Ettaler Kloster Dunkel - Klosterbrauerei Ettal / Ettaler Klosterbetriebe GmbH

pmcadamis

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - Rootbeer brown with some deeper auburn highlights. This one has a downright disappointing head. It's flimsy, soapy, and grey and it lasted all of thirty seconds. Whipping it around in the glass builds up a little head, and leaves a small amount of wet lace on the glass.

S - Light chocolate notes (like a few dark chocolate shavings that they might sprinkle on your latte or ice cream cone. Toffee and mixed nuts.

T - Light nutty notes, with some light toffee and a hint of woodsmoke. This is very relaxed and mellow, as is par for the style. A slightly lactic sour note comes out towards the finish, and this is slightly more hoppy than others of the style, but that's not saying that this is hoppy in the least.

M - Light in body, firm, and only slightly carbonated. This is very mellow and easy going. No flavors linger after the swallow, and...

D - For a super-session a lack of power and lingering finish can actually be a good thing. Sadly, I only have one of these and when I only drink one beer I'd prefer that it be a little more interesting. Actually, due to it's very mellow and light flavor profile (almost like Newcastle) this would be a very good beer to give to a BMC fellow who thinks that all dark beers are "a meal in a bottle." Very easy to drink; this one does nothing wrong but it's just easy going and pretty tasty.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2009 05:47:42 | More by pmcadamis

DoubleJ

California

3.18/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I'm going to Munich's dark side tonight. On to the beer:

Autumn brown color, with a shiny orange hue at the bottom of my stange glass. It's reddish down there as well. The head is modest, shrinks to a thin lace on top. Raisins and residul sugar in the aroma, spicy hops, also getting some raisinettes (chocolate covered raisins). That raisinette note makes the aroma.

Flavor intensity is lower than expected from this dunkel. Raisins and brown sugar are the most distinctive and easiest to spot. A little hop bitterness is leftover. Light in the mouth, easy in there like water, seems a little seltzery. I feel like some bigger flavor is ready to jump out of the closet, but it tastes like a light dunkel.

Yeah, like a light dunkel. Not really exciting, and I like this style. But in the overall picture, it is decent.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2010 05:13:19 | More by DoubleJ

dedrinker

Kansas

3.15/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Nutty brown amber color and very clear with an off-white head. Almost nothing on the nose - a faint whiff of caramel and metal. Uh oh, is it stale? is it oxidized? Is it old? It doesn't taste old or stale, but it is slightly oxidized. There is a faint nutty caramel character that is nothing that Shiner bock couldn't achieve with a little effort, but the stand out is the smooth, clean "roundness" That is mostly reserved for German and Czech lagers. Pretty drinkable due to the lack od serious flavor, but the body is there medium to full body. Finishes with that same distant nutty caramel flavor.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2008 05:21:03 | More by dedrinker

StoutHunter

Michigan

3.13/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I picked up a single of Ettaler Kloster Dunkel for $3.99 at The Lager Mill. I have been on the search for the ultimate dunkel and thought I would give this one a try to see if its the one. No visible freshness date. Poured from a brown 500ml bottle into a pint glass.

A- The label is nice and has a cool looking picture of what looks to be some old German buildings. It poured a clear amber brown color with two fingers worth of off white head that quickly died down to a little lump.

S- The aroma is dominated by lightly roasted caramel malts that imparts a brown bread like aroma to this beer. There some spices and clove like aroma from the yeast and some brown sugar like sweetness followed by a slight amount of dark fruits. There was some grassy and earthy hops at the end.

T- The taste pretty much mirrors the aroma. The dark brown sugar comes through from the aroma and mixes nicely with the toffee and brown bread like flavors. The spices come out a little more with cloves sticking out the most, I wish the cloves were toned down a little. The finish leaned more towards earthy hops and had a slightly bitter finish.

M- Medium light bodied, could be just a little thicker. Crisp and slightly under carbonated.

Overall this was an OK dunkel that I didn't mind but didn't go crazy over. As far as Dunkels go this one was on the lighter side of the spectrum. I would prefer it to be a little thicker and flavorful but the lightness makes it a refreshing easy drinker and good selection for a hot afternoon. For $4 a bottle I don't think I will be revisiting it but if I just have to have a light Dunkel I might be inclined to buy this, but it would help if it was a dollar cheaper. If you want a lighter dunkel give it a try but it isn't worth going out of your way to find it. Not the ultimate dunkel I was searching for, the search continues.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 03:39:13 | More by StoutHunter

DeepSix

Maryland

3.08/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had this at Max's during their German Beer Fest. Pours brown with a small little head. The head stayed with MY beer the whole time, with some minor lacing.

I didn't smell a lot here, maybe some slight malts, but maybe it was just hope.

The taste was just eh, not what I was expecting, but this is my first dunkel (yeah i know wow) A malty, not so much sweet like others are saying, and a hint of hop taste to it. The mouthfeel was medium bodied with a medium bit of carbonation.

Was kinda disappointed with this beer, doubtful I'll be back for this one, but I'm not giving up on the style.

Serving type: on-tap

09-16-2008 03:58:08 | More by DeepSix

Arbitrator

California

2.85/5  rDev -26.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Chilled bottle into a glass. Purchased from the monastery in Ettal and consumed a few days later.

A: Brown body with purple highlights against the light. The pour produces 2 fingers of beige head, which deposits sticky bubble lace as it recedes.

S: Caramel, nuts, honey, and some plums. A fairly unimpressive nose, although it was pretty pungent.

T: Following the nose, the taste begins with caramel malt and honey. The mid-taste has a light sensation of plums, finishing with a nutty, roasty flavor.

M: Thin-bodied, kind of watery.

D: Meh.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2009 20:13:08 | More by Arbitrator

CH3CH2OH

New Jersey

2.08/5  rDev -46.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 1.5

Appearance and mouthfeel were typical for the style. The aroma and flavor were awful. As I poured, I thought something must have gone bad in my kitchen, but a stale malt flavor was rising from the glass. The flavor reminded me most of rancid raisins. The date on the bottle was 10 10 05 (not sure if that is a drink by, or a made on date.) I will try re-reviewing this in the future, as I may have had a bad bottle, but I doubt it. One of only two or three beers I have ever dumped.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2006 01:26:03 | More by CH3CH2OH