Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel
Now THIS is a beer. It’s brewed by Weltenburger Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Bavaria, Germany. Classed as a dunkel, the German word for dark, these are known to be smooth, malty brews.
Pours a dark amber with ruby red hightlights and ample, tannish bubbly head. Nose is all big, biscuity malts — hard to detect much else. It really goes down smooth, with a slick, soft mouthfeel that makes it very drinkable. For all its aggressive aroma, though, it’s actually quite tame in the best way. Malts up front with a very slight hop taste on the finish. For its deep amber color, it’s actually very light and refreshing, extremely sessionable. Not as in-your-face malty as something like Spaten Optimator (which, by the way, is one of my favorite beers at the moment). This has a very delicate sweetness that is extremely satisfying. I’d say this is an excellent “training wheel” beer, to introduce people who are curious about craft brews to some more robust and complex flavors without scaring them off.
While I’m on the topic, here’s an interesting article about how aging monks at monasteries that sell well-known beers (like Westmalle) are increasingly taking a back seat as they grow long in the tooth. Link here.