Atwater Block Brewery - Atwater Dunkel

We've admired this beer for years, and in fact, have featured it before. We didn't really think they could improve upon the original, but then we tried the new recipe… and son-of-a-gun is it ever smooth! Dunkel is the German word for 'dark'; Munich Dunkel lagers don't have the opaqueness of a stout—their darker color and name arose as a contrast to lighter-colored styles such as Helles lager (helles means "light" in German). Neither variety is overly sweet; their focus is on the malt-flavors, with an underlying hop bitterness playing a supporting role. Expect healthy doses of roasted caramel and a trace of chocolate, mixed with a bread-like scent and a pronounced creaminess that comes from the use of Munich dark malts. Packed with subtle roasted malt flavors and moderate sweetness (from the five varieties of barley used), this is a good representation of the style; note the characteristic absence of excessive bitterness and heaviness present in many dark beers. This versatile beer pairs well with fried mushrooms, vegetarian chili, roast chicken, or spicy lobster or crab.

The Atwater Block Brewery is located in the heart of Detroit's Rivertown district near the banks of the Detroit River (in other words, at the water, or, as they say, 'at-water'). Housed in a reconditioned 1916 warehouse, the 18,000 square foot brewery features a state-of-the-art Kasper-Schulz German brewhouse. However, having a German brewing facility doesn't necessarily mean that authentic German-style brews are magically going to bubble forth. Using traditional German brewing methods is an obvious necessity, and Atwater does just this, enabling them to deservedly boast their traditionalist nature and authenticity. Notable among their genuine Bavarian techniques is the practice of Kräusening, the Old Bavarian practice of blending in fresh wort (the unfermented concentrated liquid created early in beer production) at the end of fermentation to give the beer a secondary fermentation in the conditioning tanks and the bottle (incidentally, our 2nd featured brewery, the Tuckerman Brewing Company, employs this technique as well). This process not only allows carbon dioxide levels to build up slowly in the beer, but also smoothes out the flavor over weeks of conditioning. The largest brewers in the United States moved away from this practice years ago, opting instead to adopt 'more efficient,' 'faster' processing methods. Thankfully, our featured breweries this month still practice this important step. Also in accordance with tradition, all of the Atwater beers are produced exclusively with German malts and the finest hops available. In addition to the brewery, the location has a 170 seat restaurant featuring a 60 foot bar with two-story glass walls that give patrons a direct view of the brewhouse, enabling guests to see where the magic happens—getting an inside look at where their Great American Beer Festival medal-winning beers are born. Today, the Atwater Block Brewery is one of only three breweries in Michigan's largest city of Detroit—a surprisingly low number for a state that has more than 60 breweries! What's more, they make their own wines as well. Along with tasty meals that complement their own home-made brewings, they provide the total package to lucky visitors. For more information about the brewery & brewpub—and scheduled tours—call (313) 877-9205 or check out their web site at www.atwaterbeer.com.