Ramstein Classic - High Point Brewing Company

drtth

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into an imperial pint glass. Glass of cold water on the side to sip from periodically.

Appearance: As poured the beer is a dark mahogany brown color with a few reddish highlights and a ½" light tan head that recedes fairly soon leaving behind some lacing, a small ring, and some patches of foam on the surface. Sipping leaves a few small patches of lacing clinging to the sides of the glass as the sheet of foam slides back down to the liquid.

Smell: The aroma is both subtle and complex with traces of chocolate, banana, cloves, and coffee. While the chocolate often seems the stronger aroma it doesn't ever really swamp out the others.

Taste: The flavors are carried by a nice, slightly sweet roasted chocolate backbone that allows the banana to show but not dominate. The clove pops in and out and once in a while the coffee shows itself.

Mouthfeel: The mouth feel is smooth and medium bodied with reasonable carbonation. The finish is medium in length and well balanced as the malt and some dry bitterness taper off into a nicely dry finish.

Drinkability: I've found this a nicely drinkable beer and am happy to have a second. Each sip follows the other naturally and the flavors are never so strong they overwhelm. Rather "subtlety" is a key word to describe this beer. I'll definitely enjoy having this beer again and I think it is a very nice example of an undervalued style. This beer also illustrates for me yet again how valuable it can be to have two or three bottles before reviewing. This is definitely a beer that grows on one and I did not fully appreciate its subtle complexity until about the 2nd or 3rd bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 01:47:43 | More by drtth

cpolking

Iowa

3.13/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer pours a very dark brown to light black with a massive head. It has an interesting aroma, dark, roasted grain, slightly smokey, a hint of coffee and a touch of yeast. The flavor is overwhelmingly tangy, almost sour with the dark roasted flavors left in the background to come through on the aftertaste. After reading other reviews, I wonder whether I got an off bottle, no one else had the massive sourness.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2010 01:37:12 | More by cpolking

moester13

Michigan

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

A: Dark brown pour, very thin looking. Carbonation evident in glass, no head though.

S: Interesting smell,banana bread and nuts, hint of chocolate.

T: Bittersweet malts upfront, very strong banana bread character. Toasted malt finish does not linger long.

M: Thin feel, finishes smooth. Think my bottle may have been flatter than intended.

D: Not a bad tasting brew, I assume freshness and carbonation may have brought my ratings down. Have to try a new bottle soon.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2010 20:47:18 | More by moester13

bogus564

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz, poured into a tall weizen glass.

Color is dark chocolate, but a clear dark chocolate, what one would expect from a dunkelweizen. The head grows rapidly and is tan in color, but bubbles off rather quickly.

Smells of yeast, banana, roasted malt and lemon. Can't wait to have my first sip.

The taste is what I expected - I catch a lot of lemon and grass. The other flavors that I smelled are there, but they're supporting actors. The two leads do just fine with this beer.

The beer is light-bodied, with a dry finish. Could have geared down the carbonation a tiny bit, but I'm nitpicking as far as that goes.

This beer was outstanding with my grilled cheese sandwich; I wish I had picked up two at the liquor store. This brewery does alright with wheat beers. Impressive.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2010 22:40:10 | More by bogus564

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a very dark brown color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is strong, lots of fruits, spices, bananas, one of the better smelling beers I can remember. Taste is mild compared to the smell, but good, again banana, spices, a bit sweet. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and has good drinkability. Overall this is a fine quality beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2010 14:46:21 | More by tone77

ATPete

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle

Pours a mostly transparent amber brown color with a small screen of an off white head. very little soapy sticking on the glass. Roasty wheat, some expected sweet banana and clove in the nose. A bright but welcome hop character hits the tongue, a caramelized sugar like malt/wheat sweetness takes over and rounds out the sip, a long yeasty aftertaste. Very easy to drink and pretty damn true to style.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2010 01:10:06 | More by ATPete

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The body of Ramstein Classic is a shade of light bronze that is surprisingly light in color. A finger or so of tightly bubbled white head has average retention at best, and leaves behind no lacing.

Very malty nose. Toasted malt, crackers, a touch of banana and hops.

The flavor has a slight coriander spiciness to it, with a dose of noble hops. Banana comes next and is a bit more powerful than the spice or hops, but the malt dominates the flavor profile of Ramstein Classic. Toasted malts along with grain and cracker flavors are strongest.

The mouthfeel is pretty highly carbonated, which doesn't hurt or help anything.

I expected a little more out of this one, but overall it is a decent beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2010 22:13:53 | More by Hojaminbag

deereless

Colorado

3.43/5  rDev -10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: A good two inches of head on a hard pour, the color of a light molasses , minimal amounts of lacing- 3.75, S: Tons of toasted malts, some caramel and faint chocolate hazelnut, strong clove aroma - 4.25, T: The hop bite is quite noticeable and imparts an earthy and herbal flavor, quite a bit of lemon and citrus, some caramelized sugars and a slight toffee - 3.50, M: Thin mouth feel - 2.75, D: All is all a decent beer, the mouth feel does leave a little to be desired and seems to detract from the overall experience, I would drink the beer again - 3.00

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2010 23:41:36 | More by deereless

tjd112

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into Flying Fish pint glassAppearance is a dark brown colour with a fast dissipating off-white head and little lacing. Smell is boozy with hints of banana split. A somewhat dry taste of dark coffee and bananas, borderlining on that of a stout. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, and though it is a drinkable beer in sessions, I find this to be the poor man's Aventinus

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2009 03:50:45 | More by tjd112

scootny

New York

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A slightly better effort than the Blonde Wheat I think, ( their hefe ) but still... A nice deep brown with a tan head of shaving cream consistency. Pretty good retention with some lacing here and there. Active carbonation.

Smell is fruity with a light soapiness. Some clove and a bit of wheat.

Taste has the same profile as the nose. Cloves are a bit more prominent but so is the soap. The banana comes through lightly as it warms up and helps to round out the flavor. Feel is crisp and effervescent in a refreshing way

Pretty easy to drink but the flavor makes you ask why? Not exactly bad but again when you have "High Point Wheat Beer Co." on the label my expectations go up and once again I am disappointed. I hope the highly rated Winter Wheat fares better

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2009 02:25:18 | More by scootny

tpd975

Florida

3.05/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a nice dark brown hue, expected a hefe, who knew it was a dark wheat? The head is tall and a nice shade of dark khaki. Very pillow like wonderful retention with nice chunky lace.

S: The roast comes out nicely. Lots of caramel and chocolate up front. The banana is there (somewhat over ripe aromas) along with nice spice.

T: It does not taste as good as it looks or smells. Rather subtle to be honest. Mostly roast up front, not bold at all though. Very subtle spice with the slightest of hint of banana estered yeast.

M: Very snappy on the tongue, almost sharp to be honest.

D: So So. This one stared off great. Was sort of downhill from there.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2009 19:51:14 | More by tpd975

matty

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark brown beer with a rapidly fading head.Aroma is banana,cloves and malts.Taste is toasted malts and cloves.Overall a decent beer with a nice faded smoky aftertaste.I would recommend to try at least once and I think think this is something I would purchase again!!

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2009 06:05:02 | More by matty

TurdFurgison

Ohio

2.73/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I found this at BierKraft in NYC, sold as singles. Poured into an Andechs weisse glass, I'm surprised at the dark color. I thought this would be a hefeweizen but BA lists it as a dunkel weizen. The beer smells kind of lactosy, definitely a wheat beer but not as much phenol as I'd prefer. Same with the taste, I don't get much banana or clove. Maybe this is an old bottle, hard to say as this is the first time I've tried the beer. Just not pleasant. I drank the whole thing but didn't really enjoy it.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2009 02:16:53 | More by TurdFurgison

confer

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

It's alive

This beer had to be poured very slowly as it exploded out of the bottle. When the monster tan head calmed down a cola looking beer remained. Very dark almost opaque, it looked nice.

The smell was fresh ans lightly malty.

This tastes like the little brother of the Winter Wheat from High point. To malty for my liking.

It was not at all what I was expecting. Doesn't taste anything like a Weizen.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2009 05:01:32 | More by confer

csmiley

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours dark and cola brown and almost opaque. The tan head topped out at just over an inch. Retention was good but only a minor amount of lace made any attempt to adhere to the side of the glass.

S - Wheat is up front in the aroma but not as much as I would have liked. Quickly following the wheat is some caramel and chocolate. Some spiciness bring up the rear and stays pretty mild.

T - Wheat stands out even less in the flavor. It is up front but just not enough. Chocolate, yeast, and caramel start to come in about midway. Alcohol and a sharp spice show up to finish it off but stay in a distant background.

M - Medium bodied with average carbonation. Finish stays pretty sweet throughout.

D - Drinkability is just above average. Most everything about this beer is about average. I could have more of these but really don't have a desire to. It goes down easy but that is just because of an uneventful smell and flavor. Overall, not bad. Not really that good either.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2008 02:39:30 | More by csmiley

AltBock

Ohio

3.38/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz. bottle that has a simple label of the Ramstein symbol and a brief description about the beer at the bottom. Make sure to look on the side for a best before month notch. Mine was best before July. I still have no clue on what year it was, but it was more than likely best before July 2008.

I had no other choice, but to pour it into a Weizen glass. What came out of the bottle was a mahagony brown colored beer that had some black cherry highlights. It had a beautiful massive beige colored head of foam. Not only was it beautiful, but it had excellent retention that left behind a small beige film and streak after streak of beige lace. It had a light dark aroma of toasted malts, a few cloves, a quick splash of lemon, subtle sweet caramel, bread, and then it ended with a touch of ripe banana. The taste started off mild with toasted malts and a hint of caramel, but then after that it went sour and tart with lemon, grapefruit, and citrus hops. Of course the mouthfeel was light, but this Dunkelweizen has an a lightly sour aftertaste of grapefruit and lemons. In the end, it's clearly not a great Dunkelweizen, but it is a nice little take on a German stlye from a great NJ brwery.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2008 21:20:19 | More by AltBock

sleazo

New York

3.85/5  rDev +1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A_The first thing that strikes me here is that there seems to be less beer in the bottle and more headspace than other 12ozers. This however does not appear to be a problem as the small bottle completely fills up a half litre weizen glass. A four(five?) finger foamy eggshell head sits atop a hazy dark brown liquid. A stream of bubbles cascade up to the top giving the head wonderful staying power. Nice to look at indeed.

S_Slight phenol and ester aromas push through a caramel sort of malt. On the tame side.

T_mildly sweet up front with a good ammount of yeast coming through. Heavy on cloves in the middle and the end with a slight banana quality as it warms. The slightly medicinal hop bitterness also comes through midsip. The aftertaste besides tasting of clove returns to a caramel and sweet slight roasted malt.

M_SLightly below medium bodied and very effervescent. I would say this is perhaps slightly too carbonated.

D_Very interesting beer. Not on par with the Germans but a very good shot from an American brewery and one that ends up being unique at that.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2008 05:46:47 | More by sleazo

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very dark burgundy-cola color with a tan head. Nice dunkel wheat. Very dark color. Sweet raisins, syrup, and dried fruit on nose. Some alcohol on nose as well. Flavor is very rich and full of fresh plums, sweet raisins, and bread. Drinks more like a strong Belgian or wheat bock. Starts out very sweet from the syrupy sweet raisin and dried fruit hints and finishes with some dry burgundy notes. Theres a slight woody character to the wine like palate as well. Good drinkability, very smooth palate, with some alcohol detection. A solid good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2008 23:50:37 | More by beerthulhu

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a pretty cool, old-school wheat beer and not your average dunkel. It's very aromatic and has any earthy feel that backed my spiced cocoa and roasted grains, almost like a brown ale or porter. The mouthfeel is a nice, mellow balance of sweet malts, which makes for a very drinkable beer that's also out of the norm. The only similar beer I can think of is the Michigan Brewing Bavarian Dark for the same dark earthy tone.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2008 00:53:59 | More by tempest

dsa7783

New Jersey

2/5  rDev -47.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Really wasn't too impressed... Although a decent beer, for a company that claims to specialize in wheat beers, they could've done alot better with this one... This tastes, looks, and smells more like a stout than a wheat beer, and after spending $7.75 on a six-pack, I was kind of dissapointed by the overall lack of complexity and bland flavor that predominated this brew. I'm pissed I wasted almost eight bucks on a brew that I basically had to force down rather than enjoy... No real wheat flavor in here, but more traces of cocoa and bittersweet chocolate...

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2007 00:12:52 | More by dsa7783

flexabull

California

3.95/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy brown color, with a faint head.

Smells biscuit like, also notice sweet grains, and roasted malts.

Taste is creamy and nutty. Nice roasted malt character, some underlying sweetness, and a bit of a tart toasty finish.

Mouthfeel is nice and full.

Drinkability is good. This is a nice easy drinking dunkel. Session worthy as well.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2007 21:56:19 | More by flexabull

Wasatch

Utah

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

Thanks to NeroFiddled for this brew.

Pours a nice clean/clear dark brown color, nice carbonation, tiny fizzy head which does not last long, not sticky lacing at all. The nose is malty, yeasty, some bananna, clove, and caramel. The taste is malty, slighty yeasty, touch of bananna/clove, lots of caramel. Medium body. Drinkable, a nice brew for a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2007 23:13:42 | More by Wasatch

Phatz

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks gottajiboo2 for bringing and sharing this beer.

Appearance: Pours a copper brown color with crimson hues a white head and some lacing.

Smell: Sweet caramel malts just a hint of banana esters but not too much almost stretching to detect. Wheat and a hint of cocoa.

Taste: Smooth and malty as it enters the mouth. Slowly flavors of wheat and dark fruit drizzled with caramel touch the taste buds. There is a toasted grain attribute and very little cocoa and toffee to leave you with. It maybe low in the fireworks and glamour depot but it is high in the approachability and drinkability department.

Mouthfeel: Light in the mouth but a pleasantly smooth texture glides easily over the tongue and down the throat.

Drinkability: This is a really easy drinking beer in my book. It is one worthy of a case purchase. Especially good drinking when you want to drink a few.

Hope this is helpful.
Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2007 09:46:34 | More by Phatz

SilentSabre

Georgia

3.2/5  rDev -16%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Overall, I felt this was pretty average for the style. Certainly a good drink, but nothing spectacular. Poured a moderately cloudy dark red colour with a 1/2 inch layer of sand coloured foam that faded away in about 25 seconds, leaving a ring of frost about its edges. Smell was very nice consisting of roasted wheat kernels and chewy caramel candy. Quite nice. Taste was average having the proper flavour profiles for the style, but finishing up with a surprising bitterness. It wasn't offensive at all. In fact, it was very mild. It's just that I wasn't expecting *any* bitterness from a brew of this sort. So far, I like Ramstein's Winter Wheat the best. This is, however, decent at least.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2006 22:37:07 | More by SilentSabre

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Deep chestnut colour topped by a short, light brown head. Fizzy bubbles that dissipate quickly and leave a bit of lace behind. Malty aroma composed of toasty, lightly chocolate grains and a mild yeasty bite. Sweet, malty flavour that you get out of some better German beers. Mild breadiness with a light fruit character as well. It finishes with a dry cocoa flavour. Medium bodied with carbonation a little on the low side. Not bad, nothing spectacular though. I enjoyed it, but it didn't make a huge impression on me.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2006 03:22:13 | More by DrJay