Special Beer Review - Hofbrau

Hofbrau Original - The Hofbrau Helles, it pours a golden amber with a generous head that crested the glass but didn't overflow and then slowly dissolved, leaving significant lacing on the sides of the glass.  The aroma is slightly sweet.  The taste a balance between hops and malts with spicy sweet overtones.  After several sips the hops seems to win out in the ending dry finish.

Hofbrau Dunkel - This beer pours a reddish amber with a generous beige head that slowlly dissolved leaving plenty of lacing on the sides.  The aroma is heavy roasted malts with overtones of caramal, almost made me think of a Coke.  The flavor is malty sweet hints of dark chocolate swirl around and the finish is wet and lingering.  Not a bad dunkel but I'm not as impressed with it out of the bottle as I was out of the tap in the Hofbrauhaus itself.

Hofbrau Oktoberfestbier - This beer pours a dark amber with a slightly off white head that starts off generous but slowly dissolves but leaves light lacing on the sides of the glass.  The aroma is straight up malts with maybe, just maybe, a hint of hops.  The taste is sweet malt and this beer finishes with a slight tartness that calls for another drink.  I'll happily oblige.

Hofbrau Maibock - A Munchner Bockbier according to the label.  I picked this one up right after I got back from R and R and I'm glad that I finally got to it since the use by date is early November.  Right up front this beer packs a punch 7.2% alcohol by volume.  Read more about Bock substyles and their differences here.  Basically though this is a helles lager that is brewed to bock strength, typically in the spring time for fests in May.  It pours a copper with hints of red and an off white head that dissolved quickly leaving significant lacing on the sides of the glass.  The aroma is malty sweet.  The taste is malty with a touch of smoky caramel and a slightly dry finish in which you can taste the alcohol.  Definitely different from a doppelbock or a regular bock  but pretty good in it's own right.

Hofbrau Munchner Sommer - A summer keller beer specialty with a touch of wheat thrown in to make it interesting..  This one pours a cloudy dark straw gold with an off white head that dissolved quickly but left persistent lacing on the sides.  The aroma is slightly clovy and spicy.  The taste is balanced  with a hint of extra spice and touch of that hefeweizen breadiness. Interesting.  Not my favorite but not a bad beer.

Hofbrau Schwarze Weisse - The Dunkel Hefe Weissbier from Hofbrau.  It pours a dark caramelly brown with a generous beige head that slowly disappears.  The aroma is one of baked bread with a hint of cloves and other spices.  You can definitely taste the well roasted wheat malt.  A bit of spicy sweetness is followed by a nice wet finish.  Once again a pretty good beer.