Granitbock Ice - Brauerei Hofstetten Krammer GmbH & Co. KG

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.78/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Straight up pour gives a one finger light brown head that vanishes instantly, leaving no lace. Murky brown color. Light carbonation and medium bodied. Bourbon nose, flavor is alcohol flavored molasses, some dark fruit with a dry finish. $8.99 for a 330ml bottle from Julio's Liquors Westborough, MA.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 22:11:18 | More by jdhilt

metter98

New York

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

A: The beer is very hazy dark brownish red in color and has a light amount of carbonation visible near the sides of the glass (it's too hazy to see through). It poured with just some lacing on the surface and a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: Aromas of dark fruits—plums, prunes and raisins stand out in particular—are present in the nose. These become stronger as the beer warms up.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has added notes of caramel malts and brown sugar.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation along with some warming from the alcohol. It's neither sticky nor syrupy.
O: This beer is rather easy to drink compared to other beers in the style because the alcohol is very well hidden from the taste and it's not very malty or full-bodied in nature.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 13:42:43 | More by metter98

clayrock81

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured a brownish body with one finger offwhite head and some lace on top of an aroma that was strong, almost like a sticky sweet smell if that makes sense, barley malt aplenty, yeast pokes out and some dark/sweet fruit. The brew is creamy, smooth, the yeast makes it fluffy on the tongue and easy to pass, with a balance of caramel and toffee sweetness and good malts that border on roasted and some fruit flavors that border sweet fruit and dark fruit but I can't really pinpoint them. There are not really any citric type fruits like orange that sometimes poke out with a good amount of yeast in a beer, but the finish is a little crisp and these bitter citric hops poke out on the finish, overpowering the sweet malts and dryer malts. A very good beer that has a great balance of hearty maltiness and sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 19:48:53 | More by clayrock81

Beer-A-Lot

Virginia

3.94/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Birch.

A - Dark garnet color, pretty but not much head.

S - Some sour smells.

T - Very tart, cidery, warms you fast , very unique for an ice bock, but nice. Goes great with cheese.

M - Mouth is full, lots going on there.

O - This is a very different kind of eisbock, with the sour tastes, kind of interesting. It really grows on you as ypou drink it, so give it a chance.

Serving type: on-tap

02-04-2013 17:52:25 | More by Beer-A-Lot

nickfl

Florida

4.03/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours with a small head of light tan foam on top of a very dark brown body. The head fades quickly and leaves only traces of lace on the glass.

S - Lots of boozy sugar with notes of plum, raisins, toffee, molasses, and caramel.

T - Dark, tart fruit up front with plum, sour cherries, and raisins. Some dark sugar in the middle, caramel, and toffee that becomes more roasty in the finish with dark cherry, molasses, and a bit of licorice.

M - Medium body, low carbonation, and a somewhat sweet finish.

D - Well, it smells amazing, but the flavor is not at all what I expected. The tartness isn't unpleasant, but it is odd and I'm not sure if it was intentional or not. Overall, it is a good brew, but a more traditional version with more sweetness in the finish would have been better.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 06:06:35 | More by nickfl

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.48/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Yeah baby... on tap at Max's during their German beer fest.

The beer pours a fairly dark hazy brown color with light red highlights. Head retention is pretty good, though the lacing is light. The beer has something of a viscuous look to it, which I guess is no surprise. The nose is incredibly complex in this fine beer, as I pick up dark fruits, dry sherry, brown sugar, and even a hint of sour. The flavor profile replicates the nose, with the light sour completely drying out the modest sweetness in this beer. The sherry, vanilla and a hint of nuttiness seem prominent in this well made, complex beer. Interestingly, while there's some sour in the finish, at the very end I get some sweetness as well. So much going on in this beer. Mouthfeel is fairly full, and while it's apparent the abv. is up there, there's no sense of heat in the finish, though the beer wears on you after a bit. It's just so rich and viscuous...

An amazing beer, and one that makes me understand why a brewery would make an eisbock. The concentration of flavor in this beer is flat out amazing.

Serving type: on-tap

09-21-2012 18:35:09 | More by johnmichaelsen

horshack7

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: With a head about an inch in height but thins out quick. Underneath is a dark mahogany with amber hues.

Aroma: Huge amounts of bready malts in the nose. Molasses, dark fruits, plantains, dark roasted hops with a twinge of char.

Taste: Very smooth mouthfeel. At the start it's a tidal wave of sweetness huge malt backbone to this beast. Dark fruits, hops are roasted so very well. Solid notes of figs, alcohol, lots of molasses wow is this sweet.

Notes: Dam this snarling beast has big sharp pointy teeth with a sinister malt backbone. Did I mention this beer is incredibly sweet. Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 02:32:34 | More by horshack7

gkatsoris

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Murky pea soup. No head at all. Swamp water. Scary stuff lol. Amber hue.

S: Malty. Rye. Light Caramel. Buttered bread. Raisens. Anise. Musty, leathery. And again raisens.

T: Caramel. Molassesy. Toffee. Skor bar. Sugary sweet. Malty. Banana bread.

M: Alcoholy. Thick and chewy for sure.

O: Not a bad brew at all. Glad I tried it.

Thanks PapaStrudel and redliner8!!!

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 03:19:29 | More by gkatsoris

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

3.88/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice syrupy malty flow with an accessible hefty sense.

Presentation: 33 cl brown screw cap bottle. Front label offers a barely legible image of two people picking at ice… with an icebreaker in the distance? Dark blue and grey granite background. Legibility and typography and horrible, barely legible. Notes main ingredients and offers a small line about the brewing on antique granite vessels? Shows brewing year (2011 07), and 11.5% Alc. by Vol. Served in a snifter.

A - Deep amber brown pour with a minimal initial head, gone in a blink, leaving no trace surface memory or lacing…

S - Dark fruit, prunes, figs, hinting at a sweet malty booze.

T - Long sweet flow, plenty of rummy caramel, touches of dark fruits… figs, prunes, syrupy but not cloying or as cloying as one might fear it would be. Slight herbal bitter hint in the finish under the syrupy malty flow.

M - Medium-full body highlighted by the syrupy feels as it flows. Small carbonation with a nice tiny tingle on the tongue, and a pleasing lingering memory.

O - A bit too compact in the flavor profile but with a very nice and slick flow.

Notes: Nice offering, does not make it to the notch of the very few eisbocks I´ve tried but it is pretty good. Repeating this rarity is unlikely given the price tag, which might be its biggest flaw.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2011 19:29:44 | More by Daniellobo