Berghoff Genuine Dark Beer
This deep mahogany Euro-style lager has a nice balance of malts and hops, which lend to the full-flavored body and mild aroma. It has a pleasantly malt-fruity palate, with touches of chocolate, and some hoppy bitterness coming through at the end. The dark beer was rated as "One of the Top 100 Beers in the World" by Wine Enthusiast magazine, won the Silver Medal in the 1993 Great American Beer Festival and the Silver Medal in the 2002 World Beer Championships.
2.8
249 reviews
Chicago, United States
Community reviews
355ml bottle pours a deep amber color with a finger of off-white head that leaves only a thin spotty lacing behind. Aroma is caramel with a hint of chocolate and a mild grassy and citrus notes. Taste is light caramel and chocolate malty sweetness with a grassy hop bitterness and mild citrus finish. Light body for the style and not very well balanced flavors.
Clear dark amber with a long-lasting ring head and light spotty lace. The taste is butter rum and caramel malt with a carbonated edge that brings it back toward a balance. The palate is slightly watery, which helps in this case. Overall, a cut above the national brands, but otherwise, average.
Tap. Pours clear brown with a light, fizzy white head, short retention with spare lacing. Aroma is cookie and toast malt, fruity esters and spicy hops. Flavor is malt forward, medium hops and bitterness with a dry finish. Medium to light body, light warmth and medium carbonation.
"Berghoff Sundown Dark Beer" Bottle pours brown(deep mahogany) with a khaki head. Aroma is lightly toasted with notes of caramel, milk chocolate, nuts, and a touch of diacetyl. Flavor is sweeter than the nose let on with underlying notes of dried red/dark fruit. Overall body is moderate and the finish is lightly bitter. Much like the Red Ale, this one is on the sweet side with not a whole lot going on to balance it out.
@ORD. Medium brown with thin head. The aroma is more buttery than anything else, maybe some light toastiness as well. The taste is mild with caramel, toast and diacetyl. Not much else going on.
Bottle - Pours clear rosy brown with a thin filmy off-white head. Smells milky and nutty, with dark bread and chocolate notes. Tastes sour and milky, with dark bread, light sweetness, and a touch of herbal hops on the finish. Astringent heat on the finish. Dusty yeast lingers, too. Not a beer I’d try again, not with so many better local options.
Clear brown color, thin body and modest head. Aroma and taste are bland, but basically nutty grain. Wouldn’t buy again.
Labeled as Sundown Dark. This was a pretty decent dark lager. Some sips had a certain depth to them and others were more thirst quenching. Serving: Bottle
Labeled as "Sundown Dark Beer" in a combo pack from Sahar in Wicker Park. Pours a rich clear brown w minimal head. Nose is malty with an almost tart fruit note and some chocolate. Taste is similar complexity with the same notes coming out. the palate is a bit thin and falls off in a disappointing finish.
Color is a translucent mahogany. Aroma is subtle but full of fruity tones. Taste reveals a bit more maltiness and a hint of nuttiness. A fairly thick feeling on the palate. A very nice offering from Berghoff!
12oz bottle from Woodman’s poured into a shaker. Bottle labeled as "Sundown Dark Beer". Pours a medium-dark brown. Almost looks like rootbeer. Small bit of bright white head that disapates slightly faster than average. Aroma is mostly malt. Has an aroma of burnt nuts. Taste is medium sweet and very lightly bitter. Almost tastes like fermenting fruit. Medium bodied with a thick yet slick texture. Soft carbonation and an average length finish. Overall, its not that bad. I’m begining to realize that I’m probably not a Berghoff fan. The last two that I’ve tried have had the same rotting flesh sickly sweet scent built right into the taste there. I won’t buy it again but I will at least finish this pint. The rest of the 6er can go to whatever unlucky sap comes to my house and forgets his own beer.
12 ounce bottle from a sampler from Woodmans West Madison. Pours a clear dark copper color with a fizzy off-white head that fades like its going out of fashion. Aroma of toasted malts, anise, smoky notes. The taste is sweet malts, raisins, faintly bitter hop finish. Thin-medium bodied.
On tap at o’hare:pours to a clear light brown colored body with a very small tan head that quickly dies. Aroma is mild honey, sweet grains and some light cereal notes. Taste is similar to yeungling with some sweet amber and honey malt flavors balanced out by a bitterness that seems to come from a small amount of dark roasted malt rather than hops. Not bad for a low end beer. Light bodied, slightly over carbonated mouthfeel.
Poured from 12oz bottle, pours a clear dark brown that reminds me of a soda, aroma is of faint malt with a hint of chocolate, the flavor is mostly of malt with nothing else to it, pretty bland and boring.
Unfortunately my flight was delayed several hours at ohare so i got some of this on tap. It is suprisingly not bad, very soda-like with a hint of cocoa and malt, not bad.
This is one of my favorite beer styles and I was eager to sample theirs as each of their beers has improved immensely since my last sampling in 2006. This one is a Munich dark lager and was, unfortunately, the least impressive of their lineup on this date.
The Dark is deep brown in color and has a caramel/chocolate sweetness on the nose. Lightly hopped, it balances nicely, but it was slightly lacking in body. As in their Red, I picked up a bit of DMS. Even worse, there was a lingering and prevalent tinny or metal taste, which could have been anything from bad glassware to poorly stored grains at the brewhouse. Either way, it robbed what otherwise was a fair effort of any potential.
This one is a disappointing.
Sampled at Berghoff brewery on Adams St. downtown Chicago. Aroma of chocolate, sweet honey, vanilla. Very malty with little hops. Tasted of roasted chocolate & nuts. This was the last sample of the day and I ate it with a strawberry/rhubarb cheesecake. It paired perfectly with the dessert. I wouldn’t drink this on it’s own
My beer is called Berghoff Sundown Dark. I am drinking it as the sun sets on another July like day in mid-October in Wisconsin. I just got back from Oktoberfest, and there were no beers. I’ll enjoy this one, I am sure of it, as I have not even taken a sip yet. I can tell you it’s going to be great just be looking at it.
And the sip...
And the rating...
Bottle to pint glass. Ruby color with spare head and fair lacing. Lots of malt tastes. Caramel and cereal. Slightly acidic. Light body with a thin finish. Not my bag.
On tap at Alfie’s Inn in Glen Ellyn, IL. and served to a mug with a clear, brown tone with amber highlights. The head was off white and modest, with streaks and spots of lacing following. The aroma was lightly toasted malt, but also with a slight acetic scent that luckily didn’t follow into the flavor. The flavor had a slight sweetness to it, along with some decent malt, and medium, supportive hop bitterness. The carbonation was lively enough, and the body was medium-light. Not a bad, sessionable brew, which went well with the pub faire.
Not bad; pleasant surprise from this older bottle that’s been sitting on the shelf for a couple, three years. Poured with a fine bubble, tan head that quickly subsides and no lace. Color is a clear brown with amber highlights. Aroma is malt, a bit roasty, hint of molasses and dark ripe fruit. Flavor is like aroma. Body is ok and carbonation is a tad fizzy. Very easy drinking beer. Be great to cook with too.
Bottled. Clear brown color, medium frothy off-white head. Aroma of some skunky hop, grain, metallic touch which reminds me of very cheap red wine, bit nutty. Bit sweet chocolate taste, metallic, corn, grain. Bit dry palate, like what walnuts give. Too bad of the metallic notes, otherwise it wouldnt be that bad after all.
Amber brown in appearance. Some roasted malt and caramel in the nose. Flavor is much of the same. Almost a bit on the sweet grainy taste.
Pours a clear, dark amber with a thin off white head that fades quickly, only a spot in the middle and thin ring are sustained by effervescence. Aroma is toasted malt, caramel, cocoa, hints of tree fruit and sweet grain. Flavor is sweet grain, toasted malt, a hint of chocolate, leafy earth, grass and herbal hops, pretty mild all over though. Palate is light bodied, somewhat oily and has a light, yet sharp carbonation. Not a bad vienna, but the weird fruity notes really don’t fit.
Bottle park of Berghoff sampler pack. Pours clear dark brown with light tan head. Aromas of caramel and dark malt. Flavor of caramel, malt, and some toffee. Easy drinking beer but a bit on the watery side. Not great but not bad.
Draught from the resto. Kind of licoricey. I don’t know if i’d call this a vienna but I like it ok.
Reminds me of a watered down pale ale, with a hint of copper in the flavor. No, copper is not a good thing.
Tastes like a regular pale ale with a little bit of roasted flavor. Very light and not to complex.
Clear brown pour with a fizzy head. Not much to this, just light roasted malt and a touch of chocolate, fruit and hops. Just okay.
Reddish-brrown pour with a small tan head. Sweet malt aroma, some roasted malt. Watery- little roasted malt, semi-sweet. Wish they sold this in a pick a 6 rack. I can always use the others to boil brats.