Review of Warsteiner Premium Dunkel Dark Lager
Posted By Ken Saturday, 23 February 2008 12:43
This beer I kind of tried by accident. I ordered Warsteiner at a bar the other night, thinking that I was going to get the pilsner, as the waitress did not tell me it was dunkel, but when it arrived I decided to try it since I was a big fan of the pilsner and never had the dunkel. Here's what I thought....
Ken's Review
Taste: B+ Dark lagers are not usually my favorite kind of beer, but the Warsteiner dunkel was very surprising in taste. It starts out very clean, and at the end of the taste has a nice subtle bitterness to it. The taste is not dominating, and you get just enough out of it to be satisfied. This is definitely not like a lot of dark lagers where the hops have a potent taste to it at the end of the drink.
Packaging: A The packaging of this bottle is pretty complex, but suits the beer nicely. It has a dark bottle, which is always good. The main label has dark amber tones that fade into a silver color in the center. The main "Warsteiner" name is in the center, with a German phrase running around it. At the bottom in gold text is where "Warsteiner" and "Premium Dunkel" are written. And at the top there seems to be some sort of a crown shape drawn on to it.
Value: A- For the richness of this beer, the value is pretty good. Sixers of this run in the vicinity of $6.99, which is not bad for a German import beer. I tried a pint of this on draft at a bar, and it cost me $3.75, which isn't terrible but paying a little less would have been nice. That is no fault of the beer itself, and with the price of bottles you can buy in the store it is very reasonable.
Drunkeness: B Warsteiner Dunkel comes in at 4.9% alcohol, which doesn't stack up with most beers, but does provide enough of a kick that a few of these can get a buzz going. I don't know that I would necessarily recommend this as a beer to get shit-faced on, as the dark lagers are typically not ones that you want to have come back up. This would be a great beer to have at a place like a German festival or somewhere where you are just looking to have a good time and not get plowed.
Overall: B+ For getting a beer I didn't really want in the first place, I ended up a fan. Even those who are like me who do not necessarily like the dark lagers should be able to appreciate this beer. For the cleanliness in taste and the reasonable price, I would definitely recommend this one to anyone to try.