water has different scientific properties than the rest of the ingredients, the water in the barrels freezes first and becomes ice. At this point, the blocks of ice are removed, therefore leaving a more concentrated lager. Some "examples" of this style include your favorites like Natty Ice and Bud Ice. Seriously, do not worry: not all eisbocks taste like the piss water flavor that you're so used to. With this, our beer this week is Kulmbacher's Eisbock.

The label is very unique - silver with rainbow holograms all over. It is definitely something different but intriguing nonetheless.

When poured out, the beer is a very deep ruby color and is topped with a fine layer of bubbles. There's nothing to complain about here - we've got a nice looking beer.

The nose is sweet, but not overpowering. A molasses flavor comes through in combination with some darker fruits and malt.

As it warms up, the smell grows increasingly potent and creates a superior overall blend of aromas.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools