Munich
Brauerei Fahr

I like Guinness.
I like Munich.
Both are soft, smooth and tasty with a good head poured into mug.

Clear, dark brown body; nice carbonation; relatively thin yet lasting head, light khaki in color. Faint malt aroma. Rich malt flavor offset with a temperate hop bitterness; hints of chocolate and charred grain husk; toffee; a touch of brown sugar. Medium body; semi-sweet with a bit of dryness underneath; generally smooth feeling.

A nice, easy drinking dark lager filled with dark malt flavors. It has a great ABV level, drinks easily, and is perfect when a Baltic porter or a stout or porter just seems a bit too much.

Pouring temperature: 41 °F; canning data: unknown

Poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours almost black with nice light tan head. Head retention is strong. Nose is toffee, malts, dark bread, light black licorice, and some great dark fruits. Wonderful nose. Taste is rich toffee, freshly baked dark bread, dark roasted malts, dark chocolate, dark cherries, and slight chewing tobacco. Great mixture of sweet and bitter on the back end. Mouthfeel is medium bodied. This is just a wonderful deeply complex and rich beer. Spot on for a dark German beer. Amazing that this is coming out of Alberta. Will definitely buy a bunch!

Very dark brown with reddish tinge around the edges when held up to the light, with two fingers of frothy tan head that mostly recedes within minutes but leaves spotty lacing. Nose is dominated by plum and other dark fruit, something like dates or raisins. Some bready malt, a red wine-esque alcohol presence, can't quite detect any hops. The taste follows the nose, with more deep malty notes, less bread, more chocolate and dark fruit. Sweet chocolate finish. Wish there would be some more bready malt presence in the taste in keeping with the style. Balance is definitely on the sweet side, not sickly so, but you wouldn't want to swig these back too fast. The mouthfeel is medium-heavy, smooth, tiny bit sticky, but satisfying. Overall a satisfying dark lager, not the best of its style, but another solid offering from Fahr.

Fahr Munich pours into my glass crystal clear and a dark, leathery brown with ruby highlights. The head is rocky, cream colored, and has decent retention.

Rich, malty aromas are the first things I notice. I get a combination of cocoa, caramel, held together by an underlying nuttiness. Yeast and bread baking in the oven help soften Fahr's nose, keeping the aromas smooth, gentle, and enticing. Hints of damp earth allow Fahr Munich to retain a pleasant richness in the aroma as well.

Fahr Munich's mouthfeel is smooth, rich, and buttery in nature. Carbonation is subdued, allowing malt flavors to dominate. On the tongue I note flavors of toasted rye bread coupled with cocoa, caramel, and nuts. Also damp earth and something reminding me of dark, ripe plums before moving ino a finish of dry, roasted grains.

While Fahr Munich may not be a world class example of the Munich Dunkel, it's pretty darned good in its own right. It's rich, flavorful, and balanced. Fahr Munich has some nice complexities but is still accessible enough to be enjoyed by those just starting to explore the world of craft beer.

355ml can poured into tulip.

Pours a dark, root beer brown with one finger of rocky tan head that leaves distant thundercloud lace as it recedes.

Smells of plum pudding, toasted bread, caramel popcorn balls, sultana raisins, cocoa powder and faint noble hops.

Tastes of toasted brown bread, mild creamy coffee, muddled dark fruit, unsweetened cocoa powder dusting and more faint grassy hops.

Feels soft and mild. Medium bodied with frothy carbonation. Finishes off-dry.

Verdict: Highly recommended. I can see how this won a gold medal.