König Ludwig Dunkel - Kaltenberg International / König Ludwig International GmbH & Co.KG

mobyfann

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Paid .70EUR + .08EUR glass deposit for a 500mL bottle.

*Reviewed on 24.04.2005

The beer pours a classic chocolatey base with a medium white head, solid retention and some nice lacing to follow. One-dimensional smell of toasted malts…

The taste has a bit roasted malt depth than the smell, maybe a light touch of caramel but nothing more. The aftertaste is a bit weird of this one, but other than that it feels great in the mouth and delivery. It’s a nice session dunkel, but I'd prefer Hofbrauhaus brand…

Final Thought: This is a solid dunkel with a little more depth than a Warsteiner's version…

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2005 15:41:01 | More by mobyfann

Travlr

District of Columbia

3.95/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Dark chestnut brown with a thin tan head and moderate lacing.
S: Dark fruit aroma with malt and caramel, some vanilla.
T: Flavor starts with sweet malt and progresses to plums and dates, slight bitter finish.
M: Slightly on the thin side, consistent with the style.
D: Good example of a dunkel, nice enough, but not outstanding.

Serving type: on-tap

01-03-2010 17:03:38 | More by Travlr

elmocoso

Nebraska

3.78/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A transparent mahogony - soft cola color. Head comes up - head falls down leaving not much behing. Slight collar and decent beading. Nose is caramel - unsweet cola. Not much hops. Very appatising smell.
Taste is all present. Very malty with a roasted caramel aftertaste. Very drinkable with an OK mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2004 20:31:51 | More by elmocoso

Daredevil

Switzerland

4.05/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

lovely malty dark lager from the brewery of the ancient bavarian kings ... classy dark brown colour, the head is not too foamy nor firm, the malty smell is matched by the palate which ends in a dark coffee like aftertaste ... the brew is remarkably dry (for a dark lager) and has a light to medium body, which makes is very accesible

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2005 19:13:47 | More by Daredevil

karait95

Mexico

3.63/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: color is dark reddish, head is not so big so retention is almost not present. Carbonation is also low bit a small layer keeps on top of the beer.

S: not very intense, some toasted malts are present after smelling a lot, not much is clearly noticed.

T: flavor is good,toasted malts are present again but this time flavor is intense not as faint as aroma.

M: refresh and balanced, more a neutral beer than a changing sensation all the time has little sweetness and little bitterness.

A beer just a little above average.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 03:34:33 | More by karait95

mwagner1018

Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed from a recent trip to Germany.

A- Deep dark brown, light creamy head, thin very minimal lacing.

S- Caramel, mild cocoa bitterness, malt, bourbon vanilla, raisin or dates.

T- Sweet up front, nice malt, clean progression to deep dark fruits, raisin-plum, mild bitterness from the noble hops. Nice deep complexity.

M- Light to Mild Medium body, carbonation delivers, fits style, smooth creaminess, nice light balanced bitterness.

D- Good Bavarian style dunkel, nice balance, clean, fits nicely with the style, rich and nicely aromatic, but lacks in the full flavor, have had better more complex examples.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2010 01:23:30 | More by mwagner1018

sunrisesolara

Austria

3.68/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

.5L emptied into a Pokal.

A: Pours a deep mahogany with a fluffy 2-finger tan head which receeds to a thick ring. Good lacing throughout.

S: Roasted barley malt, bread, dark chocolate, faint hint of almonds.

M: Light-to-medium bodied with decent carbonation.

T: Very malty, caramel. Earthy hops are quite reserved, with just enough spice to make their presence known. Lemon zest at the end, finishes clean with a lingering nutty aftertaste.

D: Certainly goes down quickly and without any fuss. Not the best Dunkel out there, but this would certainly make a good session beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2010 14:53:37 | More by sunrisesolara

bigrzman

Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer has a mohogany color with a thin white head. Carbonation is tight and small. Smells include earthy hops and caramel malts. the taste is complex with toasted malts, chocolate, almonds, and earthy/medicinal hop bite. mouthfeel is balanced for malts and hops, slightly creamy and silky, and tinfling amd slightly drying. Overall this is a very good dunkle.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 11:37:32 | More by bigrzman

Hoppsbabo

United Kingdom (England)

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Smell: Malt, malt and more malt, as malty as you like.

Appearance: A very noisy, light mushroom coloured two-finger head which dissipates slowly. Translucent mahogany body, absolutely no bubbles.

Taste: The aroma is misleading. From the first swig I get a complex symphony of roasted malt and honey, and maybe some citrus. A lovely lager. Despite the lack of bubbles it's quite fizzy but probably just right though. It's metallic but not detrimentally so. Okay, just been for a whizz and a most intriguing aroma has developed in my mouth, like a woody sauna aroma, or maybe walnut with a hint of brandy. Complex - nice.

Overall: There's a place for everything and this lager is in its place. I was very put off by its harsh roasted malt nose but that's because I'm a hops man. But a good beer is a good beer, and this is a bloody good beer. I'd have it again, no troubles.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 16:02:59 | More by Hoppsbabo

jmhart

Georgia

3.3/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

On tap with dinner in Aachen.

A- Came out a DARK brown with a white head that faded into nearly nothing. It didn't appear as thick as I would have assumed.

S- Rich roasted malt flavors: caramel, prunes, a little nutty.

T- A kind of surprising sweetness hits first, a little sweeter than others I had on my trip. Underneath the flavor were some nice stewed dark fruits like prunes/raisins. Caramel and nuts complemented the fruit. If anything, the sweetness kind of covered up the other flavors.

M- Relative to the style, it was pretty light bodied without much carbonation or bite. Overall, I felt the mouthfeel was lacking.

D- The sweetness was a bit much for being so light bodied which made it a little difficult to finish.

Overall, not the best dunkel I had while touring Germany. It was nice to broaden my experience with the style, but I would be unlikely to purchase this again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-21-2010 00:02:01 | More by jmhart

engisch

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pours weird. It has a carmel brown color, but it pours with a thick head and has bubbles that coat the inside of the glass. The smell and aroma is nothing special and is of sweet malts.

The taste is that of a typical dunkel style. It's a good balanced beer. It has nice lacing all the way down to the last sip.

Overall, if you are looking for a decent beer, this is a safe tastey dunkel.

Serving type: bottle

07-30-2009 18:03:23 | More by engisch

jbro434

Switzerland

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Nice deep brown with a decent off white head that faded quickly with decent lacing. Malty and slightly sweet, nothing in the upfront taste to offend. Mouthfeel was pretty much the same with hints of chocolate, a bit thin. Finish was bitersweet chocolate nothing overpowering, nothing to make it very memorable either. All in all, a decent beer for the type and nothing I would turn down or try again if given the chance.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2009 08:23:26 | More by jbro434

petemoss14

Germany

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Pours a pleasantly warm mahogany with a fluffy head of tan foam.

Roasty malt aroma. Some dark bread. Faint cocoa and toffee.

A touch thin on the palate. Lots of dark malt with some roastiness. Slight bitterness leads to a medium dry finish. Uncomplicated and quaffable.

Straightforward beer that I wish had a bit more body, but, that said, what it lacks in depth and robustness it makes up for in drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2007 18:26:58 | More by petemoss14

paulaner

Japan

4.72/5  rDev +26.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The appearance is a dark black just like a coca-cola. The smell is a great dark beer smell but not very noticeable unless you are really searching for it. This beer is a very addictive one you drink it get the bitterness the wetness then it dries out and you just want more and keep drinking it I always have to put just one or two in the fridge at a time or else it all disappears. The only downfall is it is only available in my region ounce a year on tap and is like searching for a needle in the haystack to find it bottled. The mouthfeel is pleasant and smooth with the bitterness leaving you addicted to it. For the german dunkel beers I have found few as strong of flavor as this.

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2004 20:18:29 | More by paulaner

Tomais

Germany

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pilsner glass

Huge bubbles, frothy off-white head. Reminded me of sea froth after a storm on the beach.. Recedes fairly quick. Little lacing. Looks a like a dark red-lemonade against the light, otherwise a very clear mohogany brown.

Smells malty alcoholic sweet and bitter. Not burnt, but not far off - well toasted I guess.
A little bit of toffee or caramel hard-roasted on the baking tray.

There's a good balance between the initial fruity malt, with the hops -and some bitterness- in the background. Malty again on swallowing. Nice flush of carbonation with the malt,
Tastes good, but it doesnt quite live up to the more complex smell.

Very drinkable - with snow outside at any rate ;-)
BB 25 06 2013

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 19:22:36 | More by Tomais

sDon

3.84/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a solid Dunkel. There is a little foam, not too much carbonation, and a nice taste -- dark chocolate and coffee but not sweet or bitter. No alcohol detected (at least for me) and it is very drinkable.

At the same time, there is not as much going on in this beer in terms of taste as some other Dunkels: cf. Augustiner Dunkles beer, even Hacker Pschorr Dunkles, which has a more refreshing and satisfying flavor. A clear finish, but with not much to make you remember it.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 23:59:33 | More by sDon

ischer

Germany

4.47/5  rDev +19.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

The beer has a surprising white head for a Dunkles and a red-brown cola-like color with bordeaux-red reflections.
The mouthfeel is exact the right balance between creamy and sparkling.
The smell isn't too obvious, but if you search for it you recognize the smell of chocolate and a very hidden banana-like flavour.
The taste is of solid malt with a medium note of caramel and a slight note of eucalyptus.
Once poured it takes relatively long to get moldy. ( but it is a steady, almost linear progress - so drinking it fresh is always the best option)
It is absolutely drinkable in relative masses, but it has the slight over-average noticeable aftermath which is typical for Dunkel.

All in all, I like it very much - it's my standard afterwork-beer after all!

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2006 19:46:49 | More by ischer

Theicon44

North Carolina

4.28/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

KLD (Konig Ludwig Dunkel is just too much to type...) is typical of dark wheat beer, but certainly better than most in all respects. It's taste hints of caramel, molasses and honey but neither flavor is overpowering, nor do they detract from KLD's surprisingly easy drinkability. I first tried it in the tourist town of Rudisheim on the Rhine river. I was immediately impressed with the beer's taste - far and away the best dunkelweiss I have ever had - but was later even more impressed at how un-filling and light KLD was for a typically heavy style of beer. I'm sure the calorie count doesn't reflect this, however, even if they do go down like a domestic light.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2011 16:10:47 | More by Theicon44