Hopfendunkel
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

 

 

 

 

In a somewhat reinvention of the classic style, Bell's Brewery looks at the German dunkel as a good candidate for an Americanized upgrade. Dry hoppping and an overall American craft attitude is all it takes to transform a taste.

Hopfendunkel (gesundheit!) pours with a light copper application on a brilliantly clear gold color. A creamy off white froth builds onto the beer before a grassy, citrusy and herbal array carries onto the nose. A malt forward upstart greets the tongue with a nutty, honey-like sweetness along with a mild toasted grain character of granola.

Floral aromas fall away and the malts begin to tighten into a drying, nutty and toasty taste flavor ahead of a tepid hop balance that just takes an edge off of the lingering malt influence. Woodsy, spicy and carrying a grassy and lemon quality, the bitterness is welcomed as it fuels a drinkable and even keel late palate.

Medium bodied but seemingly lighter from a slightly more assertive hop regimen, the lager pops on the palate as a creamy carbonation trends drying, crisp and pleasantly minerally. A minty hop linger invites a sense of green tea and verbena to further take a balance to honey and toast.