Rubin
Kulmbacher Brauerei

 

Poured a dark opaque brown with a small head that left wonderful lacing and stayed with the beer to some extent until the very end. It certainly looks nice. Smell is VERY sweet and of raisins.
The taste is not as lovely as the appearance, I'm afraid. Sweet and malty, though not as heavy on sweetness as the aroma might suggest and no dried fruit flavour either. It tasted a lot like Malta Goya, the South American non-alcoholic malt beverage. It wasn't nearly as sweet or disgusting as that, but the flavour profile was reminiscent of it. Pretty bland, really. Just basic malt flavour, some mustiness (sort of like soy sauce) and a bit smoky, but really very basic. It was thick, sticky, malty, and completely lacking any complexity. I'm surprised that I dislike such a sweet, malty brew, but there just wasn't much to like in this beer. I may have liked it better if it was high in alcohol. And although I'm no fan of hops, it could have used just a few to balance it out. I tasted none whatsoever.