Ettaler Kloster Dunkel - Klosterbrauerei Ettal / Ettaler Klosterbetriebe GmbH

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear chestnut brown color with a thick foamy 2 finger yellowish beige head that slowly fades into a lasting ring. Minimal lacing.

Spicy aroma with a huge clove presence and a nice malty backbone with hints of caramel, chestnut and toffee.

The flavor is quite spicy as well with a nice cove presence as well as some ripe banana notes, smokey caramel malt and a subtle bitterness in the finish. Slightly watered down but still pretty flavorful and easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2009 23:50:33 | More by corby112

Rayek

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Deep copper with good clarity and mild carbonation from tiny bubbles. The soapy cream head starts strong, but doesn't stick around long. Leaves bits of lace.

S: Dominated by dark sugars with toffee, caramel and molasses aromas. Some grassy noble hops are in the background.

T: The dark sugar theme continues. Bittersweet toffee, bolstered by molasses starts things out. A peppery bitterness comes on to provide just enough of a bite to balance the sweetness. Finishes with lingering bittersweet flavors.

M: The beer feels thick and syrupy in the mouth. Carbonation feels about right.

D: This is a nice beer to me. The thick body impedes the easy quaffing normally associated with a low ABV beer like this, but it didn't bother me. I'm glad I picked it up.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2009 23:16:42 | More by Rayek

bcm119

California

3.6/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Medium brown/amber with a small whitish head. Sweet malt aroma, hint of chocolate. Crisp roasted flavors; nutty and slightly sweet mid-palate. Lacks much depth of toasted malt, and finishes a bit thin with some mineral qualities. Not a bad quaffer or food beer, but seems a little deflated. I suspect the bottle isn't the freshest.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2009 02:34:38 | More by bcm119

steveh

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A -- Clear, deep chestnut color with a light tan head that holds up just okay.

S -- Earthy maltiness with some mild caramel notes.

T -- Same earthy maltiness with some sour-astringency back. Not terrible, but definitely not the bready and toasty characters I was hoping for.

M -- Soft mouthfeel, but somewhat thin body to style.

D -- The drinkability isn't so bad, the astringency doesn't overpower. There's no best-by date on the bottle, so I'm questionable about the freshness.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2009 20:32:49 | More by steveh

Tone

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear, dark brown color. 1/4 inch head of a white color. Poor retention and poor lacing. Smells of sweet malt, yeast, and slight hop. Fits the style of a Munich Dunkel Lager. Mouth feel is smooth and slightly thick with an average carbonation level. Tastes of sweet malt, yeast, slight hop, and some roasted malt. Overall, a decent beer, better than most.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2009 06:20:59 | More by Tone

albern

Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer is quite flat, so I'm not sure if some of the carbonation didn't make it over across the pond, or if this is just one of those lagers that doesn't have much of a head or carbonation. Needless to say, the beer pours a deep mahogany color with zero carbonation and little if any head. The nose is a big whiff of molasses, caramel, toffee, some roasted sweetish malts too.

The taste pretty much follows the nose on this one. It is a fairly watery beer lots of molasses, caramel, toffee, maybe a touch of brown sugar, very light bodied, some roasted notes, but nothing to rave about. The beer is a pretty straightforward dark lager beer with a flatness that I guess works. The finish has a touch of some undefined nutty flavors, but it is all washed back with the thin wateriness of the beer. This one is okay, I wish I knew whether more carbonation is part of its true character.

Update November 2010: I had a bad batch when I first reviewed this beer. The beer is plenty carbonated, not flat at all. The beer is a touch watery, but has sufficient lagery caramel flavors to make it a decent choice. I'm upgrading the points on this beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2009 19:16:01 | More by albern

Zorro

California

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear brown colored lager with a small tan colored head. Nice ruby colors when held up to the light.

Smells sweet and malty with a fair amount of bread and yeast in the scent. Nice fruity aroma smells slightly like British ale with a faint hint of chocolate.

Starts out sweet and malty with a slight astringent quality. Fruity with a good bitterness and some nutty bock qualities. Some dark bread flavors and a bit of rye in the flavor.

Mouthfeel is good.

Nice drinkable beer especially if you like a little bock in it. Not all that remarkable, this one gets lost amongst all the others like it from Germany.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2009 03:13:53 | More by Zorro

Halcyondays

California

3.75/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500 mL bottle,

A: Pours a translucent brown, with a soft cap of an off-white head. Fair retention.

S: Fragrant molasses, baked dark bread, brown sugar, sweet, loving the nose.

T: Baked brown bread again, baker's chocolate with a fair amount of roast. Quite bitter for the style.

M: Medium-bodied, nice carbonation, prickly with a smooth finish.

D: Great nose, solid taste, in the end a nice effort, it needs more sweetness to be really good, it definitely has potential.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2009 21:31:54 | More by Halcyondays

ralree

Maryland

3.28/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: Dark brown with an off-white head, nice retention, good lacing.

S: Lots of hops, a little bready, caramel, some dark fruit. Brown sugar.

T: Brown sugar and bready flavors are up front, with some hops in the background. Hops come out a little stronger after swallowing, as well as some of the dark fruit. Not overly sweet. Clean flavor after swallowing, with just a bit of hop bitterness hanging around. Overall, a little too bready and not quite sweet enough for my palate.

M: Leaves mouth clean and dry. Carbonation is good. Non-astringent.

D: Definitely seems to bloat the stomach, so it's hard to down a lot or drink a lot fast.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2009 01:28:16 | More by ralree

Metalmonk

North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a strange head -- big soapy bubbles make it look more like dish soap than the head of a beer. They dissipate quickly (in about a minute) and leave a skim on top. The color is gorgeous, a glassy burnt ruby-brown. Resembles home-brewed root beer with way less bubbles.

Smells like a pumpernickel bagel sprinkled with brown and white sugar. Big caramel/toffee notes work their way in too. Big and bready, also kind of nutty. Very, very nice.

Flavor is many things: hazelnut, toast, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, root beer, chocolate birthday cake (ie. faintly chocolate) and cola. Absolutely wonderful at first, but it fades quickly. Leaves almost nothing in its wake; the finish is just a ghost of nuttiness and toasted bread.

Some might not like this beer's relative lack of carbonation, but I think it's a refreshing break from the many over-carbonated beers that do little more than sting the tongue. Has a thinness that glides over the tongue without feeling watery.

This tastes wonderful...for about 5 seconds per sip. Its greatness is fleeting. I tried to hold each sip in my mouth as long as possible. It worked well enough that I enjoyed this quite a bit. It certainly has its charm, but not sure I'd return. Ettaler's doppelbock (Curator) is way better (one of the world's best, in my opinion).

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2009 23:22:00 | More by Metalmonk

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

monoXcide

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is my first beer of this style so please take that into consideration.

Appearance - No head or lacing (unless I poured it wrong?). It has a dark amber look to it.

Smell - Kinda sweet, malty, a little fruity and pleasing

Taste - Sweet and malty with hints of bitterness throughout. It taste good and clean and goes down easy. Has a bit of quality to it.

Mouthfeel - Not enough carbonization for my taste unless again, I didn't pour it right or I got a flat bottle.

Drinkability - Very drinkable but again, I would enjoy it more if it had a little more carbonization.

This would be a great choice for people who like the Belgium style or dopplebocks. Paid about 3 bucks for a bottle at Magnolia here in Lynchburg, VA. It is almost worth it...almost. I do like the big bottle so maybe I got a little more beer, but I still don't think I quite got my moneys worth, unless I got a bad bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2008 23:57:49 | More by monoXcide

akokandy

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- A red amber color with 1-finger tan head and good retention. Head leaves little lacing.

S-A somewhat fruity, yeasty nose vaguely reminiscent of other monastic brews.

T-Fruity yeast taste along with a nutty, caramel-toffee taste, which comes to the forefront as the beer warms.

M-Smooth in the mouth with good carbonation, but not too much. Leaves a pleasant aftertaste which coats the mouth.

D-This is where the beer really shines. A true session beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2008 18:02:30 | More by akokandy

stcules

Italy

3.65/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dark brown color, mahogany edges. Beige foam, quite abundant, beautiful and longstanding.
Toasted malt, caramel, and burnt. Notes of coffee powder.
A good resolute dunkel, for sure not too sweet. A sharp note of burnt, and toasted. Pleasant.
Almost feelings of coal dust.
Good body, not too much, but relevant.
Aftertaste very long, wih again burnt, coal, coffee.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2008 19:53:44 | More by stcules

TheSarge

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -14%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Ettaler Dunkel pours with a vast amount of carbonation, which produces massive amounts of light tan head. The head sticks around for a good while. The body of this brew is clear, and has a nut brown color, with deep reddish hues.

Sweet bready aromas dominate the smell, but there is an odd metallic character here too.

There is a slight chocolate flavor here, along with a slight bitter finish.

This brew is a little bit more than light in body, but quite thirst quenching. This wasn't too bad, and is an added incentive to visit the Ettaler Monastery.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2008 13:49:57 | More by TheSarge

ATPete

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Mmm monastic beer from Germany, when i heard this i had to try them!

the Dunkel:

A- Deep red, small off white head

S- Roasty toasted toffee goodness

T- Great balance, very smooth an almost perfect dunkel. The hop character is very subtle but there if youre looking.

M- Pleasant, a gulper

i was told by another group of beer geeks to look out for sediment in Ettaler beers, if you see floaties, you've gotten yourself a bad bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2008 23:16:10 | More by ATPete

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

JohnQVegas

Tennessee

3.73/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours dark brown, big head, medium duration. Nose is malty, sweet. Taste is toasted malt, sweet, big bready character. Medium body. Highly carbonated, almost effervescent. Finish is sweet, malty. No detectable bitterness. Could drink this one all night.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2008 12:27:35 | More by JohnQVegas

GatorBeerNerd

Georgia

4/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a dark reddish brown color with a 2.5 finger thick head into a Pilsner glass. The head settles down to about 1/4 inch very quickly.

S: A sweet malt smell mixed with a musty earthy smell mixed in. Its not the most inviting of aromas.

T: Roasted malt with a hint of sweetness is the main flavor. There is a slightly bitter hop flavor that makes it very well balanced between sweet and dry. There is no alcohol burn as expected from the ABV level. This is a good but not great version of a Munich Dunkel.

M: The mouthfeel is very smooth. It has a nice thickness but rolls around very easily. Unfortunately, there is no carbonation or spicing that gives it extra complexity.

D: This one is very drinkable. There is no nothing overwhelming that forces you to sip it.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2008 02:53:19 | More by GatorBeerNerd

morimech

Minnesota

3.3/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark reddish amber with an attractive off-white head that had good retention. The head settles to a thick cap with a lot of sticky lacing.

The smell consists of sweet malt, a musty earthy type aroma, and cane sugar.

I expected more from this beer than what was delivered in the flavor. Too one dimensional. It does have a great creamy mouthfeel even with a lively carbonation. Feels medium body and goes down easily and the ABV won't sneak up on you. Worth a try but I won't revisit.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2008 23:51:45 | More by morimech

beerthulhu

New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a dark ruby red color with no visible head.

S: Sweet raisny and caramel aroma with some alcohol.

T: Very sweet caramel flavor. Way to sweet, some brown sugar and molasses notes combine with a sweet raisiny caramel presence. Theres only a slight roasted character, no big bread notes, or dry chocolate usually associated per style. Upon warming of the tongue some warm molasses sneaks through with a slight sweet stickiness. Overall a really sweet beer perhaps to much so.

M: Mouthful is light with a warming toasted malt sweetness and light bread notes finally coming through.

D: Drinkability is therefore limited to and hindered by its sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2008 15:01:57 | More by beerthulhu

casadebia

Texas

4.38/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Dark brown/amber color with 1 finger tan head and moderate head and lacing. Nice smell with complex notes to it of fig and plum and roasted chocolate. Roasted coffee with a chocolate finish. Well balance of smooth malt with a hop tickle. Smooth medium-full body that retains throughout. Very drinkable for a dark.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2008 20:55:29 | More by casadebia

barleyman

Georgia

3.65/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the 1/2 liter brown glass bottle into my straight sided tumbler. The white head quickly dissapates down to lace along the sides to the glass. The Mahogany color is clear and attractive. The aroma is of grass and malt. This bottle sent to me by the son in the USAF stationed in Germany, and what a fellow his is!!!! The taste is quite pronounced, malt, raisins and port wine, Mouthfeel is picture perfect for a dunkel. Drinkability is spot on and could handle a few of these in an evening.

Just a thought,

barleyman

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2007 01:35:53 | More by barleyman

Beerzebub

District of Columbia

4.05/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Attractive red amber color, some frothy beige head, classic looking lace.

Smells like sweet wet malted grain, Christmas pudding, with a dry sharp note a bit like wild rice, and a touch of spicy, earthy hop aroma.

Tasty malt flavor, just barely sweet like brown bread, well rounded and balanced, with a classic hop profile for a German lager. Medium length finish of pleasing hop bitterness and smooth malt.

Great smooth creamy texture. Totally drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2007 01:40:18 | More by Beerzebub

Gavage

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: clear brown in color with a large 2" head that lasts quite a while. Some mild lacing developed.

Smell: pretty clean except for hints of malt sweetness that the nose picks up.

Taste: big malt profile with boatloads of caramel sweetness. A bit on the bready side too. Mild bitterness brings this around nicely to a well balanced beer. This is just what you expect in a German Dunkel.

Mouthfeel: lightly crisp and a touch dry throughout. Clean aftertaste. Medium bodied beer.

Drinkability: easy to quaff this one, and for me this can be a long session beer. Enjoyable and I will be picking up more of this.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2007 23:28:58 | More by Gavage