Ettaler Kloster Dunkel - Klosterbrauerei Ettal / Ettaler Klosterbetriebe GmbH

falloutsnow

Illinois

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From: Binny's, Glen Ellyn, IL
Date: None on bottle
Glass: Ayinger willi glass

Pours a 2cm head of foam that's light tan in color, composed of small, fine bubbles, appearing quite frothy. Retention is above average, the head very gradually reducing to a thin cap atop the body of the beer. What lacing is left is fairly modest: a few small dots and thick lines scattered about the glass' sides. The body is a deep brown color with reddish-orange undertones, transparent, and with very minor carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass. Light brings out strong red-orange hues. B+/A-

Aroma of pleasant, mildly intense chocolate and caramel atop a general scent of cereals like "Grape Nuts". This really smells like the perfect beer for a warm (60F) day in the late fall.

Tasting opens with grainy cereal and caramel flavors, which lead to a mid-palate of subdued chocolate, caramel, and light fig and date tastes. Mid-palate also experiences some modest bitterness and herbal hop components, no doubt from European hop selections. Back of palate picks up deeper roasted malt flavors along with subdued caramel, fewer dried fruit flavors, and continued modest bitterness. Pleasant aftertaste of well-blended caramel and roasted malts bringing sweetness, which is then tempered by lightly peppery and bitter European hops.

Beer is medium to medium-light in body with fairly high levels of carbonation. This leads to a mouthfeel that is marginally prickly, quickly becoming moderately light, foamy and smooth across the palate. Closes in a surprisingly dry fashion, with very modest stickiness across the palate.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 16:54:15 | More by falloutsnow

mtnasty116

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Great dunkel in my opinion. Not too pricey for the delicious taste of this brew. I am no pro with beer tasting but with dunkels I get this almost banana like taste and this one delivers in that respect. Sugary and smooth. Highly recommended by this nobody.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 00:01:31 | More by mtnasty116

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

500ml Bottle, just out of date when poured into my 'Judas' stemmed massive tulip glass on 4 Apr 2013.

Looked really great: a reddy, mahogany brown body with a very large head of foam on top.

Malty notes hit your nose: sweet molasses, caramel and toffee hints come through more and more as the beer warmed in the glass.

Those same sweet malty aromas are also within the taste, this is a sweet brew:most likely the sweetest beer in this style I've had so far.

Body suits the alcohol content and overall a pleasant and easy drinking beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 21:16:45 | More by BlackHaddock

apintofknowledge

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +3.4%

03-26-2013 23:11:06 | More by apintofknowledge

pknyc

New York

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

03-18-2013 22:53:33 | More by pknyc

bigred89

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%

02-22-2013 12:12:50 | More by bigred89

guityler83

Wisconsin

4.31/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: Fine, fluffy egg shell coloured head. Dark redish brown apperance at first glance, when backlit it displays a briliant ruby red color. crystal clear. nice lacing.

S: Carmel, toffee and bread crust malt in the nose. A bit of fruity german lager yeast.

T: Cleeean! The first sip was so smooth and easy drinking it brought a tear to my eye. Toffee and carmel notes are prominent and subtle at the same time. I get a touch of a woody spicy hop bitterness (hallertau?) but overal the sweetness overpowers the hops. Typical german lager flavor that i can only identify as fruity.

M: Crisp, clearn, moderate carbination, very light body.

O: If I had to drink one style of beer for the rest of my life, i think it would be Munich Dunkel's. This was a great example of the style. get it, drink it, share it, Prost!!

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 01:54:54 | More by guityler83

lefty

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -16%

01-06-2013 19:18:11 | More by lefty

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

3.98/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Bright and clear brown with red tints. Steady carbonation.

S - Sweet bready notes, brown bread with fig jam. Rich farm honey and dried dates. Brown sugar sweetness in the nose. Sweetly malty and inviting.

T - The taste matches the scent. Hearty bread flavors, sweet wheat bread, soft pumpernickel. Honey sweetness with some molasses and again some dried dark fruits. Sugary dates and preserves. A good deal of flavor and body for a drinkable 5% abv session beer.

M - Body on the lighter side of things but the flavor profile gives the illusion of a richer brew. Semi dry at the end with an grainy aftertaste. Pleasant soft carbonation.

O - The Germans have session beers down pat. Packing much flavor and great body into an easily drinkable beer. The dunkel has the richness of a much bolder style as well.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 04:20:12 | More by BeerForMuscle

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From the 500 ml. bottle. Sampled on December 16, 2012.

The pour is a beautiful dark mahogany brown to dark amber with a long-lasting foamy off-white head. Plenty of lacing.

The aroma is not upfront like other Dunkels. It is more subtle with its sweet dark malts.

The body is about medium and smooth.

The taste begins with a full toffee-caramel malt note followed by a a slightly biting bitter finale. But overall it is a balanced, drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 18:35:58 | More by puboflyons

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.43/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Solid off-white head. Slow to recede. Some spotty lace. A bit lumpy. Deep, dark amber. Clear.

Slightly sweet with a bit beef stew smell. A bit of vegetables (broccoli) to the nose as well. There's also the distinct smell of pre-fermented mash aroma. Slightly sweet.

There's a bit of pre-fermented malt flavor as well--sweet malted sugar. Some darker bread tastes. No notable hop. Below average body with a reasonable level of carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 21:11:46 | More by smcolw

cliff1066

Virginia

4/5  rDev +3.4%

12-10-2012 02:39:18 | More by cliff1066

jandadeboer

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%

11-24-2012 14:16:10 | More by jandadeboer

ROGUE16

Delaware

3.25/5  rDev -16%

10-10-2012 23:12:18 | More by ROGUE16

SierraDeuce

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +16.3%

09-01-2012 23:15:20 | More by SierraDeuce

chinchill

South Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

.5L vom fass (on tap) at Kloster Gasthof across the street from the monastery.

Clear deep orange-brown with a very creamy tan head. The wonderful head contributes to the creation of a superb mouthfeel of this very smooth, medium-bodied beer. Fine textured carbonation rises continuously and re-establishes some head and re-coats the lacing on the glass with every sip. The very appealing medium malt aroma is simple and clean, if a bit more subdued than i would prefer [3.75]. Nonetheless, there is no shortage of rich malt flavor, and the sweetness is kept in balance by some otherwise subtle hopping [4.25].

O: Excellent dunkel and, unfortunately, much better than the version I have had as a bottled import in the US.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2012 23:00:57 | More by chinchill

brutalist

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%

08-18-2012 00:13:47 | More by brutalist

superspak

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500 ml bottle into pilsener glass, no bottle dating. Pours crystal clear reddish brown color with a small 1 finger fairly dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Minimal spotty lacing on the glass, with a fair amount of carbonation streaming up. Aromas of caramel, toast, toffee, nuttiness, biscuit, molasses, raisin, prune, light chocolate, and light earthy spiciness. Very nice aromas with good strength and balance. Taste of caramel, toffee, toast, biscuit, nuttiness, molasses, raisin, light chocolate, and light herbal spiciness. Lingering notes of caramel, toffee, nuttiness, toast, light chocolate, and biscuit on the finish for a good bit. Very nice robust flavors with great balance and very clean; no cloying sweetness at all. Medium carbonation and body; with a slightly creamy and very crisp mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is well hidden with pretty much no warming noticed at all on the finish. Overall this is an excellent Dunkel lager. Very nice balance and complexity of flavor; and extremely smooth and easy to drink. Very well done.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2012 05:41:16 | More by superspak

rderedin

Maine

2.75/5  rDev -28.9%

06-24-2012 20:40:55 | More by rderedin

BierBliss

New Hampshire

4/5  rDev +3.4%

05-19-2012 22:22:02 | More by BierBliss

fisherbray

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +22.7%

04-20-2012 05:55:29 | More by fisherbray

LJWalker

Alabama

4/5  rDev +3.4%

02-06-2012 04:13:49 | More by LJWalker

Hopfenpeter

Maryland

3.88/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer poured a clear amber brown, a one finger white head builds, but dissipates fast into nothing.
The smell is toffee, caramel and malty notes.
Tasting the beer, up front there is a bread like feel, sweetened by caramel and toffee notes. In the middle the malt is the backbone.
The finish is a typical lager finish.
Very drinkable lager beer, just what the style is supposed to be.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2012 05:10:29 | More by Hopfenpeter

Jayli

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Consumed 1/4 at The Beer Garden in Portsmouth, VA
Served in a pilsner glass

A: This beer pours a nice ruddy brown with a one finger of light brown foamy head. Head recedes at a moderate pace and leaves big chunks of lacing on the glass.

S: Nose is a touch metallic that never truly clear up, sweet toffee and caramel, and bready notes.

T: Taste has the same metallic flavoring that was present in the nose. Very sweet toffee notes at the forefront mingled with a hearty bready backbone. Finish has a caramel note flavoring.

M: Lighter side of medium body, medium to high carbonation, crisp, a touch slick in the middle with a dry finish.

O: Goes down easy, somewhat tasty, not too filling, not much of a kick, ok representation of style. Save for the metallic presence, this would be a pretty quaffable beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-18-2012 14:37:42 | More by Jayli

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +29.2%

12-08-2011 19:48:14 | More by Rochefort10nh