Ettaler Kloster Dunkel

Brewed by Klosterbrauerei Ettal
Style: Dunkel
Ettal, Germany

Bottle purchased at Manchester Wine and Liquors. Musty spiced, banana-pepper-clove-like aroma. Perhaps a bit of sweet chocolate in the aroma as well. Transparent beautiful burgundy color with a nice foamy off-white head. I thought dunkels were typically unfiltered? Either way, gorgeous beer. Semi-sweet start, turning roasted and somewhat nutty. Hints of chocolate and coffee are present. This is tasty, easy drinking. I am still a relative neophyte to the style, but I find this very enjoyable. Seems like a lagered version of a brown ale.

Pours with a three-finger white head that leaves some lace. Deep clear amber color. Medium bodied and light carbonation. Slightly malty nose. Starts sweet, nice malt/hop balance finishes mellow and not dry. $2.79 for a 500ml bottle from Tulley’s Beer & Wine Wells, Me.

Bottle. A brown color with a laced tan head. A caramel dry malty aroma with a caramel and mild malt flavor with a dustry dry finish.

Chestnut brown with moderate head, not lasting too long. Caramel aroma, a bit sweet and clearly malty but also a bit of a musty vintage-like aroma. The flavor is moderately vigorous, very caramelly but also metallic and moderately dull/flat. I didn’t check the freshness date on it, but the bottle was on sale at Cellars of Roseville so it may have been better with a brand new bottle.

(500 ml bottle, marked "10 10 05") Pours a medium-dark honey brown, frothy biege head. Rich aroma of fresh honey and malty sweetness. Mouthfeel a little dry and a little thin. Poor lacing. Flavor of caramel, brown sugar and honey but fairly muted so doesn’t quite match up to the promise of the great aroma. Good nonetheless, and helps to have a fresh bottle!

This beer is not as powerful as I expected, but is like marzen. The aroma is surprisingly light with smoke and roasted malt. Dark brown with a large head. Fairly heavily carbonated for the style. Simple flavor of roasted malt. Not really sweet at all. Good palate, not very heavy and not thin. A simple but well crafted beer. The bottle is one month past the best by date.

I really like Dunkel, and I really like this. The beer is not terribly complex. Rather, it is a very round, easy-going Dunkel, particularly fit for session drinking and an excellent accompaniment to food. Well done.

Pours with a large beige head, body is a red crimson, clear with lots of carbonation. Slight mineral/metallic aroma. Taste is sligt chocolate, nutty malts. Hops present throughout, leave a bitter finish. Body is watery. Decent.