This is a beer I picked up on a whim at the German grocery next to the LHBS mostly because I really, really liked the label on the bottle. This is a kellerbier rated at 5.2% ABV, and it is the first time I've ever had a beer of this style. From the researching I did about it, essentially it has an appearance much like an Oktoberfest beer with it's coppery color imparted by dark Munich malt, but is more hoppy and has little to no carbonation. The latter fact being very strange and seemingly counterintuitive. But you know what? It works!
The malt base is well presented and the hop flavor is mostly floral and mildly herbal, but not dissatisfying. It poured coppery, as is per style, and had a bit of carbonation that produced a soft head that disappeared almost immediately. No fizz on the tongue, so no bite! Also, I noticed that the beer is not very clear, but rather cloudy like a homebrew, and discovered upon further investigation of kellerbiers that this is another attribute of the style. It still has a crispness you expect from a German lager, but has some fruity undertones like an ale.
All in all, I gave this 4 out of 5, as I really enjoyed it, but have no basis for comparison with other beers of this style.
