Atwater Dunkel - Atwater Block Brewery

Baileyuk

Michigan

2.83/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured out of a bottle with a great head although it died down fairly fast. Color was a mid brown with a little cloudiness.

The smell was great. Tere was a great underlying lager smell with hop and malts present as well in pergect quantities.

Then it went wrong. I am still hoping this was a bad batch. It was a yeasty malty mess that stopped me finishing it. The aftertaste was actually okay which led me back for more sips. I gave .5 more due to this otherwise it would have been lower. The taste then spread to the nose.

If you took out the taste the body was a good coonsistency and carbonation, I will try this again at the MI Beer fest this weekend and see if it was a bad batch.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2008 00:57:37 | More by Baileyuk

tgavrilos

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +25%

03-14-2013 20:10:44 | More by tgavrilos

BlissJunkie

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev +2.9%

01-14-2013 18:26:36 | More by BlissJunkie

Dyerseve

Michigan

4/5  rDev +17.6%

12-30-2012 13:55:08 | More by Dyerseve

cliff1066

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev +2.9%

12-13-2012 05:40:30 | More by cliff1066

djrn2

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -11.8%

11-22-2012 21:49:34 | More by djrn2

harpus

Alabama

3.5/5  rDev +2.9%

10-06-2012 03:57:32 | More by harpus

MSUBrew

4/5  rDev +17.6%

04-14-2012 01:46:16 | More by MSUBrew

hgromadzki

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev +2.9%

02-18-2012 22:50:51 | More by hgromadzki

Tyrawlings

Ohio

3/5  rDev -11.8%

02-16-2012 16:18:24 | More by Tyrawlings

imperialking

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +2.9%

01-08-2012 22:37:38 | More by imperialking

EricCioe

Montana

3.45/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This pours a dark brown with a two finger offwhite head that doesn't stick long and leaves little lacing. On the nose there toasted malts combined with some caramel and an almost oatmeal like bit lingering underneath. In the mouth the taste repeats, the toasted caramel getting towards harsh but never quite making it. The body is medium light, definitely Atwater's weakspot. It's carbonated well leaving a nice roasty finish to go on for a while.

Overall, this is the best Atwater Block beer I've had, the only one that the body wasn't light to the point of distraction. It's not a great beer but it's plenty tolerable. Atwater: more such essays, please.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 19:40:47 | More by EricCioe

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a bottle of this into a pint glass. The color was a nice deep brown that was clear. The head was a light tan color. The aromas were roasted, malts some nuts and sugars. There wasn't much of a hops aroma. The Taste was slightly bitter and dry. The mouthfeel was on the lighter side for a dark beer. This brew was just a decent one for me. I can live without having this one again. But it might be worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2011 00:27:15 | More by Knapp85

metter98

New York

3.53/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is clear dark amber in color and poured with a thin white head that faded away leaving only a ring of bubbles on the surface around the edge of the glass.
S: The aroma is somewhat sweet and has some notes of caramel.
T: The overall taste is very similar to the smell.
M: It feels medium-bodied and very smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The beer is very easy to drink and is also a good representation of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2011 02:30:09 | More by metter98

nukem5

Pennsylvania

2.78/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours a clear almost black color with great cap of tan foam about 2 fingers thick.

S: Smells of bicuit malts and sweet breads also a hint of some fruits like plums.

T: Chocolate hints with some biscuity malts.

M: Medium body with a bit to much carbonation.

D: Pretty good overall drinkability a bit off for a dunkle but good non the less.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2011 00:27:30 | More by nukem5

StoutHunter

Michigan

4/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked up a 6 pack of this the other day since I was in the mood for a nice dunkel so I figured I would give it a try. Poured from a 12oz brown bottle into an imperial pint glass.

A- This beer poured a deep brown color with 3 fingers worth of tan lumpy head that died down to a half a fingers worth that stayed the rest of the time.

S- There's a mild presence of sweet slightly roasted malts, but that is quickly over powered by a very plastic like chemical smell. After reading some reviews I found a BA that said it smelled like some plastic water wings or a inflatable raft and I would say that is pretty dead on. The aroma is overall very confusing and bad.

T- Luckily the plastic doesn't carry through to the taste. The lightly roasted malts have a nice presence and are balanced well with the mild and grassy hops. Typical taste for a dunkle, nothing different just the normal flavors done well and balance well.

M- Medium bodied and overly carbonated.

D- I could have a couple of these, no problem. This beer goes down pretty smooth.

Overall this was a bit of a let down. I have had this beer before and liked it, but this batch seems off, every bottle from the 6 pack so far has been over carbonated and plagued with that horrid plastic smell. The taste was about were it should be for the style but the smell and over carbonation holds this beer back from hanging with the rest of the good dunkels. I think Atwater should look into some quality control issues with this brew.

EDIT: After finishing the rest of the 6 pack I found that some beers were even more of a gusher then the one i reviewed, and that 3 out of the 6 bottles had been infected with that horrible plastic taste.

EDIT2: Shortly after reviewing this beer I contacted the brewery to tell them about my infected six pack, they responded the next day, they apologized and told me it was and old batch and that they would be happy to contact my distributor and get me a replacement. Three weeks later I got an email from my local distributor telling me that they had dropped my beer of at local store. I went to pick it up and found they had given me two six packs instead of the one replacement. I think it was very nice of Atwater to do this, it shows that they really do care about their customers. This batch was spot on and just as good as I remembered. I have updated the rating to reflect this. Thanks Atwater from making a great dunkel and for taking care of your customers.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2010 03:16:13 | More by StoutHunter

david18

New York

3.6/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This was my review from just a couple of weeks ago in bottle:

---
I bought this beer at my corner market for the sole reason that I had never seen it before. Overall it was a pretty good beer, and I'd be interested to try it on tap but I probably wont buy it in a bottle again.

Color was pretty dark, light brown to dark copper. Not a whole lot of aroma to it, a iittle biscuity. Taste was ok, refreshing, I don't think too strong.

Overall not bad and a good choice if most of the others are macros or beers you're bored with.

Serving type: bottle

---

The draft version was about the same as the bottle but may have been more enjoyable on draft as it had a nice dark color and flavor profile while being a light drinker in alcohol, making it sessionable.

Serving type: on-tap

11-22-2010 20:44:37 | More by david18

mrmanning

Ontario (Canada)

1.95/5  rDev -42.6%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Bottle sample courtesy of my friend Nick- A deep cola pour with a frothed beige cap. Nose of spoiled cabbage and smoke, some fruit. Tastes of sweet cabbage, smokey chocolate, bitter fruits. Medium bodied, nasty cabbage aftertaste. Unfortunately a drainpour.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2009 14:10:10 | More by mrmanning

ThaBobfather

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a darker brown/penny color with an huge helping of medium/thick tan head.
Smell is faint of malted grain and some sweet yeast.
Taste is solid with malted flavor with a great body of grainy/breadness.
Finish is wet with a small malt after-taste.
Drinks very smooth, sessionable with the best Munich Dunkels.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2009 03:53:19 | More by ThaBobfather

colts9016

Idaho

3.1/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Deep mahogany with a thin tan head.
Smell: Roasted Malt, molasses, nutty with a slight ester.
Taste: It is a thin watery medium body with toasted malt and a bit of nuttiness and hint of sweetness like molasses.
Overall: This beer had a decent nose but lack in the taste department.The mouthfeel is slightly astringent.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2008 02:11:37 | More by colts9016

nick76

Florida

2.68/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

This one has a significant yuck-yum factor. The aroma is alright. It's light but mildly chocolaty, with cream soda, brown sugar, tea, and dark malts. The appearance is brown with a medium sized head. The flavor is where this one starts to have problems. You first get a bad fruitiness that is like over ripe watermelon and basil then a nice chocolaty, dark malt flavor follows. Finally there is an astringent bitter aftertaste. The palate is thin. This one has major problems with off flavors but there is potential.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2008 08:23:04 | More by nick76

WakeandBake

Michigan

2.38/5  rDev -30%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Bottle. A dark brown pour with way too much head,foam all over. Aroma of dark bread and burnt plastic. Flavor is heavy on the malt, like burnt caramel,tea and something else ? Sorry this was not for me. I will try this again if I get the chance to see if maybe the sample was just bad.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2008 21:11:51 | More by WakeandBake

AgingWarrior

Florida

2.75/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

I bought a six pack at my local Albertsons. Poured into my Sam Adams beer glass and the moderate pour produced about 4 inches of head and the remaining beer in the bottle was almost all foam, too. Needless to say, this brew is over carbonated. I dumped the first bottle and poured the second bottle very slowly and it produced a medium brown brew with many bubbles and a nice two finger tan head.

Smell is pretty good. The nice subtle maltiness I'm expecting from a dunkel. It's not overpowering, but light and sweet.

The taste is a bit of a disappointment. Too much carbonation as previously mentioned and a bit thin for the style.

Mouth feel again suffers from too much carbonation, I didn't get the creamy smooth feel of a dunkel.

Drinkability is average due mostly to the carbonation. I had great hopes for this brew and was completely let down.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2008 21:18:00 | More by AgingWarrior

becktone

Ohio

2.83/5  rDev -16.8%
look: 1 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Eye: Okay, so I thought perhaps I just had a poor sixer of the pils, that is it being way too overcarbonated, however this seems to be a brewery wide problem. I've poured the beer and the glass is completely full of foam, there is 1 cubic inch liquid to 3.5 cubic inches foam. Now the beer left in the bottle, well its exactly at the top of the label. This is pathetic, quality control issues. Color is great, a nice reddish mahogany but the head just kills everything, it gets in the way of the rest of the beer, because I know that I'm going to have to wait forever until this beer gets to the point where the head has settled enough for me to pour the rest of it in the glass, then repeat, and repeat, and finally maybe I'll be able to drink it. Its not that hard to properly naturally carbonate a beer, I do it all the time, and I've never had a problem this bad, I mean out of two sixers, I know that all 12 will be like this. One of them was so bad it was a gusher! As soon as I opened it foam erupted out of the top, I had to run to a sink so it wouldn't get all over the carpet. There is no excuse for this from a professional brewery with the technology and equipment that they most definitely possess.

Nose: There are some sweet malts in there, however the plastic "water-wing/inflatable raft" smell is really getting to me. Under that I can smell some dark fruit, prunes and sweet malt syrup-rich dark malt aromas. Aroma is mixed, first I'll get the beer's aroma and the next time I put my nose to the glass I get toddlers in water-wings, then the beer's aroma again, and the cycle continues. Really weak aroma, that is overcome by a plastic aroma.

Tongue: If you can get past everything else that is negative about this beer, it actually has a decent flavor, however I can still see a toddler lurking next to the kiddie pool with his water-wings on, keeping his tiny head above the mixture of piss and water that only he has no problem frolicking in. Nice rich malt flavor mingled with some darker fruit flavors-prunes/plums. The yeast also adds some flavor to the blend here, hard to put a finger on but when you taste it you know there's something here from the yeast.

Mouthfeel and Drinkability: As with the Pils from Atwater, this is another case study in quality control, it is overcarbonated to the nth degree and that smelly little kid is still waddling around with his water-wings on, or a fat lazy guy at the public pool sitting on a raft with his head and the zenith of his belly just above water-the raft sunken under water by his weight, but still having enough buoyancy to keep his head and hairy navel above the water for all the world to see-the point is this plasticy aroma-band aids. And as with the Pils it also finishes quite dry. I'm on the sidelines as to whether I'd buy this again, I might at a much later date just to see if I was just having bad luck with the batches and carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2008 22:00:03 | More by becktone

pwoods

Ohio

3.58/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz. brown bottle, purchased at Party Source, poured into a flute. No dating.

A: Pours a gentle Mahogany with crimson tinting when back lit. A big eggshell head forms and hangs on for quite a bit. Nice fluffy lacing.

S: Malty and sweet. A tad yeasty and buttery.

T/M: Rich and sweet. Plenty of yeast as a nice tang to things. Malts are buttery and nutty with a bit of chewiness to them despite a semi thin body. Carbonation is decently high.

D: Easy to drink and a decent dunkel.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2008 03:10:11 | More by pwoods