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Year of Song

Grimm Artisanal Ales
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🌍 United States · Dunkel · One of 53 Dunkels in hopIQ

Year of Song is a Munich-style dunkel lager that Grimm brews in smaller batches each autumn, with most of it poured at the brewery taproom and at Grimm Tavern. It pours deep brown with crimson highlights. The malt carries flavours of dark crusty bread and chocolate, with a light roasted note in the background. The body stays slim enough that the beer remains easy to drink despite the dark malts.

ABV
5.5%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter
Roasted bitterness
SRM
deep amber20
See all Dunkel alternatives →
How it drinks· Its pace, balance and relationship to the style.
Pace
sessionsipper
Balance
malt-ledhop-led
Style expression
textbookdistinctive
Where this beer sits· Four axes, the same for every beer in hopIQ.
Body
Substantial body.
lightfull-bodied
Sweetness
Off-dry finish.
drysweet
Bitterness
Soft bitterness.
mildbitter
Texture
Balanced mouthfeel.
crispcreamy

Balanced backbone, with every axis close to the middle.

Nothing dominates, and that is the craft — each element gets room to be tasted.

Character· What makes this beer itself — not just another Dunkel.
Malt character
bready
chocolate
malty
roasted
toasty
caramel
Fermentation & yeast
clean
Distinctive notes
smooth drinking

Tasting Notes

AI-generated sensory profile for Year of Song

◎ Appearance

Year of Song presents a deep brown body with crimson undertones that catch the light, characteristic of a traditionally brewed Munich dunkel. The pour shows good clarity with a modest tan head that settles to a thin collar, leaving light lacing on the glass. Carbonation is gentle and refined, appropriate to the lager's restrained character.

deep brown with crimson highlightsclear with modest headgentle carbonation

◌ Aroma

The nose leads with toasted grain and dark bread crust, supported by a subtle chocolate undertone that deepens on further inspection. A light roasted quality emerges in the background, without any burnt or acrid character. The overall impression is clean and malt-forward, with no hop aromatics or yeast esters to distract.

dark bread, toasted grainsubtle chocolatelight roast note

◐ Taste

The palate opens with rich malt flavors of dark crusty bread and bittersweet chocolate, developing smoothly across the mid-palate. The body remains lean and approachable despite the dark malts, allowing the moderate bitterness of 22 IBU to integrate without dominating. The finish is dry and restrained, with a lingering grain-forward aftertaste.

bread and chocolate maltlean but flavorful bodymoderate bitterness

◑ Finish

The finish fades cleanly with a dry, grainy quality that invites the next sip. Roasted notes persist gently in the aftertaste without becoming astringent.

dry, grainy fadeclean finish
78
hopIQ score
Aroma
77
Taste
79
Appearance
76
Finish
77
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Serve & Enjoy

How to get the most out of Year of Song

Serve at 7–9°C
Refrigerate, then rest 2 min

Serve at 7–9°C for the best flavour balance and aroma expression.

Stein
Recommended for this style

The sturdy German stein maintains temperature and keeps carbonation intact. Built for long, convivial drinking.

Store in a cool, dark place. Check the best-before date on the label for guidance.

Food Pairing

What to eat with Year of Song

About Dunkel

Style guide · what to expect · how to find alternatives

What is a Dunkel?

Dunkel is a distinctive beer style with its own characteristic flavour, aroma and colour. Discover what makes it unique and find similar beers on hopIQ.

Finding a similar Dunkel

hopIQ matches by flavor profile — not just style label. A beer with the same bready, chocolate, malty character as Year of Song will score highly even if brewed in a different country or under a different sub-style name.

Other Dunkels in hopIQ

Compare with another beer →Explore all Dunkel beers in hopIQ →Browse United States beers →