Ettaler Kloster Dunkel

Brewed by Klosterbrauerei Ettal
Style: Dunkel
Ettal, Germany

500 ml. Translucent, dark copper-brown with a beautiful creamy 3-finger head that lasts forever. Aroma of spicy molasses, clove, and grilled corn; some occasional hints of metallic herb. Initial flavors are the same rich malty flavors, then midway some dryness kicks in and finishes as toasted nut’ clove, and dry cocoa. Light-medium body is smooth at first, then tingly and a bit too airy-frothy at the finish.

500. Pours crystal clear deep brown with a thick, rocky tan head that falls quickly to sloppy film and sticky lace. Neutral nose--a little sweat and a little light grain husk. Smells a little sweet and hazelnutty. Watery, thin body with an ultralight brown sugar and hazelnut mid-palate. No finish. Zzzzzz.

Bottle from 99 Bottles in Federal Way. Beautiful pour with a fluffy head that laces well. Deep reddish-brown color. Aroma is bready, with raisin and clove notes. This is a fairly dry for a dunkel, and as others have noted, there’s a strange bite on the back end of this, almost vegetal in character. Still, it’s very drinkable. Let it warm a bit, and it’s good points get better.

Dark rootbeer colored, few bubbles, with a medium foamy head. Sweet caramel corn and earthy raisin aroma. Raisins and chocolate, slightly tootsie-rollish and sweet. Odd bitterness. Strange, but decent.

Oddly acidic for a dunkel--perhaps this was too old. A thin big-bubbled head, fast fading. Taste contains some soft fruits and dark malts, a little bit of raisin and maybe a hint of char.

Draught in a restaurant near Paderborn. Aroma: Caramalt with little acetous trails. Appearance: Brown and clear with stable beige head. Flavor and Palate: soft Caramalt. Not much CO2, slightly acetous finish. No bitterness but dry finish. The first glas seemed a little too light for a Dunkel, the next glas proofed to be more bodied and sweeter. Overall repeatble.

Draught at Chef Paul’s Bavarian Lodge in Lisle, IL. Interesting aroma; sweet, malty, vinegar, but in a good way. Clear amber with no visible carbonation. Decent lace; nice color. Woody. A little thin. Doesn’t have much backbone, which is likely due to the lack of alcohol. Pretty good, actually. Quite a bit of flavor for only 4.9% ABV. Sessionable.

Simple and clean aroma with a hint of roast and grain. Brown to light amber with a thin head that laces well. Sweet roast with a hint of licorice. Light mouthfeel but good finish.