Yee Haw Brewing Company | Dunkel
Howdy friends,
It is a great time for Tennessee beer! If that doesn’t want to make you say Yee Haw, I don’t know what will!
Yee Haw Brewing Company in Johnson City, TN, came out of the gate hard and fast throwing the gauntlet down on 4 mainstay beers that were nothing short of dead on the money – I’m talking about their Pilsner, Pale Ale, Eighty and Dunkel. While each beer is great in it’s own right, with so many breweries popping up across this great nation, it’s important to stand out. Branding and marketing will only get you so far. The liquid has to carry the ball into the end zone to make an impression on the consumer. While many may argue with me, Yee Haw Dunkel may be one of the best wide receivers on the field.
You may be thinking, “whatcha talkin’ about Willis?” It’s this; as Yee Haw began sending beer out the door and the buzz began, the comment I heard more frequently in relationship to this brewery was, “Have you tried the Dunkel?” Granted, this style is a bit novel as this just isn’t a style we run across everyday in East Tennessee. Further, it’s a style that has taught many a beer drinker that “hey, I don’t have to be a’feared no more, dark beer is OK!” So it’s certainly memorable. Here’s the thing, it’s not just OK, it’s great! I can spot that green Yee Haw tap handle the second I walk into a bar and as a result it seems I’ve gotten into a habit of making my mind up before really looking at the rest of the beer list.
If you’ve had the beer, you know what I’m going to review in the next paragraph. If you haven’t, let’s get started:
This beer pours a dark brown with ruby highlights that extend deep from the edge. The beer is clear with a medium-low head that doesn’t linger. Aroma brings notes of chocolate, nuts and bit of toasted bread crust. On the palate I find a bit of caramel, a chocolate sweetness – gentle, subtle but rich and very enticing. The body is medium and the beer lingers towards the back of the tongue.
Final snobs: This is a beer well done. This is a beer that people will remember. This is a beer that will stand out among the thousands. If you’ve had it, you know what I mean. If not, don’t worry, it is easily found across east TN from the Georgia line to Virginia. By the way, this beer took the bronze at the World Beer Cup for the Munich Dunkel – yeah, it’s that good. Yee Haw!
Prost!