Ramstein Winter Wheat Eisbock - High Point Brewing Company

JohnQVegas

Tennessee

3.38/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22 oz, counter-pressure filled bomber.

Pours dark brown, cola-like, with a big, fizzy light-brown head. Head dies away fairly quickly.

Nose has (again) a cola-like dark caramel sweetness to it, some molasses, and a hint of cherry in there as well. Lightly boozy, if that makes sense. Some soy.

Taste has a bit more molasses, some soy in there as well. Odd. There's something almost meaty in the flavor. Almost salty, like fresh-baked pretzels, only a bit smokey. Tobacco maybe. Some brown sugar underneath, and light dark fruit that are promising but just overwhelmed.

Mouthfeel is probably a hair over-carbonated. Just a bit too fizzy. Medium bodied. Was slightly underwhelmed by this one, which is surprising, given the amazing rep I'd had from it. A previous growler was better, this one seems past its prime after only a few days in the glass.

Serving type: growler

03-23-2009 20:36:55 | More by JohnQVegas

tpd975

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Ratebeer Wintergathering

A: Pours an amberish brown hue with with a small cream colored head. Lite retention and no lace.

S: Aromas of light wheat, banana, and some bubblegum. Caramel malt, sweet toffee, and a bit of booze.

T: Flavor is very much like the aroma. Banana bread with bubblegum notes. Candy malt sweetness, with hints of clove and bits of booze.

M: Medium in body smooth, the booze is present.

D: Not really. Nice flavors but it just don't quite come together.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2010 00:32:20 | More by tpd975

Gmann

New York

3.83/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a rich ruby brown color with a very small wisy off white head, not much of a head at all. The aroma is of dark fruit, booze soaked cherries and raisins followed by scents of clove and banana. Nice aroma, not overly strong. The flavor is of alcohol vapors, clove and banana, followed by a solid roast malt flavor. It seems to lack a depth of character. Some of the dark fruit pops up in the end as well as a sour cherry note. A moderate body with very soft carbonation; finishes with a sour bitter bite. Though I did get a bit of an alcohol presence in the taste, this eisbock doesn't taste overly boozy or cloying. It could use some more clove and banana flavors but the flavors that are there are good.

Serving type: growler

03-26-2010 03:09:58 | More by Gmann

orangesol

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Served on Nitro-Tap at Al's of Hampden into a tulip glass.

A - Pours deep, dark, brown with a small thin cap of off white head leaving little to no lacing down the glass.

S - Smells of dulled wheat, chocolate, banana, light spice, sweet toffee, and some dark fruits. Not as strong as I was expecting but still plenty going on. The booze is ever present, getting stronger as the beer comes to room temp.

T - Flavors are similar to the nose with plenty of chocolate, clove, dark fruits, tart cherries, and bready wheat. The booze is light at the beginning only getting stronger as it warms. Finish is a mix of chewy wheat and lingering sweetness. Good balance overall, just a touch too much booze.

M - Medium-Heavy body and flavor with moderate carbonation. Full, chewy, feel with plenty of dry lingering chewy sweetness. The booze is ever present.

O - Not so much. I thought this one was ok but not anything mind blowing. The combo of strong flavors and 11% ABV. really make this one hard to drink.

Serving type: nitro-tap

03-30-2011 18:14:02 | More by orangesol

Rastacouere

Quebec (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Ruby coke brown, light quickly fading head. Strong coffee and tobacco aroma, very dry, enough that it creates a ashes-like aspect. Gentle woody component accompanies dark bitter chocolate, cocoa even. I must say I’m a bit shocked at the almost total absence of any fruit hints. The malt is there most definitely, big, thick, but perhaps a little too dry for the beer to deserve its praise in my mind. Focus of flavours seems to be geared toward coffee, cigar and roasted chocolate. A beany aspect also gets uncovered after a few sips and bring up a vegetal tone that I could live without. Medium bodied, light to moderate carbonation level. Let’s sum it up by saying this is a very stoutish eisbock which doesn’t wear its 11.5% at all.

Serving type: on-tap

03-08-2005 00:37:29 | More by Rastacouere

grub

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Viggo brought this one over. thanks eric!

1 litre swingtop growler. sampled april 27/2010.

pours crystal clear deep reddish brown with a very thin layer of very fine white head. the head quickly drops to a scant ring around the glass and leaves only a few spots of lace.

aroma is good. banana and clove. butterscotch and caramel. hint of alcohol. whole wheat bread. date and plum. bit of raisin. hint of smoke.

taste is good. white and whole wheat bread. banana and clove. caramel and butterscotch. date, plum, and raisin. light alcohol. low bitterness level. touch of smoke.

mouthfeel is nice. very low carbonation level. medium-large body.

drinkability is good. nice balance, but the low carbonation does detract from it somewhat. not quite as much depth and complexity as in some eisbocks, but still pretty tasty.

Serving type: growler

04-28-2010 01:31:21 | More by grub

brdc

Wisconsin

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

Thanks to alcstradamus for sharing this one, out of a growler into a large glass, shaped like a tulip.

Deep brown, reddish highlights, short lasting tan head, some lacing.
Aroma is malty sweet as expected; caramel, fruits including prunes, raising and fig, bananas and burnt sugar.
Not as full as I expected, with a pleasant taste that is not as explosive as expected for the ABV. Sweet notes easily predominate, malty in the forefront, bananas and clove in the forefront, with the same fruits mentioned in the background. No alcohol to be found.
Carbonation is on the low end of the spectrum, not sure if it s because of the growler or intended to be that way, but does not compromise. There is an Angels share in front of me that shows less than a third of the bubbles, for the sake of comparison.
Nice one.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2010 16:29:22 | More by brdc

Mora2000

Texas

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

Thanks to bman1113vr for sharing this beer.

12 ounce hand bottle. The beer pours a dark brown color with no head. The aroma is dark fruit and caramel malt with some alcohol. The flavor is dark fruit, alcohol, caramel and some chocolate. Medium mouthfeel and low carbonation.

Serving type: growler

03-19-2010 22:35:46 | More by Mora2000

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

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

Big thanks to Beerloco again for this one, another 1 liter swingtop he filled up for me. IP trade at DLD.

Pours a pretty hazy and opaque dark brown, a few reddish orange highlights, tough to see through, big and bubbly light tan head forms and settles down to a very thin ring around the glass, no real lacing sticks.

Smell is nice, big and malty, some caramel, lots of biscuit, dark fruit, banana, big spicy character, some light sherry notes, cherries, toast, alcohol, a bit of earthiness, a touch of chocolate maltiness.

Taste is nice as well, not as intense as I expected for the weight, some banana smoothie, a bit of spice, big biscuit and bread character, a bit of fruitiness, wheat, strawberries, nice chocolate roastiness near the finish, decently balanced, a bit of warmth but the booze is well hidden.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low to medium carbonation. Pretty smooth for the ABV, just a bit of warmth. Just lacking the complexity I hoped for, but still really nice stuff. Thanks Alan!

Serving type: growler

04-28-2010 00:58:34 | More by Viggo

caresville

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

growler fill from ramstein brewery, poured into flute glass.

a- pours a reddish brown to amber, almost looks like coca cola

s- quite malty, bananas, cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, charcoal.

t&m- brown sugar and many dark fruits dominate the palate imediately, plummy and pruney, bananas also and it also kinda reminds me of the chocolate flavored twizzlers licorice.

d- for a beer thats 11.5% this stuff goes down like nothing, easy to drink and very bold and full of flavor. wish this stuff was more widely available.

Serving type: growler

02-06-2010 05:30:59 | More by caresville

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on tap @ Al's of Hampden -served chilled in a cervoise.

The color is black, or as close to it as it gets with a very dark brown color at the base of the glass with a ring of light beige at the top for cream. The beading is pin sized with silly string stickage of lace. the smell is great, a plethora of aromas including deep ripe banana and slight stonefruit with a light accent of wheat sweetness and some yeast esters that are hard to put into words just toffee-like aromas from the malt w/ a pretty high alcohol aroma. The Eisbock is highly carbonated w/ moderately full body w/ slightly sweet/creamy texture with slight spice and biscuit toasted texture w/ a very very dry finish. Alcohol presence is mild in the overall feel w/ light tanginess of yeast in the semi-sweet finish.

The taste is fruity and earthy w/ some mild toasted grain and vegetal notes with a lot of wheat cereral-like flavorsfrom the dark wheat and mild fruity almost prune-like element with a light date and dark brown sugar quality. The eisbock finishes with a warming dry finish. A pretty high drinkability score for an 11% beer, but is is not to be taken lightly. The Eisbock has a smooth quality that makes you forget about how strong it is until halfway through, not one I recommend having more than 1 of. I sipped on this for a while, a pretty good example of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

03-17-2011 14:28:08 | More by Slatetank

Amalak

New York

4.13/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

At Mugs Ale House on Bedford Ave. in Brooklyn they had a tasting with a cask of this brew. Black in color with a thick, tan head and a malty, wheat scent to it.

Good malt taste with a licorice aftertaste to it...slightly chocolate. Despite its high alcohol content, it's a nice balance that goes unnoticed. I'm not familiar with Winter Wheats, but this was quite good.

Serving type: cask

03-10-2009 21:45:30 | More by Amalak

Phatz

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: When the server brought the Ramstein Eisbock I thought she brought the wrong beer. I have never seen a black Eisbock. With a frothy tan head on top of this beer it looked like a stout. I even had nice lacing. Again I questioned and was re-assured by others who had this beer it is in fact the Ramstein Eisbock. Interesting.

Smell: Roasted dark malts vanilla, raw sugar, malts sweet sweet 'Malt Liquor' type nose with ripe fruit plum and a very gentle alcohol presence.

Taste: Roasty and smooth with the sweet Eisbock attribute that has the 'Malt Liquor' element but with so much more depth. This is the only Eisbock I have ever had that is dark and roasty with chocolate and caramel in the flavor too. A splash of fruit juice as well.

Mouthfeel: Silky smooth with only a light warmth form the flavor and spices.

Drinkability: There is absolutely no way that this seemed like a 11.50 % ABV beer. It went down very easily. You'd put down two pint easily before stumbling to your feet to realize what it did to you =).

Hope this is helpful.
Cheers!

Serving type: on-tap

03-22-2007 07:16:54 | More by Phatz

alcstradamus

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to mikey711 for the growler of this, much appreciated. Split with brdc this afternoon.

Pours a deep cola brown with a finger of head that dies quickly. The smell is a nice blend of burnt caramel, light raisin and fig, charred banana peel, and perhaps even a bit of citrus.

The taste is lighter than I expected for an 11.5% eisbock. I taste absolutely no trace of the alcohol. But at the same time, it is not quite as big and flavorful as I was expecting either. Expectations sure are a killer, aren't they? Fortunately, this still was quite nice. Banana and burnt caramel dominate, along with a very light orange peel flavor. Not terribly complex, but very easy to sip.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and mostly flat. The carbonation levels do seem appropriate though and match the flavor profile nicely. Drinkability is high for a beer of this ABV. I would have guessed it was closer to 7% if I didn't already feel the strong buzz kicking in after around 16 oz. or so. This is definitely a solid beer and one that I would like to drink again.

Serving type: growler

02-14-2010 20:05:32 | More by alcstradamus

wsouloa

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Extremely dark beer and very thick. It has a thick head which isn't huge but lingers. The smell is somewhat similar to many wheats with the presence of bananas but one can also smell the presence of alcohol.The taste contains the banana flavor. As far as mouthfeel is concerned, it is thick but goes down smooth. This is very drinkable but has a high alcohol content, so a few of these might have you feeling it.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2004 20:40:15 | More by wsouloa

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very dark brown with a thin skim of tan foam. Not much in the way of lacing, but that's to be expected. Malty, caramelized sugar aroma with some dried fruit and vanilla notes. Toffee flavour up front with some raisin and alcohol, light chocolate and vanilla. Alcohol showed up towards the end and there was a hint of smoke present. Full bodied with low carbonation and a smooth mouthfeel. Quite good and very drinkable for how robust it is.

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2008 00:39:28 | More by DrJay

koopa

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler picked up at the brewery and shared by beerloco at a mega tasting last night. Thanks Alan!

Appearance: Classic dunkel look...chestnut brown with a 1 finger lightly browned butter crown that displays moderate retention and lace.

Smell: Classic banana and clove action.

Taste: Same as nose. Hard to detect the high abv on this one as it drinks like a tasty dunkel.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with low carbonation.

Drinkability: Damn good despite the abv.

Serving type: growler

01-23-2011 15:23:13 | More by koopa

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-Tap

A- RWWI is quite dark having a black look but is more of a very deep brown. Did not get any head or foam to speak so no lace as well.

S- Takes a while to open up. Smells of chocolate, ripe banana, dark malts. A whole bunch of wheat as well and some alcohol. Some cherry with warming.

T- Tastes like an eisbock with malts upon malts giving off a huge sweetness, No hops getting in the way. Chocolate and some cherry make a nice combination. A nice amount of wheat from the base beer. Some alcohol in this 11.5%er, well I kind of saw that coming.

M- Sweet and a bit boozy. The feel on RWWI is full and just grabs your attention. No bitterness at all. Very smooth actually with improvement as it warms.

D- Well the verdict is out and this stuff is top-notch. 11.5% is nothing to take lightly but barkeep, can I get another? Dangerously drinkable, I will look forward to having this treat whenever possible.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2009 05:23:21 | More by onix1agr

DmanGTR

New York

4.35/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to a generous BA for sharing this at DLD. Review from notes on 4/24/10

Poured a dark brown, pretty hazy and opaque. Head didn't last long but left a few trails of bubbles here and there. My initial thought was that is was slightly reminiscent of Aventinus, which is confirmed that it's basically a weizenbock with the ice distillation. Wheaty twang with lots of plum, raisins, and caramel. Alcohol is well hidden, only shows as a warmth in the throat. Wonderfully chewy and raisiny. Banana and clove with a touch of vanilla and a woody earthiness... how strange, is this oak aged? Regardless, it is a complex flavorful malt bomb on your palate and everyone needs to try this at least once.

Serving type: growler

05-11-2010 06:10:24 | More by DmanGTR

weeare138

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Much thanks to dickinsonbeer for this much celebrated growler...
Appears a hazy dark brown with black noted colors in the outskirts. A 1 finger medium tan head slowly fades out. Scattered spots of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of chocolate, caramel, vanilla, clove, and raisins...very much the same as the Winter Wheat.
Taste is of the aforementioned aromas that seem to be held together nicely in a cocoa dusted wheat base.
Mouthfeel is spicey, with hints of the fruit and chocolate and a stickyness that seems appropriate with this concentrated brew.

Serving type: growler

05-05-2006 16:17:18 | More by weeare138

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours black with a brown head. Nose is molasses, raisins, alcohol, smoky tone. Flavor is boozy, yes. Raisins, figs, soyish tones, fight over that and clearly show. Watered down coffee liquor tones are there too. Overall pretty intense. Feel is smooth on liquid. Carbonation is slightly nibbling, but overall a bit subdued. This is a nice beer. Due to the style rarity, I suppose I won't really ever have the kind of exposure to it that would leave me highly educated. But this certainly doesn't suck. Just be prepared for a unique drinker and something that is pretty intense.

Serving type: growler

04-24-2009 00:10:30 | More by RblWthACoz

egajdzis

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a dark mahogany color with a light tan, quickly dissapating off white head, that left spotty lacing on the glass. Aroma of chocolate, nuts, bananas, roast, smoke, and dried fruits. Chocolate, wheaty taste, more dried fruits, with lots of sweet malts in the taste. Peppery alcohol, very nice.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2005 23:47:00 | More by egajdzis

MasterSki

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to BeerLoco for sending this my way - this growler has been about a year in the works so it was really exciting to finally see it in my fridge. Shared with Sean9689 and the better halves. Served in a champagne flute.

A - A hard pour yields a half-finger of tan foam that fizzles quickly to a thin ring. There are a few spots of lace and some legs as well. Body is a lovely transparent mahogany color with some orange highlights.

S - An intense bouquet of wheat, cloves, & banana layered over some dark fruits and a touch of spicy alcohol. It's a touch to much clove for my taste. Smells like a weizenbock on 'roids, which I'm guessing isn't too far from the truth.

T - This is where the beer begins to show its strengths. Dark fruits, caramel, chocolate-covered cherries, banana, cloves and some other spices. Extremely well-integrated and masterfully hidden alcohol - this could have been a 7% weizenbock for all I knew.

M - Low carbonation but with a light tingle, medium-bodied, silky-soft, sticky finish, and no trace of heat. Not sure what more I'd want from this style of brew.

D - This is extremely drinkable stuff - I was worried 64oz would be too much, but it went quickly with everyone seeking out refills. It's not quite as good as the Kuhnhenn Raspberry Eisbock, but it was much more sessionable (as much as any Eisbock can be sessionable I suppose). Worth seeking out, especially as proof that high-gravity German-style beers needn't be malt bombs.

Serving type: growler

02-01-2010 16:12:11 | More by MasterSki

Sean9689

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Growler shared by Alex (Masterski)....thanks bro! Poured into champagne glass.

A - Pours black, very very slight fizz of head but nothing more.

S - Banana, cinnamon, nutmeg, dark fruits. You can smell the wheat in there too. All very well done.

T - Very similar to the nose. Banana, cinnamon, nutmeg, wheat, brown sugar. A nice mix of sweetness and there's no trace of the 11.5% at all.

M - Light, smooth, rich. A slight bitter finish but mostly sweet.

D - 11.5%? For real? This is crazy good and the alcohol is not there at all as far as I can tell (until I finish a couple of glasses, at least).

Serving type: growler

02-01-2010 03:07:21 | More by Sean9689

scootny

New York

4.47/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is some very impressive stuff. Doesn't start out that way though. The pour is unassuming. A dark purplish brown with a collar on against the glass instead of a head. A clear fluid with a sticky consistency.

You get notice of greatness here. Smell is full of dark fruits and overripe banana. Clove and roasted malts with a bit of coffee. A sweet alcohol and light yeasty breadiness. Multilayered and complex.

Taste is walking in the footsteps of Aventinus Eisbock and that's saying a whole lot. Smooth, sweet, and wheat malty with a rich delicious fruitiness and nary a trace of alcohol to be found anywhere. There is a larger roasted smokiness compared to the aforementioned but that is not a bad thing. The fruitiness unfolds flavors of cherries and grape as well as raisins, dates, figs. There is a bit of molasses as well. The light coffee shows up in the finish to add a gentle bitterness but hopping is mild if at all. The finish is surprisingly dry and clean with a bit of coffee and clove bound together by banana, yeast and peppery spiciness.

Feel is crisp and dry with a sticky light syrup. Carbonation is just about perfect with a light effervescence on the tongue and cheeks as it sits in your mouth.

Way to easy to drink this one. It may be 11.5 percent but I'd never guess from the taste. I nursed my way through a 16 oz growler that I shared a bit of with the Mrs. and If I had a 32 we would be on our faces. Delicious and sneaky stuff.

Serving type: growler

03-29-2010 03:38:24 | More by scootny