Saint Arnold Microbrewery is out of Houston, Tx, which, since I am a Texan, makes me proud. Unfortunately this particular beer doesn’t have a Texas sized taste to it. It has a lot of carbonization and a decent malty flavor to it but it lacks a real punch in the flavor area. The brew master seems to have held back on this beer in the flavor department. I am not saying it is a bad beer, it has a pleasant smell, but it is just too bland and unidimensional. Overall I would rate it 2.5 burps out of 5.

If you haven’t made to Munich, Germany and had the opportunity to visit the Hofbräuhaus
I highly recommend it. I went 20 years ago and still remember the pleasant intoxicating experience. It was a large tavern style building and the beer was flowing, flowing, flowing. Hofbräu apparently means “beer of the court”, which is to say something along the lines of beer made by the government of Germany. This beer has a storied history going back some 500 years. Not very many beers can say that, but then again the Germans take beer seriously.

Hofbräu Dunkel is a dark bottom fermented beer which is brewed according to the German purity law( so you know its good). The beer itself has a pleasant flavor with lots of malty flavor and mild carbonization. Its has a good head on it that is not too big. The smell is quite pleasant, without a hint of bitterness. What I like about this beer is that it is not too heavy. It has a tad bit of a bitter aftertaste that hits your tongue just right and a good amount of malty flavoring with a splash of caramel for good measure. I absolutely recommend this beer to anyone who is looking to step up a notch or two above a Sam Adams type beer. It will definitely leave you wanting more.

4.5 out of 5 burps.