Came for the Oktoberfest, stayed for the Dunkel! Rapp Brewing Company’s Munich Dunkel
For the last couple of weeks I’ve been sampling a number of local area Oktoberfest beers in an effort to pull together enough to write a piece about the Best of the Bay. Yesterday’s sampling took me to Rapp Brewing Company, a place I had yet to make it to previously. I’m glad I did because in addition to the great Oktoberfest lager I came in for, I discovered something else even more amazing.
Not only is Rapp an incredible craft beer operation specializing in German styles (with a huge variety totaling almost 40 taps), but it boasted one of the best Dunkel’s, if not one of the best beers I’ve ever had.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Rapp Brewing Company’s Munich Dunkel…
The Munich Dunkel pours a rich dark brown with about a finger and a half of khaki-colored head and significant lacing on the glass. There’s a nice bready aroma with just a subtle hint cocoa.
This brew boasts a surprisingly enjoyable mouthfeel; lighter than I’d expect this kind of beer to have but still thick enough to grab your tongue. The toffee and malt flavors are abundant on the first pull with notes of toasted biscuit and a little nuttiness. On the back-end it rounds out to a nice solid caramel finish with a dash of chocolate. What I enjoyed most was the noticeable absence banana notes which seems to be a common trend among Dunkel recipes and I’m not the biggest fan of banana.
While I love almost every style of beer, it’s no secret that my palette tends to skew towards the dark side especially in the cooler months. However I can honestly say that my preference is not coloring this opinion: this is easily the best Dunkel I’ve ever had. An older gentleman sitting at the end of the bar was also singing the praises of the brew with a giddy, childlike glee as if he were a kid with an ice cream cone. It’s safe to say I’m not alone in my opinion.
This is a full-bodied, drinkable Dunkel and if I had the time and was not driving I would have stayed for at least three more. If you dig Dunkels you’re doing yourself a disservice by not stopping in and trying a stein and I can’t recommend it enough.
Tried Rapp’s Munich Dunkel? Leave a message in the comments section!
And remember… the food abides…
Tampa Food Dude 