Warsteiner Premium Dunkel - Warsteiner Brauerei

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

1.53/5  rDev -55.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Watery brown colour, with odd old smell. Tastes like sucking on a piece of cloth. If you really need to drink. Very grainy, too much carbonation. Like a club soda with some cheap gin or scotch drop poured in. Some malts, perhaps a hint of roast, acidic.

Serving type: on-tap

02-09-2005 03:56:53 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

2.63/5  rDev -24%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Lucent reddish brown or burnished dark bronze, take your pick. The pale beige head is soft and pillowy, doesn't last long at all and leaves an underwhelming amount of lace. The aroma is of toasted malt with the barest suggestion of brown sugar. Premium Dunkel doesn't smell very dunkelish to me at all. In fact, it's so lacking in aroma that it's difficult to appreciate much at all.

The flavor struggles to be average. It tastes like a pale lager whose pale malt was toasted a little longer than usual. The amount of malt is also lacking. Consequently, what should be a nutty, caramel-like flavor never materializes.

What we get instead is a harsh, bitter dryness with hints of metal shavings and a too-light body. It isn't quite as bad as all that, but it isn't too far removed from it either. What flavor is present fades to nothingness within seconds (short finishes aren't always bad).

I've never had what I consider to be a good Munich Dunkel Lager. I'm sure they exist and I'd love to have one some day. That day is not today however; Warsteiner Premium Dunkel just doesn't cut it. The back label actually reads 'because life is too short to drink cheap beer'. My thoughts exactly.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2004 16:16:21 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Very happy to finally be able to review this one. I love me some german beer, and a dark german lager is probably close to my favorite of the style. Now we had a heck of a night with all these brews going around so my reviews are shorter then normal but you can still get the point. Poured a nice dark brown with a big three inch plus foamy tan head coming across the top. Lots of carbonation and side glass lace throughout. Very malty semll, not alot of profile in the aroma. Taste was very dark, lots of sweet malty grains and a touch of cereal. Good dry finidh. Very smooth with good carbonation. Could have easily had several f these tonight with ease, but there were like 8 different beers being served and I had not had a bunch so I was gonna have to try some more. Overall this was just like I thought it would be and I was very happy with it. A damn fine beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2007 01:34:25 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.2/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The pour is sort of a cola brown color with a finger of off-white head.

S: Smells of burnt grain and burnt toast with some mild coffee aromas. There is a fairly strong amount of roasted malt and a mild nuttiness. Some caramel and toffee sweetness, but it's overwhelmed.

T: Starts off with a strong roasted malt and burnt toast flavor. Hints of coffee with a walnut-like nuttiness. Lightly sweet with some toffee and molasses, but there is a hint of acidity.

M: Fairly light in body with a medium level of carbonation.

O: Wasn't a fan of this one. Too much emphasis on the roast and it was a bit too much for such a light beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2011 18:09:28 | More by womencantsail

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

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

12 oz. bottle purchased at Total Wine in Kennesaw, Georgia. Best Before: Jan 23 09.

Appearance: Pours a clear, dark brown body with a thin, fizzy, but still slightly creamy off-white head.

Smell: Pale malts in the nose with supporting notes of spicy hops, stale nuts, and a very light vinous fruitiness.

Taste: Pale maltiness with light tastes of nutty molasses and honey. Very minor hints of apple and cherry fruitiness. Faint spicy hops and bitterness. A touch sour at times. Finishes relatively crisp.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium carbonation, though it's a bit fizzy.

Drinkability: Never immensely flavorful or exciting, but it is quite drinkable, I'll give it that much.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2008 04:06:06 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a dark caramel, but clear body with a small head; little retention and some lacing

Smell: A whiff of toasted malt

Taste: Caramel malt flavors dominate, with a subtle nutty flavor; the finish is dry and slightly bitter

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Very clean and drinkable; well-made but not outstanding

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2005 00:07:14 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

3.4/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Best before 5/25/12.

Pours a clear brown with a 1 inch puffy tan head that settles to a film on the top of the beer. Thin rings of lace form on the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, caramel, and some metallic and fruity aromas. Taste is of toasted malt, caramel, and some slight nutty flavors. A mild roasty bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a crisp carbonation with a bubbly mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that I got in a sampler pack but not something I would seek out on my own.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 22:04:45 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

2.25/5  rDev -35%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Bottle: Poured a deep clear brown color dunkel with a medium foamy head with average retention and no lacing. Aroma of light sweet caramel malt is pretty neutral. Taste is very bland with light caramel malt with not much character. Very bland and boring version of the style and not something I am about to buy again anytime soon.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2008 19:55:13 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.68/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Munich Dunkel done the Warsteiner way.

Smells lightly malty, toasty, and caramelly. Almost buttery and bready. Mildly sour with fruity notes of dates or nuts.

Looks solid brown with amber highlights. Quite clear for darkness. Light tan head laces well. Light to medium carbonation.

Tastes sweet but not overly malty. Breads, toasty, and caramels persist in the flavor. Detects brown sugar and butter popcorn in the body. Feels efforvescent and numbing to the toung. A bit grainy. Hop flavor and bitter only for balancing sweet. Creamy and slightly alcoholic to the palate.

Finishes sweet but not malty. Toasted flavor and bitter remains.

Impression: Nicely balanced, clean and crisp. Creamy dark lager.

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2005 03:06:52 | More by BEERchitect

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A clear, russett brown body is capped by a short head of creamy, off-white foam that holds well before dropping to a thin collar. The nose is clean with the exception of some slight lager yeast sulphur. It offers a light note of dark kilned malt, but it's neither chocolatey or roasty. Its medium body and fine, median carbonation leave it gently crisp and smooth in the mouth. The flavor reveals a bit more chocolate and dark caramel than the nose suggests (but not much more), and an edge of floral/grassy hops rounds it out. It finishes dry with some light residual bitterness and a mild, lingering, dark maltiness.

Serving type: on-tap

11-02-2003 03:02:21 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.03/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in a flared pokal at Bliss.

Nice: plenty o' new stuff for me at this Bliss tasting. This one pours a clear cola topped by a finger of dirty light-tan foam. The nose comprises light caramel and very light toasted white bread. That's about it, frankly. The taste brings in more of the same, with equal intensity (or lack thereof, really), with the added benefit of some light hard water. The body is pretty light, with a light moderate carbonation and a watery feel. Overall, a pretty standard dark Euro lager (regardless of city of origin/style), nothing offensive, nothing to really smile about. Definition of a slightly positive meh.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 21:49:23 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep brown to near-black in color, fine off-white head , but leaves very quickly. Soft, sweet aromas, hints of cocoa, raisins, nuts. Slightly harsh initial mouthfeel, light body, minimal texture, a little gritty, a little flinty. Very little character in this beer , not quite the flavor or sweetness one usually finds in the better dunkels. Something's missing, and we'll freely quote from Homer Simpson. "Hello? Taste?"

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2003 22:03:58 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

3.75/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a translucent brown color with a thick towering offwhite head. The aroma is good. It has a roasted malt scent with a sweet caramel aroma. It also has a dry yeast scent as well. The taste is decent. It has a very dry malty flavor that boasts of crystal malts and lager yeast. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a decent dunkel. I prefer them to be less dry and sweeter, but it goes down easy nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2005 02:35:20 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.43/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into a goblet. Beer is dark brown, tight white head forms, falls away leaving no lacing on the glass. Carbonation low.

Aroma minimal, very lager like, no hop or roast character, no alcohol, some cereal aroma, perhaps corn, not really appealing.

Beer is smooth, no clear flavor to me though. Its bland and goes down quick. Finishes cleanly. Some finer lagers this is the goals so I guess its OK, I just want to know that I'm drinking something. Beer is thin which is fine, drinkability is high, its like water. Its OK.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2009 01:27:51 | More by drabmuh

zeff80

Missouri

3.8/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a dark brown/mohogany color with a foamy, tan, one-finger head. Left nice trails of lace.

S - It smelled of wheat and roasted caramel malts.

T - Great roasted malt taste. Sweet with a little spicy kick.

M - It was soft and smooth. A medium-bodied beer.

D - This is another very good beer from Warsteiner. It reminds me of a good porter.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2007 17:06:31 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

3.55/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: The beer is dark amber in color and has a slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin white head that quickly dissipated and left lacy patterns of bubbles in the center and a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are slightly sweet aromas of caramel malt in the nose.
T: The taste has a mild amount of sweetness and flavors of caramel malts.
M: It feels light-bodied and a bit watery on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
D: The beer is very easy to drink and its low alcohol content makes it quite sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2011 03:54:44 | More by metter98

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.65/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from an 11.2oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a bright medium brown color, with a short off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of caramelized malts, lager yeast, nuts and some hops.

T: The taste starts out bready with a strong caramel sweetness, then some nuts and spice creep in, followed by a mild but complementary hops presence that provides a decent balance. The malt character is hearty but not too heavy and about on-target for the style. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium-to-high carbonation, finish is clean.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, decent kick, very good representation of a style within which I so far haven’t found too much deviation, yet it somehow still surprises me how drinkable this style beer tends to be. This beer is no exception.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2008 04:47:57 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours out as a cola colored liquid with a fizzy tan looking head. The lacing is very minimal. The smell of the beer had some traditional pilsner aromas in it along with a light roasted aroma. The taste of the beer is malty with a dry bitterness to it. The mouthfeel of this one is light bodied and well carbonated. Overall it's a decent dark brew from Germany.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 03:32:02 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.23/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured deep amber to brown with a 1" white head that faded fast, some efferevescent. Not much lacing or head retention

Smell: Some malt smells, not much

Taste: some caramel notes and sweetness and a bitter tea-like flavor that really detracted from this. Finished sweet and slighty bitter

MF: Pretty good malt almost won out over bitterness. Slightly chewy and okay carbonation

Drank okay on a warm spring day in a nice biergarten here in the city's oldest German Restaraunt (Edelweiss) I don't think that unduly influnce my score, but it didn't hurt!

Serving type: on-tap

05-13-2006 03:21:01 | More by russpowell

emerge077

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

BBD: 27 MAR 09

Nice ruby glint in direct light, thin head with decent retention. Otherwise typical dark brown body with some visible carbonation streams. Distinct aroma of roasted barley, probably it's most redeeming quality. Dull papery malt flavor, like many other euro lagers, but with some mild hop presence. Not especially roasty in the taste, dry and quick in the finish. Fairly light and dry feel, yet still substantial enough to sip instead of chug. Decent enough to have a couple, but doesn't really hold interest very long.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2008 03:00:58 | More by emerge077

Gavage

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Bronze in color with thick head that strangely produced no lacing. The aroma was of light roasted malt. The flavor was of roasted malt, caramel, and some bitterness. This beer was on the much lighter side of what should be a medium bodied dunkel.

The mouthfeel was thin and somewhat watery. This creates a very drinkable dunkel, and could be a decent afternoon session beer that won't weigh you down.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2004 12:44:40 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

3.55/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours light brown with a thin head that eventually fades away.

The smell is of dark, slightly roasted, malt. Breadiness and drying continental-type hops back up the malt.

The taste is of dark malt- almost chocolatey. A bready characteristic backs up the malt. It's rather watery thin, but with some crispness.

A decent "sessionable" dunkel lager. Pretty inoffensive. Nothing particularly special, though, IMO. I have to admit this is one I liked more in the past.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2007 16:39:27 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer pours a clear dark chestnut brown, with orange edges, and soapy light beige head, and leaves no lace. It smells of lightly roasted caramel malt, and earthy, grassy Euro-hops. The taste is caramel malt, and sour, grassy hops. The carbonation is moderate, the body decently full and round, and it finishes off-dry, a little roasted malt lingering. A well-balanced, tasty dark lager.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2009 03:33:44 | More by biboergosum

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.18/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Overall this beer was fairly bland, but I've had worse. Taste was familiar for a dunkel lager, but seemed watered down. Lacked complexity and compelling flavor. If you're into buying inoffensive imports and aren't afraid of beer with color, this one's for you. If you like full-flavored brews, pass.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2006 21:55:47 | More by tempest

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A 1/2 liter mug served at the Alpenhof in Reading, PA.

A: The lager is a thick dark black color. Closer inspection reveals deep brown cola-like colors. The head neared a finger but didn't do much else.

S: The nose is caramel malt, thick and overwhelmingly sweet.

T: The lager is full of darker caramel malts, so much so that it tastes that a caramel syrup has been added to ramp up the sweetness. Hops are practically nonexistent and I just can't get the cloying sweetness of the caramel out of my mouth.

M: The sweetness lingers long after it should, dragging down an otherwise decent lager.

D: One mug was ore than enough for me, if it had just a little less sweetness I may have gone back for a second.

Serving type: on-tap

11-18-2007 21:46:46 | More by akorsak