The world-classic Kulmbacher Reichelbräu Eisbock is back! The world’s first and most authentic ice beer was given the highest rating by Michael Jackson, then mysteriously disappeared, but it’s in stock now, a heavyweight beauty. Not at all like those silly “ice” beers that big American breweries are pushing, this one is actually made the original way – by freezing and then removing the ice to intensify the alcohol and the flavor.

The story goes that a wooden barrel of bockbier was inadvertently left in the old Reichelbrau brewery yard in the middle of winter. By the time it was found, the contents were mostly frozen, and the keg had broken open. The ice was chipped away, leaving behind a much richer, more concentrated, but exceptionally clean tasting brew with a deceptive 9.2% alcohol by volume. Reichelbrau has since become, simply, Kulmbacher, but the beer is still made the old-fashioned way. The original is still the best.

In the early 1950’s, the EKU brewery of Kulmbach, Germany set out to make the world's “biggest” beer. Naturally, it would be done according to the Bavarian Purity Law, using nothing but barley malt, yeast, hops, and water. However, beer yeasts are not the hardiest of organisms -- too much of the alcohol that they produce will kill them, stopping the fermentation process cold.

But the ingenious EKU brewers had a plan: to take traditional techniques of bock beer brewing to the extreme. Malt concentration was doubled or tripled (the exact formula still remains secret), giving the yeasts more fuel for conversion to alcohol. Above all, since stunned yeast can only work very slowly in the presence of high alcohol levels, this beer would have to be given a lot of time. In fact, it had to be fermented in cold storage for an unheard of nine months! After those nine months, EKU 28 was born.

This world-famous beer was made for moments of quiet contemplation or warm conversation amongst friends. EKU 28 is a fabled after-dinner digestif, a splendid winter warmer, or a soothing nightcap in any season.