SweetWater Brewing Danktoberfest
This is the first of SweetWater Brewing’ Dank Tank sereis that I’ve had the opportunity to try. I can see why they are in such high demand. Released in limited quantities, the series of brews are (as expected in a run like this) high potency, packed full of flavor and a treat to drink. The brewery’s latest release is a 8.5% ABV Oktoberfest-style brew which — I’m not entirely sure — is the company’s first foray into lagering.
Brewed with a variety of German malts (Pilsner, Munich, Cara Munich, Aromatic, Dark Munich) as well as German hops (German Perle and Hallertau Mittelfruh), Danktoberfest is a pretty darn good first attempt at the style. I don’t think it’s quite as full-bodied as the brewery states in the press release that accompanied the sample bottle, but it sure is tasty and it certainly lives up to the “…huge amounts of heat…” warning.
Appearance
An one-finger cap of light tan foam sat briefly atop the clear, copper brew before falling rapidly to a thin collar around the surface.
Aroma
Bready malt, caramel, toffee, subtle roast and light, citrusy hops fill the nose with a pleasing scent.
Taste
The guys at SweetWater weren’t messing around when they said this thing had some heat — it certainly warms the core. But first, the tongue is greeted with a lightly roasted malt and caramel backbone as grassy, citrusy hops and grain join in. The beer has an earthy quality which I like. It’s a bit more lighter bodied than I expected for a big beer, but I don’t think that takes away from the experience. A soft carbonation delivers a late forming hop bitterness that tingles the tongue gently in the drying and very warming finish.
Overall
I’ve gotta tell you, this is a pretty solid first effort at a lager for a brewery known for their ales. For such a big beer in terms of alcohol, it’s still fairly drinkable with a decent balance between a solid malt character and the spicy, grassy hop counterpoint. It may not be as traditional or as rich as some versions of the style, but then again does it really need to be?
Rating: 3.75/5
This is a review of a promotional sample received from the brewery.
