We’ve reviewed one Eisbock (ice bock) on the site previously (Aventinus). As a reminder, an Eisbock is a bock beer that is brought to the point of freezing. Since water freezes before alcohol, the water crystalizes and is taken out of the beer. Once the water is removed from the beer, it becomes a thicker, stronger, and more assertive beer. The Aventinus version that we reviewed jumps from 8.2% ABV to 12% ABV. Obviously, that’s a pretty substantial jump. Kulmbacher is a more modest version at 9.2%. I love the brewer’s opening page, which loads in German and asks readers if they are 16 or older (what a drastically different attitude than the U.S.! I guess there is something to be said for teaching responsibility early on…but I digress). What about the beer?
The Pour-This beer had a very brown body with red touches gracing its appearance. The light brown head sat in the glass just waiting for me to give it a try. I imagine that it would have hung around quite a while just to show me that it wasn’t capitulating. A slowly active body pretended to be lethargic about holding up the head.
The Nose-Sweet malts were immediately evident when I stuck my snout into the Kulmbacher Eisbock. I don’t think I want to know of a bock that doesn’t have sweet, malty aromas. Cola qualities were also noticeable on the nose, which isn’t the first time I’ve noted this in a beer. Of course, the alcohol could also be picked up. In addition to these features, a peppery quality was apparent. Even a touch of apples made its way into the nose.
The Taste-Sweet malts immediately jumped into their proper place–first place, that is. This beer had a very nice, full, malty body, which gave a pretty full mouth feel, especially when the sweetness coated the mouth along with it. The apple qualities, alcohol strength, and “peppery” quality were also factors in the taste of the beer. It finished dryly.
Overall, this was the full, malty beer that it should have been. As with most bocks, there was little hop emphasis in Kulmbacher’s Eisbock. It was a very good beer, which my wife liked even a little more than I did.
Mike’s Review:
Overall Satisfaction: 
Among other Eisbocks that I've had: 
[...] sweetness balances out the 8.2%ABV. There is an eisbock version of this beer that is huge. Kulmbacher makes a nice version as well. Recently, I enjoyed Ayinger’s Wheat Bock, which was also a [...]