Dunkel
KC Bier Co.

DunkelDunkel
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From:
KC Bier Co.
 
Missouri, United States
Style:
Munich Dunkel
Ranked #48
ABV:
5%
Score:
87
Ranked #16,852
Avg:
3.87 | pDev: 10.34%
Reviews:
43
Ratings:
139
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 13, 2024
Added:
Feb 20, 2014
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  41
Dunkel” means dark, and our Dunkel copies the traditional brown Munich lager that was the most widely drunk beer in Bavaria at the turn of the 20th Century. Dunkel is made from amber colored Munich malt. Germans approach dark beer from a different direction than their Belgian and British neighbors. Instead of using a small amount of high-color, dark-roasted or caramelized malt, Germans use a lot of low or medium color malt that avoids the acrid bitter roastiness or burnt sugar flavors found in stouts and porters. Dunkel is a medium -bodied beer with a slightly sweet, toasted bread crust malt flavor and smooth finish accentuated with just enough noble bitterness to balance the malt.

18 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Wobbly:
Photo of Wobbly
Reviewed by Wobbly from Missouri

4.38/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
This is one of the best attempts at the classic German style from an American brewery. It is so smooth yet complex, with a drink-ability befitting of the style. A very floral beer, with rich malty notes. A lovely bloom with a proper amount of lacing. A true gem.
Aug 28, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.8 by cgrunin from Texas

Jan 13, 2024
Photo of TGT
Reviewed by TGT

4.66/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Kc Bier Dunkel poured into pint mason jar.

Smells malty/roasty with subtle chocolate/coffee notes.

Pours a deep copper hue, with lively carbonation and a pillowy pale tan head.

Mouthfeel is light and bubbly, which is a nice contrast to the deeper roasted malt flavors. Finishes fairly clean with some coffee/chocolate/malt lingering on the palate.

Some bittering hops. But they take a back seat to the malt characteristics of this beer. Another solidly done German style by KC Bier Co. I
Jan 06, 2024
Photo of travis1108
Rated by travis1108 from Missouri

3.74/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Maybe one of my favorite brown lagers.
Toasty chocolate flavor but a little watery on the finish.
Dec 11, 2023
Photo of Suds
Reviewed by Suds from Missouri

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From a typical brown bottle, this beer pours a lightly hazy amber color. The head is off-white. What an aroma…gristly malty with chocolate and toast in the aroma. Wonderful smell. The taste has a bit of bitterness and not nearly the sweetness that I expected from the smell. It is balanced well and has a medium body. Wonderful Dunkel.
Nov 23, 2023
Photo of MonDak_Joe1953
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz bottle. Date stamp reads 'Pack on 030123'.
Deep amber colored body. One finger of off white head. No lacing.
Aroma of baked bread and chocolate.
Taste is spicy baked dark bread. Malt dominant. Sweet honey touch. Dark toasted malt in the aftertaste.
Medium mouth feel. Smooth texture with a slightly drying finish. Good carbonation.
Tasty dunkel, with a dark bread expression.
Oct 23, 2023
Photo of bbtkd
Reviewed by bbtkd from South Dakota

4.21/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
KC Bier Dunkel (Munich Dunkel), 5% ABV. Pours deep brown with a two-finger tan head the left light lacing. Nose is malty and bready. Taste follows, faintly sweet, slightly bitter. Excellent mouthfeel, overall excellent. I'd pick this over any Oktoberfest I've had, great fall beer.
Sep 13, 2023
Photo of JerzDevl2000
Reviewed by JerzDevl2000 from New Jersey

3.99/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I’ve been on the road for nearly three months. I’m in Kansas now off of I-35 and this is the beer that’s “local” here. With Oktoberfest in full swing now, this was enough to get me in the mood over the macros that everyone else is drinking here…

Hard to get a good read on this since plastic cups were all that I had to pour this into but of course, it was a ruddy brown with a soft, bubbly head of foam that capped it off and never fully went away. Loads of dark bread, nuts, caramel, and sweetness in the subdued nose as cherry, molasses, and chestnut emerged on the palate. This leans towards sweet although the spice and stickiness in the neck made this much more than one-dimensional, although it could have had some more overt hops and lacing left behind after each sip.

Thankfully, this was nicely carbonated, easily enjoyable, and true to stylistic form. Packaged in 5/30/23 and best by 11/30/23, this was a pleasant surprise for these parts as beers in the heartland aren’t quite like those back at home. Grab some sausage and a pretzel to go with this, and enjoy the season before autumn fully kicks in!
Sep 09, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by kabahc from Missouri

Jun 28, 2023
 
Rated: 3.5 by JLaw55 from Missouri

Jun 09, 2023
Photo of Franziskaner
Reviewed by Franziskaner from Missouri

3.67/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Amber colored with a fingernail of khaki on top. Light, soapy lacing on the glass. The aroma is caramel and sweet bready malt. I’m tasting some lightly nutty malt. The mouth is crisp and snappy.
Jun 08, 2023
 
Rated: 3.77 by Gagnonsux from Texas

May 19, 2023
 
Rated: 3.66 by dt_gbpackersfan from Missouri

Feb 04, 2023
Photo of mushroomcloud
Reviewed by mushroomcloud from Texas

4.06/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz bottled 8-29-22, opened 11-12-22.
Somewhere between 1 and 2 fingers of off white head with a slow fade. Amber body with very good clarity. Spotty, sticky lacing. Toasty nose, grain, light caramel, brown bread...very nice. Brown bread toasted, subtle earthiness and nuttiness in the flavor. Medium body and carbonation with a slight sweetness in a medium length finish. High drinkability with great aroma and flavor. Very Good.
Nov 13, 2022
Photo of Darkmagus82
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas

3.29/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
Served on tap in a pint glass
Appearance – The beer is served a medium brown color with a smell head of off white foam. The head fades rather fast leaving a light level of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is of a lightly roasted malt smell mixed with a good deal of chocolate and caramel as well as some notes of molasses and cherry. Along with these smells comes some grain and toast, as well as a touch of toffee and earth.
Taste – The taste begins with a strong showing of a sweet caramel, molasses, and chocolate sweetness. This is mixed with some lighter roastiness and a touch of coffee. The sweet far outpaces the malt, making this one rather difficult to start and finish. There are other flavors in there as well, with some toast and nut, as well as a bit of herbal hop.
Mouthfeel – The body is slightly thicker for the abv and style with a carbonation level that is average.
Overall – Not well balanced in my book. Way too sweet without enough roast to balance.
Oct 17, 2022
Photo of whynot44
Reviewed by whynot44 from Missouri

4.08/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Clear medium brown color with a nice off-white head and some decent lacing.
The aroma is lightly toasted bread and some nice nuttiness.
The taste is nice lightly toasted malt, light toasted crusty bread and a touch of caramel, a very light hint of chocolate and some herbal hops in the finish.
The body is light/medium, moderate carbonation, smooth and very drinkable.
Altogether, this is a very well done take on Munich Dunkel, very well balanced and well done, should be great with most food including, but not limited to BBQ, I enjoyed it with seafood.
Oct 17, 2022
Photo of harrypowers
Rated by harrypowers from Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Tastes and a smells of sweet toasted malt.

This is a nice light tasty “ you’re stuck in this airport for another two hours “ beer.
Oct 04, 2022
Photo of Beginner2
Reviewed by Beginner2 from Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Bought from the Monthly Microbrewed Beer Club. (I don't subscribe; I just enjoy rummaging through their remainders.) And KC Bier's Dunkel was a nice find. First, it a decent dunkel and I like their explanation below; not new, just an interesting contrast of how malts are used across the Bavarian to the Belgian to the British traditions. (The 3Bs.) Second, KC Bier provides proof to my theory that every city should have a specialized purveyor of craft lagers... and I just found KC's.

KC Bier's Dunkel Looks a pretty brown-amber, but more foam would be nice. Smells are classic sweet malt. Tastes balance the sweet with just enough hops. Medium-to-light mouthed. Largely true to style. Enjoyable with a BBQ sandwich made with, you guessed it, KC BBQ known as sweet and thick. So, this Dunkel paired well.

For the rest of my micro-review for KC Bier, I like their clean bottle labels and graphics of their website. Their Bavarian brewing specialty is noted above. And I like how KC's founders are two successful men who wanted, probably, a third act and started a brewery. For all that, they get very good Overall Hugs. Prost !
Aug 27, 2022
 
Rated: 3.55 by jmdavisson from West Virginia

Aug 27, 2022
 
Rated: 3.61 by Rhettroactive from Virginia

Jul 30, 2022
Dunkel from KC Bier Co.
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 139 ratings