Beer of the Weekend #284: Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel

This BotW will not be the beer of the whole weekend. Tomorrow night I will be camping and likely enjoying the glories of PBR, so tonight I am taking it easy and sampling the last half liter bottle from my Binny’s haul.

The beer of the “weekend” is Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel, brewed by the Klosterbrauerei Weltenburg of Kelheim, Germany.


Serving type: One 500 ml bottle. There is a cryptic batch code on the back label, but no freshness date.

Appearance: Poured into a pilsner glass. The color is dark brown. Two fingers of slightly tanned head dissipated quickly to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.

Smell: Sweet and dark at the same time. Sweet candy caramel, slightly toasted caramel, toffee, molasses, brown sugar, cocoa, plum, prunes, raisins, and nuts (though do not ask me what kind). Very complex aroma.

Taste: Basically it mirrors the smell, though there are a few elements from the smell that are missing. Sweet candy caramel, toffee, molasses, brown sugar, cocoa, prunes, raisins, and nuts.

Drinkability: This is very good brew. The mouthfeel is light and refreshing, and it also offers a ton of complexity.

Fun facts about WKBD:

-Style: BA classifies it as “Munich Dunkel Lager.” Here are the details:

An old friend of Bavaria, Munich Dunkels are smooth, rich and complex, but without being heady or heavy. They boast brilliant ruby hues from the large amounts of Munich malts used, and these malts also lend a fuller-bodied beer. The decoction brewing process also lends much depth and richness. Bitterness is often moderate, with just enough to balance out any sweetness. Hop varieties used tend to be of the German noble varieties, like: Tetnang and Hallertau.

-Price: $2.99/500 ml bottle at the Binny’s Beverage Depot on Illinois State Route 83 in Willowbrook, Illinois.

-Serving temperature:
Great Beer Guide recommends 48ºF.

-Alcohol content: 4.7 percent ABV.

-Food pairings: It’s Bavarian, so BA recommends the typical Bavarian fare: smoked meat, game meat, grilled meat.

-According to the brewery’s BeerAdvocate notes, “Weltenburger Kloster” beers are brewed at the traditional abbey, but beers labeled just as “Weltenburger” are contract brewed by “Bischofshof in Regensburg.”

-The monastery at Weltenburger was founded in 610. Though beer may have been brewed before, the first recorded mention of brewing dates to 1050, making Weltenburger the second oldest brewery in the world. (Weihenstephan is usually considered the oldest.)

-On the beer’s English webpage, WKBD is referred to as, “The world’s oldest dark beer.”


The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.

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