Dampf Punk
Switchback Brewing Company

Poured from a 12 oz stubbie with a birth date of 6/01/2022. Pours amber yellow with two fingers of head; good retention. Tastes of sturdy & slightly hoppy and good malt backbone. A solid beer that tastes great. Sturdy. Highly recommend for anyone having looking to chill and have a great beer.

 

 

From the stubby bottle, it pours a lightly hazy amber with a nice white head that lasts and leaves lacing. Spicy scent of hops in the nose. In the mouth, it is lightly hoppy and a bit malty. Nice!

 

Compare to Anchor Brewing's "Steam". I think it's a draw.
This beer has a cordial flavor that's tart but I other than that I can't find anything unique or really memorable. The flavor stance is not overly strong with a nice clean lasting finish. Hopefully this beer will be available during the summer months-- should be a delightful summertime thirst quencher.

 

Draught @ Brewery: This one pours a hazy, darker golden color. Wisp of a white head and some lacing. The nose is good. Somewhat earthy, malty, herbal and spicy. The taste is good. Malty, a hint of sourness, earthy, faint spices and herbs. A good steam beer!

Says it's a "hoppy California-style Common beer." It was what I call a fiver, 1-10 it's a five. Not good, not bad. It's simply another beer.

 

 

Pours a mild orange hue with a thin head. Sweet, malty in the nose. Crisp with a nice doughy taste in middle and just a touch of hops at the end. Easygoing, enjoyable example of a common ale. Worth a try!

Stubby 12 oz. Bottle bottled on 5/24/18 opened on 6/23/18

A cloudy look in the otherwise bright golden color. Light amber highlights and a tower of white foam, 3" high is pretty dense and stable. Switchback brews always have a very lively and active appearance, mostly due to the practice of adding or pitching live yeast into the bottle. Big, fat chunks of lace.

A very light smokey tinge to the mostly wheat and herb scented malty aroma. Earthy, green and spicy yeast and herbaceous scented hop combo pops out nicely. Peppery, herbal and grassy green hops add good depth to the nose.

A light to medium bodied feel, both zippy and smooth. The still levely yeast keeps in hopping. A crisp edge, medium texture with some slightly dry effects at the end.

Obviously going to compare the flavor to the flagship and grandaddy of all steam beers, Anchor! The slightly smokey and dense herbal tones reminds me very much of the Fritz version. A good representation of the style with some deeper, earthy, herbal and peppery notes from the otherwise slightly citric hops and lively yeast.

This is a nice change from my binge drinking of NEipa's and DIpa's. Simple, but tasty, unique to it's style with a classic Switchback signature.

 

Stubby bottle to lager glass.
The appearance was a semi-dark burnt orange to copper color/light brown with a finger's worth of white foamy head that slid off at a fair pace. Light lace ran here and there.
The aroma had a big earthy to oily hoppiness rolling over some caramel and bready malts.
The flavor was moderately sweet with a substantial amount of earthy to slightly bitter yet dry cracker-like quality. Oily earthy hoppy to cracker aftertaste.
The mouthfeel was between light and medium bodied with a fine sessionability about it. Carbonation felt fine. ABV felt fine. Semi-smooth yet capturing a modest earthy grip on my tongue.
Overall, odd California Common to me. I figure it's Switchback's way of re-inventing a style not as many people are interested in these days. I did like this for me, but it's no where close to an Anchor Steam, just saying.

 

From the stubby 12 oz. bottle dated 4/11/18. Sampled on May 2, 2018.

Slightly hazy looking golden yellow under a modest, fading white head. Lacing develops.

The aroma has a fine grainy barley malt presence, white bread, grass, and herbal quality. Maybe a yeasty character too.

Medium and smooth body.

The taste Is delightfully sweet, bready, with sage or rosemary rounding it off to a clean, lingering finish.

 

Switchback Brewing Co. "Dampf Punk"
on tap at the brewery on 6 June 2016
$2.75 for a 1/2 glass

I didn't know what to make of the name, and still don't, but it's decent "California Common" or "Steam beer" that's well brewed and nicely balanced with a raspy edge from the hops. I'd like a little more character from the yeast but at the same time I can see how this slick, clean version would sell better. Not unlike their flagship ale, this is really both accessible and drinkable. I now regret not having picked up a few bottles to take home.

S: A piney hops aroma dominates at a medium level with minty and woody notes. Low yeast esters and a touch of malt sweetness.

L: An amber ale with good clarity. Pours with a finger of persistent head is rocky in texture and off-white that settles into a thin layer of bubbles.

T: Woody and minty hop flavors dominate but are well balanced against a light malt sweetness. There is a medium amount of hops bitterness making for a moderately bitter beer. The finish is off-dry with a light fruity aftertaste along with some hops bitterness.

M: A medium bodied beer with a medium strong level of carbonation.

O: A refreshing and tasty California Common that has a good amount of hops without overwhelming the style.