Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel

The quest for this beer has taken me through many years. Firstly, this beer smells so malty, with hints of dough that make your nose want to stay sniffing the glass. The beer poured a clear, deep amber/brown color with a thick off-white head. The flavor was very balanced with a great maltiness. The finish was great which made this beer even more outstanding. This beer is truly worth a perfect score as it is now my favorite beer for the style and one of my all time favorites. Well worth the wait and very highly recommended.

Kloster Andechs is a monastery on top of a mountain that sits in the shadow of the Bavarian Alps. The monastery grounds are absolutely beautiful and is surrounded by rich farm land which is owned and worked by the Kloster. Why Andechs is important to a beer lover, is the fact that the Benedictine monks that established this Kloster, also established a brewery in 1455. The Rule of St. Benedict is, as a monk, you have to live by the work of your hands. The work these monks do at Andechs is the brewing some of the most incredible beer on the planet. I have tasted thousands of beers in my life time as a beer drinker, and Andechs Dopplebock Dunkel could possibly be the best beer I have ever tasted in all my years of drinking. It is most certainly the most impressive dopple bock I have ever tried, and drinking a one liter mass of this beer fresh vom fass was a spiritual experience for me. Andechs Dopplebock Dunkel pours to a beautiful, bright, chestnut color with a thick and creamy tan head, and a moderate amount of carbonation. The nose on this beer is wonderful with deep toasty, nutty and sweet malty aromas. This leads in to a sweet malty, toasty, and nutty palate on a round, smooth, clean, and polished body. Andechs Dopplebock Dunkel finishes with more deep malt character up front, then ends with just enough hop bitterness to take the cloying edge off this beer. There is also a nice subtle, peppery alcohol burn that lingers with flavors of malt on the tongue. Stylistically this beer is flawless. As a dopple bock it is perfect. It is a master piece of the brewer’s art. I’ve had some tremendous dopple bocks in my day, but I am yet to taste one that is better than this beer. I can not put into words the depth of malt aromas and flavors in this beer, and how fantastic this beer really is. You will just have to come to Germany to try this one for yourself, as it is not exported to the US. I was fortunate enough to enjoy 2 liters of this one on a wonderful trip to Andechs, and encourage anyone who is going to Bavaria to take a day trip out to the Kloster.

Outstanding beer...really mild for a strong beer...a real find!

Head is initially large, frothy, light brown, mostly diminishing. Body is dark orange-brown. Aroma is moderately malty (caramel, toasted light bread, roasted nuts), moderately hoppy (flowers, herbs), with notes of honey, orange, plum, mint, peach, light note of alcohol. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, velvety (almost syrupy) texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. Honeysuckle Hallertauer heaven, very good mouthfeel, absolutely perfect flavor balance for the style, clean. Sheesh, what more could you want? Ok, fine, a lasting head would be extra icing on the cake, but whatever...this is absolutely incredible. The hoppy/fruity match for Celebrator, as both are effectively equal in quality despite being fairly different in aromatic character. Danke vielmals, Yogi_Beera!