Mönchshof Bockbier - Kulmbacher Brauerei AG

Ochsenblut

Italy

4.33/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Ruby, transparent with a 1 finger white head.

S- Yeasty, crackery... really reminds me of a soft pretzel.

T- The malt is dry and doughy (pale malt?). The noble bittering hops are upfront and ultimately the star of the show. The bite fades to a lingering grainy aftertaste.

M- Medium carbonation combined with chewy malts make this a substantial mouthfeel.

D- I didn't have a clue this was 6,9% ABV until I read the menu properly. I hope to make this a constant in my house, as it offers a substantial and balanced malt to hops taste that I personally look for in a session Bock. Overall a brilliant offering by Kulmbacher and something to remember!

Edit: I guess this isn't from the Kulmbacher brewery. Although from Kumlbach, and billed as 'the popular beer from Kulmbach' it is disassociated.

Serving type: on-tap

01-30-2011 20:50:21 | More by Ochsenblut

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had 1L at a Kulmbacher restaurant in Frankfurt. I was surprised to find so few reviews on BA after trying it, it must be not widely distributed because I'd think it would be a popular beer.

The beer had good clarity and a deep copper color, with a massively poofed head, served in an enormous 1L mug. The smell was sweet and malty, it reminded me of the wort aroma you can smell in breweries, nice and inviting. The taste was mostly malt, I didn't get much of a bitter after-taste as I normally see from the bocks available to me in the US (mostly from US breweries). It was fantastic, possibly my favorite bock beer to date.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2007 05:30:26 | More by TurdFurgison

IchLiebeBier

Virginia

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

Appearance: Clear copper body with a big, cream colored head, long lasting

Aroma: Malty sweet; caramel; dried fruit

Taste: Smooth; juicy malt; sweet on start; slightly bitter mid and finish; a little too syrupy

Remarks: Did not score A, T, S, M at that time; disregard those scores

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 21:43:20 | More by IchLiebeBier

Brabander

Netherlands

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

One of the better German 'normal' beers. In fact almost all beers in Germany are normal, only a few are mindblowing.

This was a pleasant exeption in the beermass. Bottle best before december 2012.

Poured in my Struise glass as always this beer looks like tea, a nice brown colour. Thick head, five fingers. Some carbonation but not much, a pity.

Decent smell of malt and some light citrus notes. The foam sticks nicely in the glass.

Sweeter taste than for a normal German beer with some bock feeling at the end. Not bad, try it when you see it.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 12:49:29 | More by Brabander

Zimbo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

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

This girl gives a good and easy three inch slab of head. Underneath the beer is medium darkish copper with some reeasonable beading.
To taste there is fruit, candy sugar, some yeastiness with notes of toffee which are sharpish and lead to an edgy almost metallic end. There is just a flake of chewiness to the body which promises to deliver sticky sappiness which appeals to the palate.

There's alot going on here but it ends up being a cacophony of many flavours which just doesn't bring much harmony or joy.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2011 20:04:42 | More by Zimbo

BretSikkink

Mexico

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Copper in color, clear with orange highlights. Head is whitish tan, pops up nicely but has no stick or legs.

Aroma is fairly strong, not bad, with a good dose of fruits, a hint of herbal hops, earthy malts, and a little boozy apple.

The flavor is alas a bit too light to be a strong contender in the bock category. Fruitiness is there, both ripe and overripe. Good balance of sweet and sour there. Toasted malt stays out of the way, but comes up short in the backbone. Finishes nutty with a hint of carbonation and alcohol.

Drinkable, but the sour fruit finish might annoy some and the body is a little too light to be considered a standard. Good beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 02:27:05 | More by BretSikkink

kojevergas

California

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

500ml swingtop bottle served into a Guinness brewhouse series true imperial pint glass in Belfort, France. Reviewed live.

A: Pours a 2.5 finger head of fair cream, good thickness, and good retention. A light copper colour. Semitransparent.

Sm: Cream, musty hops.

T: Nutty hops, amber hops, and nice cream on the finish. The climax is a nice culmination, but the hops are meshed not layered. Nice complexity, but certainly still far from unique. Caramelized malt and barley foundation. Built and balanced well.

Mf: Nicely coarse, but wet enough to stay refreshing. Complements the flavours of the body, but is far from a perfect match.

Dr: Very drinkable, especially for the ABV. Well priced in Germany. A great beer all around.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2011 20:17:11 | More by kojevergas

dasenebler

Maine

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

.5L swing-top, best before 11/3/11.

Pours a lovely ruby-amber hue, with a decent bubbly head. Lacing is good, retention is average.

The aroma is rich and bready with subtle notes of raisin and fig.

The flavor is satisfying. Plenty of malt to go around, though not too sweet. Toasty, caramel-like aftertaste. Only problem is the alcohol is detectable in flavor. The mouthfeel is a bit thin, and the carbonation is soda-like and not convincing.

Nicely balanced Bock here. Doesn't make me want to go out and grab a case, but it's tasty and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2011 20:41:15 | More by dasenebler

Clydesdale

District of Columbia

4.13/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a clear, vibrant copper color. The tall head of beige foam is of average density, with a foamy texture. Retention is very good, and curtains of sticky lace cling copiously to the glass.

S: Bready, caramel maltiness in the nose. A bit sweet. An invitingly spicy and leafy hop aroma fits right in. Some light fruity notes (apple) and nuttiness as well.

T: Sweet caramel and toffee notes, with some mild bread crust notes. A bit nutty. Fruity flavors are noticeable - apple and plum mostly. There is an ample bittering bite of hops, with some spicy flavor. Alcohol isn't prominent, but it is noticeable into the finish.

M: Medium body. Carbonation is light, contributing to a somewhat sticky/syrupy overall feel.

D: A very good bock. Well done, with a nice mix of sweetness, fruity flavors, and appropriate hop presence. Right on for the style, and easily drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 23:38:10 | More by Clydesdale

AlexCorleone

Mexico

4.1/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Amber, red and brown coming with very tight and creamy beige frothy head buttressed, good cling.
Smell: light hop resins, sour-sweet caramel and nutty malts, tobacco and a little bit chocolate.
Taste: Caramel, bread, well sour balance between sweet fruity from the beginning, followed by, and slowly-expanding bitterness of hops in the aftertaste, as well as being moderately nutty in the undertone.
Aftertaste: Toasted malts and fresh hops that.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2010 23:00:38 | More by AlexCorleone

mtstatebeer

West Virginia

3.23/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

0.5 liter bottle, dated (best by date?) 26 Jan 10. Pours a completely clear, orange-red color with a fluffy, off-white head, good lacing. Aroma is sweet caramel and pale malts, smoke, wood, grain, and yeast. Flavor is caramel and light roasted malts, sweet, dark fruits, and spicy. Mouthfeel is medium, dry, metallic, a touch of alcohol, and hint of bitterness remains. Good beer, nice complexity.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2010 02:15:29 | More by mtstatebeer

roddwolff

Mexico

4.2/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Dark amber color, thin foamy head;

S: Sweet red wine with scents of hazelnut;

T: Strong, coffee and pitted prunes;

M: Very dry, bitterness, the ABV concentration is evident;

D: The best Bock style i have taken, before it was "noche buena"

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2009 23:14:42 | More by roddwolff

MuenchenerKindl

Germany

4.13/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a .5L swing top to a steamed glass, the liquid is clear copper brown with excellent carbonation. The head is way tall, tan and leaves lots of lace.

The smell is sweet, lightly fruity with mild hops.

The taste is semi dry at first with fruit and sweetness. caramel sugar and a nice boldness accented by alcohol.

The mouthfeel is better the medium body and a great robust carbonation that is not overly done.

The drinkability is very good, I like the brew. Prosit, MK

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2009 21:24:22 | More by MuenchenerKindl

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.05/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Half litre flip-top bottle obtained at Nurnberg railway station and reviewed in my hotel room while staying in the city during the 2009 AltstadtFest. The beer had a best before date of 31st Aug 2010, so almost a year left.

An off-white head sat on top of a good looking clear amber coloured body.

the smell and taste was of caramel and molasses, but not overly so, just waek hints really.

I was very dissapointed with this beer to be honest, obviuosly a supermarket/nightshop sort of beer in my opinion, not a well crafted beer at all.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2009 17:49:03 | More by BlackHaddock

TheSarge

Illinois

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

Note: My bottle lists this as 6.9% ABV vice 6.6%.

Pours well for a massive 3 finger thick head, with great retention. The body is dark copper in color, which I believe is a bit darker than a standard bock.

In the aroma I detect earthy tones, some sweet bread, light chocolate, and a mild copper metallic like hops presence.

Taste wise it's richly sweet upfront, in the way of a root beer/cola mix, and gives way to an herbal and slight cooked vegetable like flavor.

The beer isn't richly carbonated, but feels a little coarse, and leaves the palate a little dry. There is a slight warmness from the alcohol coming through too.

Overall, this beer is bordering on Doppelbock character, more so than a typical bock beer. The body is maybe in millimeter from being full enough to be a Doppelbock and a little hoppier, but I think it would be splitting hairs.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2009 16:21:46 | More by TheSarge

brc

Michigan

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dark amber, very clear, with a fluffy white head which leaves lovely lacing.

Smells like a wooden barrel in a cellar: musty and earthy. Makes me think of cheap manly cologne rather than beer, but, well, it's interesting.

Surprising amount of hop presence, but blends in nicely with malts. Caramel, apples, toasted bread, along with vanilla, alcohol, and golden raisins. The flavors are bold and satisfying instead of hiding in the background.

Mouthfeel is fairly light for a beer with this much flavor.

I couldn't polish off more than one half liter of this, but it's quite good.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2009 20:08:51 | More by brc

wl0307

United Kingdom (England)

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

Coming in a 500ml brown swing-top bottle, 6.9%abv.; BB 28/01/09, served chilled in a straight imperial pint glass.

A: pours a dark copper hue coming with a very tight and creamy beige frothy head buttressed by rather fine and constant carbonation underneath.
S: light hop resins, sour-sweet caramelised apples, jammy prunes, "meaty" and fat red dates, an assertive edge of caramelised sugar and nutty malts... well-integrated overall. Utterly pleasant due to the rough balance b/w malts and assertive sour fruitiness.
T: sour-sweet fruity from the beginning, followed by "calcium-candy-pills"-like maltiness, prune-ish jam, and slowly-expanding bitterness of hops in the aftertaste... the aromatic edge of German toasted malts comes quite intense and lingers well, as well as being moderately nutty in the undertone.
M&D: even better than Paulaner Salvator, this doublebock shows an even-deeper input of toasted malts that is in turn balanced by a lovely sour fruity edge. The carbonation comes nearly perfect, as soothing as refreshing. All in all, this malty brew is utterly enjoyable and even quaffable by the German Bock standard!

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2008 02:25:07 | More by wl0307

etherashe

Germany

4.2/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Mega-head, symmetrical lacing, copper-red color. The smell was muted dirty-fruit, like cherry-chocolate.

The taste was a multi-faceted jewel: wok-fried rice, soy sauce and fruit rot. Sounds crazy, yes, but damn it works well. Amazing. Perhaps incongruent for a German Bock, but wonderful nonetheless.

The mouthfeel is smooth and not as thick (syrupy) as most Bocks.

The drinkability is astounding. This is a deep Bock, much more than the color would suggest. It's extremely substantial: not for little boys. And (hell yes!) I would love to try it with some kick-ass Chinese food, probably an Egg foo yung.

This beer is best for special, introspective evenings. And a damned good price too.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2008 13:20:25 | More by etherashe

tai4ji2x

Massachusetts

4.13/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

another nice surprise in beijing, imported by the same folks that bring in many of the other german brews i've had access to lately.

500ml pop-top brown bottle

dark but clear, burnt sienna color. lots of head gradually fades to ring and a few wisps. decent lacing.

aroma is malty and dark semi-burnt caramel, with hints of dried fruit and trace of earthiness.

flavor is also malty, dark bread and molasses with some phenolic and alcoholic notes. very gentle hop bitterness to balance things out.

lightly syrupy feel; subdued but still lively carbonation gives a crisp edge.

this is decent drinking, and should please bock fans.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2008 11:32:50 | More by tai4ji2x

reddomino

Germany

3.43/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This fine beer pours a deep, clear amber with a nice tan head. When first opened, I experienced a musty smell from the bottle, I found this to be a little foreboding. Luckily, the nose was much improved once the libation reached the glass. A sweet, bready smell permeated the air as soon as I began pouring and intensified as the liquid settled. The taste was pretty malty with almost no hops to balance it out until the end. A very light alcohol aftertaste finishes it off nicely.

Overall this is a fantastic brew that would pair wonderfully with a hearty meal or a cigar and a fireplace.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2008 23:17:36 | More by reddomino

HappyHourHero

Indiana

4.8/5  rDev +28.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Huge creamy head fades slowly leaving a few specs of lace. Deep amber, almost brown, colored beer. Rich, sweet aroma is a mix of dark roasted malt, raisins, plums, and a pinch of alcohol. Moderately full body is full of fine carbonation. It's packed full of malty sweetness. Flavors of caramel, raisins, and vanilla up front with a touch of alcohol in the finish. Full flavored, tasty as hell, and highly drinkable. It's damn good.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2008 20:48:26 | More by HappyHourHero

seanyfo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

4.08/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Ahhh i love that hissing pop when you open a flip top lid.

Aggressively poured into a 0.3ml willibecher. I like smaller glasses as i can get 2 glasses of beer out of 1 bottle which makes me feel like im getting more ;) Lacing is very good

A- Dark copper and 4 finger head, that is creamy, thick, pillowy, tan and fantastically long lasting.

S- Lots of lovely munich malt, caramel/toffee, syrup and slight nuttiness

T - Much the same as the smell, very malty with no hop bite at all, toffee/caramel comes through, nuttiness perhaps in the lingering aftertaste.

M- Low carbonation, sticky as expected.

D-This beer had 2 months before expiration date, perhaps a slightly stale flavouring, im sure a fresh tap glass would be a bit more lively but as a typical bock beer, this is very good, not too syrupy, and with alchohol well disguised, its easy to drink too much of this ;)

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2007 21:36:05 | More by seanyfo

Absumaster

Netherlands

3.08/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A dark copper beer with a thick and creamy head.

Smell is strong (munich) malty and has some sulfur notes. The dark malts give the beer a molasses and mild burned taste. In the end there is some vegetable smell, green and like young beer.

Taste is green malty, but still strong on the malt presence. On top of the malt base there is a mild caramel taste. The vegetable taste is in the taste, but I get used to this after some sips and I do not taste it anymore. The yeast gives some anise notes. Body was medium, not overly sweet.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2007 08:34:09 | More by Absumaster

baggio

Sweden

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Copperbrown with a 1mm thin lace that stays there during the entire session.

S: Smells of hops, candy and malt. Kind of faint.

T: Malt, oatmeal, banana marshmallow and honey. This beer is very, very
well balanced for a bockbier. Impressive.

M: Very smooth, low carbonation, bittersweet taste that lasts quite a bit.

A very nice bockbier that more people should try. Still, i would not have
more than one bottle of this per session.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2007 20:38:39 | More by baggio

Pepeton

Mexico

3.93/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I guess I have to thank the Soccer World Cup for this brew, 'cause a local supermarket is now offering 7 beers from the Kulmbacher brewery in a sort of a celebration or homage for the host of this sport event.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
:-)

Swingtop 500 ml bottle, with a best before date of January 2007.

Pours a beautiful amber bronze, with a good inch of foamy head and no lacing at all.

Smell is of malts, some earthy hops, little alcohol.

Taste is paradoxically crisp and malty, with some bitterness. Round beer, actually.

Mouthfeel is buttery, with a nice bitter aftertaste, especially in the back of the mouth. Nice beer. Even sweet, or the sweetness comes from México's victory over Iran in the Soccer World Cup?

Drinkability? Well, this isn't a session beer, but I'm still having another. ;.)

¡Salud!

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2006 18:10:02 | More by Pepeton