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Dampf Loc
Local Option
- From:
- Local Option
- Illinois, United States
- Style:
- California Common / Steam Beer
- ABV:
- 5.3%
- Score:
- 83
- Avg:
- 3.65 | pDev: 13.7%
- Reviews:
- 43
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Nov 01, 2019
- Added:
- Nov 24, 2011
- Wants:
- 9
- Gots:
- 11
Dampf Loc is an all-barley warm fermented ale brewed by the folks from Chicago’s Local Option; inspired by “Dampfbier” (literally “steam beer”) originally crafted by medieval peasant inhabitants of southeast Bavaria. During the fermentation process generous amounts of foam and surface bubbles burst in the tank, giving the illusion that the ferment is boiling or “steaming.” Tony Russomanno and Noah Hopkins took it upon themselves to brew Dampf Loc as a modern interpretation of its Teutonic predecessor, creating a “Hefe Gerste” ale that is true to its roots; unmistakable in character yet accessible to beer drinkers of all palates.
Dampf Loc has a mild hop profile, medium body with pleasant effervescence and a clear, rich, orange hue. Dampf Loc is ideal for warm months, yet enjoyable year round.
Dampf Loc has a mild hop profile, medium body with pleasant effervescence and a clear, rich, orange hue. Dampf Loc is ideal for warm months, yet enjoyable year round.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Goblinmunkey7:
Reviewed by Goblinmunkey7 from Massachusetts
3.49/5 rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.49/5 rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Slight chill haze on an orange-tinged gold color. Head is small, bubbly, and bright-white. Lively carbonation on the pour.
Smell: Pale malt sweetness. A hint of wheat with a mild cracker snap in the back. Lightly bready with a small citrus hop element. Clean. Lightly floral. Super mellow and easy. A hint of apple skin. Some mild fruity esters and a clean yeast.
Taste: Light malty sweetness. Clean pale malts. Slight push of fruity esters. Lightly toasted with some undercooked bread. Hops are leafy with a small citrus and herbal push. Clean yeast. Slight smack of something like wheat on the finish. A touch of caramel sweetness as well.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light body. Moderate carbonation. Clean and slightly crisp.
Overall: It could see regular rotation.
The better of the two beers I picked up from Local Option. Nice and clean and easy. Unexciting, but that's ok.
Dec 09, 2013Smell: Pale malt sweetness. A hint of wheat with a mild cracker snap in the back. Lightly bready with a small citrus hop element. Clean. Lightly floral. Super mellow and easy. A hint of apple skin. Some mild fruity esters and a clean yeast.
Taste: Light malty sweetness. Clean pale malts. Slight push of fruity esters. Lightly toasted with some undercooked bread. Hops are leafy with a small citrus and herbal push. Clean yeast. Slight smack of something like wheat on the finish. A touch of caramel sweetness as well.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light body. Moderate carbonation. Clean and slightly crisp.
Overall: It could see regular rotation.
The better of the two beers I picked up from Local Option. Nice and clean and easy. Unexciting, but that's ok.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by ZebulonXZogg from Illinois
2.74/5 rDev -24.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
2.74/5 rDev -24.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A birthday gift from John and Lorene, poured from 16.9 oz bottle into my my trusty Lagunitas mason jar.
L: It pours an appealing foggy golden orange with a small eggshell colored head and a nicely laced glass.
S: Sweet malts, yeast and a hint of bread.
T: Sweet, bready.
F: A medium to light texture, nicely carbonated.
O: This strikes me as being a better beer than I'm giving it credit for, it seems to be well made, it's really just not my style.
Dec 20, 2017L: It pours an appealing foggy golden orange with a small eggshell colored head and a nicely laced glass.
S: Sweet malts, yeast and a hint of bread.
T: Sweet, bready.
F: A medium to light texture, nicely carbonated.
O: This strikes me as being a better beer than I'm giving it credit for, it seems to be well made, it's really just not my style.
Reviewed by ordybill from Georgia
4.34/5 rDev +18.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
4.34/5 rDev +18.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 500 ML bottle into a pint glass. The appearance is a murky golden amber with a medium sized white head. The aroma is very fruity with some caramel. The taste is light caramel with some fruit, has faint hops in the background.
Nov 26, 2016Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)
3.7/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.7/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Dampf Loc isn't the kind of beer to light any sparks on first impression; a fairly dull tone of golden-amber, it's mired with yeast sediment and has a head that looks like soap scuzz. Frankly, I don't even get the name (which they apparently like enough to have trademarked). Is it a pun?
While said to be inspired by Middle Ages Bavaria, the results indicate a stronger influence from that relatively new brewery on Mariposa Street in San Francisco. It's true that both medieval European peasants and gold-rush era Americans drank something called 'Steam Beer' ("Dampfbier") but the two are not the same thing. One uses a lager yeast and the other an ale strain prototypical of Hefeweizens...
And the absence of even one of banana, clove, citrus, vanilla or bubblegum in this aroma definitely rules out the latter. I could be wrong, but it doesn't smell like it. No, this bouquet shares the light fruitiness, caramelly malt and subtle woodiness of Anchor Steam, the defining example of American steam beer.
In fact, I'd wager a fresh bottle of Dampf Loc would fare quite favourably up against that California classic. This has the same kind of easy, affable drinkability and a similarly malty flavour profile that's also checked with firm (but not overt) hoppiness and mild fruit esters. I'd be curious to try them side-by-side.
Aside from the usual "brewed with the finest ingredients" claim, the label lists 'time and temperature' next to barley, hops, yeast and water. Rightfully so. These elements matter much more than the actual ingredients themselves. This keen attention to detail is reflected in the final product.
I don't know that any brewer can claim their recipe "unmistakable in character" to something from half a millennia ago that ostensibly went extinct a hundred years before they ever even touched a paddle, and I furthermore maintain that what's in the glass doesn't actually resemble the style on paper. But hey, whatever it is or was meant to be, it turned out pretty well. So by all means keep selling it.
Feb 07, 2016While said to be inspired by Middle Ages Bavaria, the results indicate a stronger influence from that relatively new brewery on Mariposa Street in San Francisco. It's true that both medieval European peasants and gold-rush era Americans drank something called 'Steam Beer' ("Dampfbier") but the two are not the same thing. One uses a lager yeast and the other an ale strain prototypical of Hefeweizens...
And the absence of even one of banana, clove, citrus, vanilla or bubblegum in this aroma definitely rules out the latter. I could be wrong, but it doesn't smell like it. No, this bouquet shares the light fruitiness, caramelly malt and subtle woodiness of Anchor Steam, the defining example of American steam beer.
In fact, I'd wager a fresh bottle of Dampf Loc would fare quite favourably up against that California classic. This has the same kind of easy, affable drinkability and a similarly malty flavour profile that's also checked with firm (but not overt) hoppiness and mild fruit esters. I'd be curious to try them side-by-side.
Aside from the usual "brewed with the finest ingredients" claim, the label lists 'time and temperature' next to barley, hops, yeast and water. Rightfully so. These elements matter much more than the actual ingredients themselves. This keen attention to detail is reflected in the final product.
I don't know that any brewer can claim their recipe "unmistakable in character" to something from half a millennia ago that ostensibly went extinct a hundred years before they ever even touched a paddle, and I furthermore maintain that what's in the glass doesn't actually resemble the style on paper. But hey, whatever it is or was meant to be, it turned out pretty well. So by all means keep selling it.
Reviewed by Czequershuus from Minnesota
4.24/5 rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.24/5 rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This beer pours a pale copper color with a medium sized head. The aroma of fresh baked whole grain bread hits me first, followed by some peppery spice, as well as earthy and floral tones. The doughy malt and peppery spice are the star of the flavor, giving a wonderfully dry impression. The floral notes also come through on the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is full and fizzy. Overall this is a very enjoyable beer, balanced and full on pleasing flavors.
Jan 30, 2016Reviewed by BeerWithMike from Nebraska
3.79/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.79/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Sampling right now on 11/12/15. Comes in a 500ml (1 pint, 0.9 ounce) bottle that I picked up in the discount bin for $3.00 last week over at the Hy-Vee in Council Bluffs, Iowa across the river. From the Pub Dog Brewing Company in Westminster, Maryland (says on side of label). Bottle chilled down to 36 degrees F in my beer cooler and poured in to a tall .5L handled-French Jelly glass.
Brew pours a hazy burnt-orange in color with a 1-finger creamy/foamy off-white head that finally settles down to 3mm after 20 minutes. Pencil-like streaks of lacing is seen when sipped that slowly goes back down the sides of the glass. Aroma is of sweet malts and yeast for the most part. Gonna say the taste is the same with maybe a little hint of spice. Pretty smooth finish with a sweet malty finish that is slightly dry. Don't recall having this style of brew before. Anyways, it is decent and drinkable. Medium-bodied with medium carbonation.
Nov 13, 2015Brew pours a hazy burnt-orange in color with a 1-finger creamy/foamy off-white head that finally settles down to 3mm after 20 minutes. Pencil-like streaks of lacing is seen when sipped that slowly goes back down the sides of the glass. Aroma is of sweet malts and yeast for the most part. Gonna say the taste is the same with maybe a little hint of spice. Pretty smooth finish with a sweet malty finish that is slightly dry. Don't recall having this style of brew before. Anyways, it is decent and drinkable. Medium-bodied with medium carbonation.
Reviewed by logicalparadox from New York
3.94/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
3.94/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Pours a deep amber; cloudy, seething with floating bits of... Stuff. Unfiltered, and enticing. Nice 2-3 finger head that deflates quickly, but leaves a sludgy film atop the brew.
Aromas of cracker, malts, and, well something quintessentially beer.
The flavor is where it comes through. Like a cross between an American wheat, helles, and marzen. Semi sweet, with lots of malt character driving the forward profile. Biscuit, cracker, bread, and the good balance it nicely. Really, there is nothing world shaking or new here, no assault on the pallet. Just something that comes across as an accurate articulation of a medium to medium light brew.
Very smooth, creamy, buttery, and with some tooth to give it backbone.
A nice beer.
Oct 31, 2015Aromas of cracker, malts, and, well something quintessentially beer.
The flavor is where it comes through. Like a cross between an American wheat, helles, and marzen. Semi sweet, with lots of malt character driving the forward profile. Biscuit, cracker, bread, and the good balance it nicely. Really, there is nothing world shaking or new here, no assault on the pallet. Just something that comes across as an accurate articulation of a medium to medium light brew.
Very smooth, creamy, buttery, and with some tooth to give it backbone.
A nice beer.
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado
2.88/5 rDev -21.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
2.88/5 rDev -21.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
On-draught at Local Option. Notes below are truncated due to the review environment.
A: Head is Off-white, with about 2cm of width. Average characteristics. No lacing. 1.5 minute retention.
Body is a translucent albeit murky pale copper of below average vibrance. No yeast is visible within.
Looks oddly unfiltered for a steam beer...
Sm: Hefeweizen-esque clove and banana manifest, probably from the yeast. Light malts and general malt sweetness are all I pick up elsewise.
Aromatic intensity is average. Neither hoppy nor yeasty.
T: Grass, clove, faint banana, neutral American malts. Unbalanced but not imbalanced. Decently built. Average depth, duration, and intensity of flavour.
Not intricate/complex, subtly executed, or nuanced. Quite generic.
Mf: Smooth, wet, somewhat refreshing, Overcarbonated. Average thickness and heft. Medium-bodied. There's no harmony of texture and taste here.
O: Oddly German in its leanings, but not to its benefit. It's a drinkable little steam beer but never nails the style. Quite forgettable stuff from Local Option. I always like seeing more steam beers on the market, but this isn't particularly impressive.
C
Oct 07, 2015A: Head is Off-white, with about 2cm of width. Average characteristics. No lacing. 1.5 minute retention.
Body is a translucent albeit murky pale copper of below average vibrance. No yeast is visible within.
Looks oddly unfiltered for a steam beer...
Sm: Hefeweizen-esque clove and banana manifest, probably from the yeast. Light malts and general malt sweetness are all I pick up elsewise.
Aromatic intensity is average. Neither hoppy nor yeasty.
T: Grass, clove, faint banana, neutral American malts. Unbalanced but not imbalanced. Decently built. Average depth, duration, and intensity of flavour.
Not intricate/complex, subtly executed, or nuanced. Quite generic.
Mf: Smooth, wet, somewhat refreshing, Overcarbonated. Average thickness and heft. Medium-bodied. There's no harmony of texture and taste here.
O: Oddly German in its leanings, but not to its benefit. It's a drinkable little steam beer but never nails the style. Quite forgettable stuff from Local Option. I always like seeing more steam beers on the market, but this isn't particularly impressive.
C
Reviewed by creepinjeeper from Missouri
3.92/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.92/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
500ml bottle poured into a dimpled stein.
Look - Cloudy, slightly burnt orange in color.. Cream colored head that settles into lasting lacing.
Smell - Toffee, sweet grass, wet biscuit.
Taste - All malt. Sweet wet breat.
Feel - Lots of carbonation. Takes away any flavors that might linger on the tongue.
Overall - A steady beer made for easy drinking. Glad I tried it.
Oct 01, 2015Look - Cloudy, slightly burnt orange in color.. Cream colored head that settles into lasting lacing.
Smell - Toffee, sweet grass, wet biscuit.
Taste - All malt. Sweet wet breat.
Feel - Lots of carbonation. Takes away any flavors that might linger on the tongue.
Overall - A steady beer made for easy drinking. Glad I tried it.
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina
3.78/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.78/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
500 ml bottle poured into lager glass. No bottle dating found. Some sediment remained stuck to the bottom of the bottle.
Pours lightly hazy, copper-orange in color. There is a lot of visible carbonation that rises to a moderate size, off-white head with good retention. Some streaks and patches of sticky lacing cling to the glass.
Aroma: Earthy and herbal hops with grains in about equal measure but with the hops a little more prominent than the malty aspects. Hints of yeast, honey and mild spices.
Taste: More malty/bready than the aroma indicates. Hints of honey and apple juice. Mild bitterness even on the finish
Feel: Medium carbonation and body, with both leaning towards a higher level. Smooth and soft.
Overall: a good beer for sure, but not as distinctive as the description (e.g., "unmistakable in character") suggests. Enjoyment increased as I headed towards the bottom of the glass. Good with food.
Sep 02, 2015Pours lightly hazy, copper-orange in color. There is a lot of visible carbonation that rises to a moderate size, off-white head with good retention. Some streaks and patches of sticky lacing cling to the glass.
Aroma: Earthy and herbal hops with grains in about equal measure but with the hops a little more prominent than the malty aspects. Hints of yeast, honey and mild spices.
Taste: More malty/bready than the aroma indicates. Hints of honey and apple juice. Mild bitterness even on the finish
Feel: Medium carbonation and body, with both leaning towards a higher level. Smooth and soft.
Overall: a good beer for sure, but not as distinctive as the description (e.g., "unmistakable in character") suggests. Enjoyment increased as I headed towards the bottom of the glass. Good with food.
Reviewed by justinp444 from Michigan
3.83/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.83/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a dark straw orange yellow with a 2 and a half inch thick head. Smell of lager yeast, caramel, sweet malt, and floral. Taste is melon, caramel, citrus, some floral, big bread-y malt, and a little sweet and bitter. It has a big crisp mouth feel and a moderate to light body. Really is a style of it's own and not so much like a american steam beer.
Aug 20, 2015
Dampf Loc from Local Option
Beer rating:
83 out of
100 with
171 ratings
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