Last year I made a Brew House Oktoberfest beer kit.  I said I’d probably try other beers, but I wasn’t “wowed” by the Oktoberfest.  I wanted to go back to give some of the other styles a try.  I’ve stayed away from the IPA and more “hoppy” ales because I’ve heard much of the hop aroma and flavor is lost in these kits.  I am looking for a kit which stands a good chance of tasting great.  This time around I tried the Munich Dunkel.

I tried to ferment the beer in a 6.5 gallon bucket fermenter despite the instructions asking for a 10 gallon fermenter.  I used a large fermenter last time, but decided against it for this brew.  I can honestly say when they mention you need a 10 gallon fermenter in the instructions, they mean it.  I had quite the blow off.

Looks

The beer is very dark, much like a porter.  Munich Dunkels are usually anywhere between medium amber to dark brown, so this beer was within style guidelines.  The cream colored head was fair, but fell quickly.

Aroma

The beer has a very slight nutty aroma, with some note of toffee.  There aren’t really any other aromas.  The slight aromas are well within style guidelines.

Taste

The flavor is coffee.  I taste more coffee than Munich malts or anything else.  The beer does have a sweet flavor to it, but it’s not malty.  The flavor is very smooth, with no alcohol bites.  The beer flavor is ok, but I’m underwhelmed.

The mouthfeel was a bit weak.  My first thought when I tasted it was I added too much water, but I was really anal about measuring the water per instructions.  The beer should have a medium to medium full mouthfeel, without being too heavy.  I think the beer went too light.  It just doesn’t have much body to the beer.

Results

Overall I think the beer kit produced another beer which was mostly within style guidelines, but did not wow me.  It’s a good beer to serve at a large party, but I don’t think I want to drink 5 gallons by myself.  I mentioned before, I thought the beer had more coffee flavor than anything else.  The beer also felt “thin”.

If you can find a good deal on the kit, it might be worth it in today’s economy.  It does make beer, and the beer isn’t bad.  The beer just isn’t going to knock your socks off.

I’ll give the beer 6 Munich dark nights out of 10.

Brewery: The Brew House, RJ Spagnols Brew kit
Country of Origin: Canada
Style: Munich Dunkel
ABV: 5.5%