Beer of the Weekend #359: Ettaler Curator
Tonight I will be attending a “small tasting” at some dude’s apartment in North Liberty. I received an invitation on BA this morning from the guy’s neighbor. I have no clue who these people are, but having never attended a small, intimate tasting I decided to accept. It should be an interesting evening of introductions and beer talk.
I am supposed to bring “a bottle or two of decent craft/import” so I picked up a four-pack of Redband Stout since it is a pretty cool and dreary day. (I am not sure it will go over well, but we’ll see.) However, I will also bring a bottle of today’s brown bottle lunch, which I found in the bargain bin at New Pi: Ettaler Curator, brewed by the Klosterbrauerei Ettal of Ettal, Germany.
Serving type: 500 ml bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pilsner glass. The color is dark brown with tints of ruby and caramel. Initially, I tilted the glass while pouring. However, very little head developed so I poured it straight. About a finger of buttery, tan head developed and dissipated quickly to leave a thin skim and bubbly ring around the edge.
Smell: Lots o’ fruitiness. Raisin, raspberry, dark cherry (that kind of syrupy, chocolate-covered version), red licorice (cherry or strawberry flavored), plum, a little apple, a little molasses, and maybe brown sugar. I assume sweet caramel is in there, too, but I really cannot pick it out; there is so much other stuff going on and the fruit burst is distracting.
Taste: The fruitiness is taken down a notch but still dominates: raisin, plum, dark cherry (the syrupy kind), red licorice, and a little green apple tartness. The ABV is noticeable with a little boozy edge, but it is not too distracting. Elements of toasted caramel and a little cocoa are also noticeable in the flavor, as well as the molasses.
Drinkability: It’s doppelbock — albeit very fruity. Frankly, it is a kick in the teeth the Trix Rabbit would be envious of.
Fun facts about Ettaler Curator:
-Style: The front label says “Dunkler Doppelbock” and BA classifies it as “Doppelbock.”
-Price: Each bottle was on sale for $2.99 at the New Pioneer Food Co-op on Van Buren Street in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 9 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends German cuisine, buttery cheeses, chocolate, and game meat.
-On BA, there are two different versions of the beer: one for the “US Import Version” and another for the “Original German Version.” I have never seen that before.
-On the front label, printed in barely legible light orange print, is this nerdiness: “Brewed according to its historic recipe of 1609, created by the Benedictine Monks.”
-According to Wikipedia, the Ettal Abbey (Kloster Ettal, in German) was founded on April 28, 1330.
-In 2010, the abbey’s boarding school was raided by German officials in connection with allegations that students were sexually abused there (http://articles.cnn.com/2010-03-03/world/germany.abuse_1_sexual-abuse-abuse-by-catholic-priests-child-sex-abuse-claims?_s=PM:WORLD).
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
I am supposed to bring “a bottle or two of decent craft/import” so I picked up a four-pack of Redband Stout since it is a pretty cool and dreary day. (I am not sure it will go over well, but we’ll see.) However, I will also bring a bottle of today’s brown bottle lunch, which I found in the bargain bin at New Pi: Ettaler Curator, brewed by the Klosterbrauerei Ettal of Ettal, Germany.
Serving type: 500 ml bottle. No freshness date.
Appearance: Poured into a pilsner glass. The color is dark brown with tints of ruby and caramel. Initially, I tilted the glass while pouring. However, very little head developed so I poured it straight. About a finger of buttery, tan head developed and dissipated quickly to leave a thin skim and bubbly ring around the edge.
Smell: Lots o’ fruitiness. Raisin, raspberry, dark cherry (that kind of syrupy, chocolate-covered version), red licorice (cherry or strawberry flavored), plum, a little apple, a little molasses, and maybe brown sugar. I assume sweet caramel is in there, too, but I really cannot pick it out; there is so much other stuff going on and the fruit burst is distracting.
Taste: The fruitiness is taken down a notch but still dominates: raisin, plum, dark cherry (the syrupy kind), red licorice, and a little green apple tartness. The ABV is noticeable with a little boozy edge, but it is not too distracting. Elements of toasted caramel and a little cocoa are also noticeable in the flavor, as well as the molasses.
Drinkability: It’s doppelbock — albeit very fruity. Frankly, it is a kick in the teeth the Trix Rabbit would be envious of.
Fun facts about Ettaler Curator:
-Style: The front label says “Dunkler Doppelbock” and BA classifies it as “Doppelbock.”
-Price: Each bottle was on sale for $2.99 at the New Pioneer Food Co-op on Van Buren Street in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 9 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA recommends German cuisine, buttery cheeses, chocolate, and game meat.
-On BA, there are two different versions of the beer: one for the “US Import Version” and another for the “Original German Version.” I have never seen that before.
-On the front label, printed in barely legible light orange print, is this nerdiness: “Brewed according to its historic recipe of 1609, created by the Benedictine Monks.”
-According to Wikipedia, the Ettal Abbey (Kloster Ettal, in German) was founded on April 28, 1330.
-In 2010, the abbey’s boarding school was raided by German officials in connection with allegations that students were sexually abused there (http://articles.cnn.com/2010-03-03/world/germany.abuse_1_sexual-abuse-abuse-by-catholic-priests-child-sex-abuse-claims?_s=PM:WORLD).
The Quiet Man’s grade: B.
