Warsteiner Premium Dunkel - Warsteiner Brauerei

Groomsy

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

11.2 ounce bottle, dated 22 Sep. 11, poured into a pilsner glass. Purchased as a single in a mixed six-pack. Review taken from notes and recent memory. Consumed on 05/07/2011.

Appearance: The body is a dark brown/cola type of color with hints of ruby red when held to the light. Topped off by off-white/beige colored head of a foamy consistency, which left behind chunky rings of lacing while consumed. The head eventually dwindled to a complete cap of foam on top of the beer but stayed persistent.

Smell: A pleasant nuttiness and roasted grain smell was what I noticed at first, followed by some crisp lager yeast esters and a touch of caramel and earthy hops. This smells good, but it's way too weak in the nose. I had to seriously concentrate to draw all of these elements out of the aroma. Has all the elements a dunkel should have without being outstanding, but this is just too weak in the nose.

Taste: On par with the smell, but still weak in my opinion. Good for what it is, but it could be much stronger. Barely-there notes of caramel hit the front of the palate followed by some earthy hops and slight roasted nuttiness. The finish brings out some mineral/sulfur flavors, something which I feel like didn't mesh too well with the more chill characteristics of the beer. The flavors in the finish grew as the beer warmed, and although it wasn't totally offputting, it detracted from the other flavors. Very weak dark lager, but still drinkable. I just wanted more strength out of the flavor.

Mouthfeel: I know this is a lager, and it certainly shows in the crisp and drying finish, leaving few if any flavors behind. The body, though medium in consistency, feels too highly carbonated and watery. Easy to drink with a meal but it's somewhat filling.

Overall: Very average beer overall. Easy to drink, and for what flavor is there, it's tasty, but it's just weak in all departments; and for that, I say "nay"; I wouldn't go after this again.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2011 17:03:06 | More by Groomsy

bakoebel

Iowa

4/5  rDev +15.6%

06-19-2013 02:28:14 | More by bakoebel

Foam

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

A good German session dunkel, imho .
On the thin side / low a.b.v. but it's for sure , a good lager .
A dark caramel appearance, an aroma that follows the same characteristics .
I could see buying a full case of this stuff and session-ing a bunch in pretty much any season of the year which is the thing I realized - it's a good year-round brew .
I don't quite understand the lower scores/reviews for this beer ... too many bitter hop nazis on here ...

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2013 00:46:36 | More by Foam

MaddDogg84

Texas

4/5  rDev +15.6%

06-15-2013 23:16:50 | More by MaddDogg84

TheBeeraholic

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +1.2%

06-15-2013 17:54:42 | More by TheBeeraholic

NYR_Rob

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +1.2%

06-14-2013 23:35:23 | More by NYR_Rob

djre4orm

Virginia

2.5/5  rDev -27.7%

06-13-2013 18:06:38 | More by djre4orm

Chuck_25

Kansas

3.5/5  rDev +1.2%

06-12-2013 22:23:00 | More by Chuck_25

Brew33

Ohio

2.5/5  rDev -27.7%

06-12-2013 16:40:19 | More by Brew33

KStark

British Columbia (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -6.1%

06-12-2013 14:27:30 | More by KStark

chuckgfk

Alaska

3.25/5  rDev -6.1%

06-11-2013 21:59:47 | More by chuckgfk

tectactoe

Michigan

3.04/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.75

Warsteiner Premium Dunkel pours a dark brown color; kind of old and woody looking with the smallest possible red tint you could imaging. It exhibits good clarity and is topped off with a voluptuous beige can that grows huge and sticks generously to the inside of the glass. It leaves behind sheets of lacing at it slowly descends towards the top of the brew.

Huge Munich malt aroma; large boasts of heavily-toasted bread and a decent helping of slightly metallic-tinted caramel. Very doughy and bready with a little bit of cocoa powder hidden in the background, combining to form a slight cookie dough aroma. Fresh, crisp lager yeast crowds the end and smells great; very solid aroma overall, and it's much more powerful and robust than you might expect for a lighter beer.

Sadly, the taste is slightly less intriguing; it's kind of watered down a bit underwhelming considering that fact that my nostrils are still more than pleased. The water is very "mineral" tasting and rough with a thick and heavy yeast taste from start to finish. The yeast is pretty nice, but the chalky mineral essence, I could do without. Middle-to-end, it's pretty grainy with a much, much lighter caramel presence than the aroma would signify.

Toasted breads are still evident, but again, much more subdued and muted. Diacetyl is unfortunately more noticeable than I believe it should be, as I'm picking up quite a large buttery popcorn kernel flavor, especially in the aftertaste. Carbonation is pretty spot on, and I really have no complains about the thin-medium mouth feel. Crisp, somewhat dry finish with a nice snap.

Well, the aroma was awesome. And that's pretty much all I have to say about that. Quite a let down on the palate, with some strange off-flavors that hindered an already unimpressive flavor profile - minerals, chalk, heavy butter. Without those, this beer would have been okay. As is, it's floating right around "medicore". Not so bad I wouldn't drink it again, but I'd definitely never order one again on my own. Unless it was a candle.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 17:01:18 | More by tectactoe

Odri

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +1.2%

06-07-2013 02:01:35 | More by Odri

gartlesby

Texas

3.5/5  rDev +1.2%

06-04-2013 18:38:34 | More by gartlesby

ChrisHartz

Illinois

2.75/5  rDev -20.5%

06-03-2013 04:01:11 | More by ChrisHartz

screamking

Ohio

3.79/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

12oz bottle poured into pint glass.

Pours like your typical dunkel, middle brown with a off white head. I think this beer is a little underrated. Lots of people have tried this in the past and simply never go back. This was a staple in my rotation when I first got into beer, and now comin back to it, I must say it holds up better then most. Bold flavors for a dunkel, yet still very easy to drink. You can get this beer everywhere, even most gas stations carry it. Add to that the low price for a 12-pack, I can get it around me for 10 bucks/per 12. Solid.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 18:19:28 | More by screamking

Miha

Slovenia

3.5/5  rDev +1.2%

06-01-2013 23:44:17 | More by Miha

mikehillman

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +1.2%

05-31-2013 16:53:47 | More by mikehillman

herrburgess

South Carolina

2.75/5  rDev -20.5%

05-28-2013 16:53:38 | More by herrburgess

Kingcurio

Oklahoma

3.5/5  rDev +1.2%

05-27-2013 23:08:54 | More by Kingcurio

KS1297

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +30.1%

05-27-2013 21:41:21 | More by KS1297

JackRB

Ohio

4/5  rDev +15.6%

05-27-2013 03:47:42 | More by JackRB

bmac093

Florida

3.75/5  rDev +8.4%

05-25-2013 09:10:37 | More by bmac093

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -6.1%

05-24-2013 00:04:14 | More by Slatetank

kvnstfrd

Missouri

4/5  rDev +15.6%

05-23-2013 13:03:15 | More by kvnstfrd