Beer O'Clock: Dortmunder Maibock
I bet you thought I was done with beer reviews, didn't you?
I've been meaning to post one for a couple of months, ever since I finished the reviews of the beer that DW and I tried in the Laurentians and Saguenay region. On that trip, I regained my beer mojo and was excited to explore even more beer.
I had someone who represents an Ontario brewery contact me in July, inviting me to take a road trip to Southern Ontario and visiting the brewery, where I'd sample some of their beer and provide reviews. It sounded very interesting but they weren't suggesting that they'd pay for me to head all the way down (some seven to eight hours away from Ottawa) or put me up, so I said that I wouldn't be able to make the trip, though I'd keep it in mind the next time I found myself in Stratford, which is about an hour or so away.
The representative took a while to get back to me but said that she'd send a sample pack of beer to me, for which I'd provide reviews. I was up for that but I was preparing to head out to the Laurentians, and I asked her to not send it to me before I returned.
Again, it was some time before I heard from her again, and I even thought that she had decided to not send me the beer after all. But when I did hear from her again, she introduced me to another rep, who would be taking over from her, and this new rep would be sending me the beer samples. I responded to the new representative and told her that I looked forward to the samples.
That was on October 23 and I haven't heard anything since, nor has any beer come to my doorstep. Oh well.
I made a trip to my friendly neighbourhood LCBO, a few weeks ago—something I rarely do these days. DW said that we were low on gin and rum (although, Kid 1 drinks most of the rum and I feel she should pay for it, herself, am I right?), and while DW sought out these beverages, I thought I'd scan the beer shelves for something that could catch my eyes.
There were three brews that stood out (actually, there were quite a few but I didn't grab a basket and only have two hands) and I grabbed two cans, each. One was from Flying Monkeys and was just one more hazy, high-alcohol ale that claimed to be an IPA. I like the taste of these brews but I'm mostly done reviewing them.
It was juicy and heady. Same ol'.
Another brew was from Nickel Brook Brewing, in Burlington. As I write this post, the name of the brew escapes me, as does the style, and I'm too lazy to march down to the basement to look it up, so I'll just have to rediscover it for the next review.
The third beer I saw stood out only because, while I'm familiar with the German brewery, the can looked a bit different. Had they repackaged their old lager or was this different?
It seems that it was different and I noticed the darker green label of which I'm familiar, next to this one. So I picked it up.
It's been ages since I've had a Dortmunder Actien Brauerei (DAB) brew. I have memories of being in a bar, near the lakeshore of Toronto, with friends from journalism school, in the late 1980s, and trying their lager. I can see the young face of my friend, Marc, making some joke, as we sat and drank our drinks.
That's how long ago it's been.
So, I'm coming at this brew with a clean slate, not even remembering my opinion of the DAB Dortmunder Lager. Let's see how their Maibock fares.
DAB
Dortmund, Germany
Appearance: a deep, golden amber that initially pours a foamy, white head that settled to a dense lace. Because the beer was very cold when I poured it, I let the glass sit until I got this far in typing the review. There's a creamy, thin, white cap that covers about 60 percent of the top of the glass: the other 40 percent is a thin lace.
Nose: right away, I detected strong grassy notes with a bit of biscuit and traces of something similar to apple juice. My first impression was that I wasn't going to like this brew.
Palate: I was hit with a strong flavour that almost suggested rye, though barley is used as the grain for this brew. It was like rye bread with a spread of pine resin. My taste buds were subdued with the first mouthful, and on subsequent sips, the punch became more subtle (a subtle punch??). I detected rich, toasty malts that kept my mouth awake. A full body carried through to the finish, which lingered throughout my mouth. The more I drank this maibock, the more I liked it.
Overall impression: it's been a while since I've had a maibock, so I had to consult with my Cicerone beer-profile cards, and DAB hits the mark with this brew—as I would expect a German brewery with such a history to have. The nose gave me the impression that I wouldn't enjoy this beer and the initial taste seemed to confirm that impression, but after two or three sips, I found it quite delightful on a cold day (maibocks are traditionally consumed in the spring).
Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺
You can find this brew in your local LCBO, likely next to DAB's lager.
I held off publishing a beer review, not because I'm abstaining from beer but because other ideas for blog posts have crept up, filling my regular Thursday Beer O'Clock slot. I'll try not to wait too long before the next one.
And maybe, those folks in Southern Ontario will remember that they promised me some beer.
Cheers!
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