Special Beer Review - Klosterbrauerei Scheyern

New Old Brewery Alert!  I have seen hundreds of brew brands since I've been in Germany, many of which you have read or will eventually read about here.  Klosterbrauerei Scheyern is one that I haven't heard of or can recall seeing in any of the getrankemarkts that I frequent.  That's interesting since their website lists them as the third oldest brewery in Germany (Behind the two who argue about who is the oldest Weihenstephan and Weltenburger).

There have been two coincidences that have caused me to start reviewing their beer, one a friend brought me a bottle of their Helles, and two I went to a local Getrankemarkt and found their beer there with a free steinkrug attached the rack.  I just had to buy a rack and pick up a bottle of the other varieties that were there.  It looks like they have a line that's only available in the local area and a line available nationally, this is the only line I can get without going to the brewery.  I'm just guessing, but it looks like they are trying to expand their distribution across the rest of Germany.

Kloster Scheyern Kloster ~ Weisse Hell - This beer pours a cloudy dark honey color.  A generous head slowly dissolves but leaves some white froth that clings to the sides.  An aroma of citrus with some hints of fresh cut hay fills the air.  The taste is light, and crsip with hints of citrus and spices.  Spices dominate the clean wet finish.  A fine Weisse Hell.   

Kloster Scheyern Kloster Weisse Dunkel - This dark wheat beer pours a dark chocolatly brown with small hints of amber.  The head was a thin off white/beige that quickly disappeared.  I think I smell cloves and bananas in the aroma.  The taste has hints of chocolate but no one other flavor seems to dominate or jump out at me, the traditional flavors of a weisse are all there just muted and blended almost to a perfection.  Quite tasty, the finish is crisp and wet and lends itself to another sip.  This beer is just a little bit different, but in this case different is good.

Kloster Scheyern Kloster - Export Dunkel - The regular Dunkel.  Since I liked the Dunkel Weisse so much and I've kind of been on a Dunkel kick lately, I had high hopes for this one.  It pours s a dark chocolately brown with hints of reddish amber and a generous beige head that slowly dissolved leaving generous lacing on the sides of the glass.  The aroma is sweet malt and that carries over into the flavor a chocolately, caramelly sweet malt with maybe some hints of coffee. The finish was wet and lingering but not bitter.  Maybe a little different than your standard Dunkel but with me different is good.  My high hopes were satisfied and I'm glad I bought a rack of this one.  Everyone I shared it with also agreed that it was pretty good.

Kloster Scheyern Kloster ~ Gold Hell - The helles beer from Kloster Scheyeren, it pours a brillant clear straw yellow with hints of darker gold.  The head is generous and frothy and crested the top of the glass but didn't overflow dissolving slowly while leaving decent lacing on the sides.  The aroma is malty and bready.  That theme carries over into the taste where sweet malts dominate, leading to a wet finish with just hints of the 5.4% alcohol by volume coming through.  Not quite your typical helles but not quite typical seems to be the norm for this kloster brau.

You can't beat it when you get a free steinkrug with the rack.  Yeah!!!!

I really wish this brewery was closer, that way I could get some of their more local offerings.  After a while some of these German beers start tasting the same.  The beers from Kloster Scheyeren were a welcome change of pace, all of them just slightly different then what you typically expect from their style.

Weltenburger Barock Dunkel

If you all remember one of the places that the family and I visited before I deployed to Afghanistan was the Weltenburger Abbey Brewery.  I sampled all of their beers except for their Gold Medal winning Barock Dunkel.  Well I rectified that situation.  Here's what I thought.

The Barock Dunkel pours a deep reddish amber with a caramel colored head that dissipates slowly and leaving faint tracings on the side of the glass.  The aroma is one of chocolate and caramel and the caramel theme carries into the taste of caramel and toasted malt.  The beer finishes smooth and is very enjoyable.

I've come to recognize the Weltenburger beers as one of my favorites and if you can find one they are a great introduction to German beers.  And if you can get to Germany it's a great experience to visit the Abbey and sample the beers.  I highly recommend it.

Weltenburger Winter-Traum

Today's Christmas beer is from Weltenburg Abbey, a brewery that is a personal favorite of mine, and I was glad to see that they had a Christmas offering.  I was not disappointed in this beer and Shantel even thought it was pretty good.  Here is what I thought.

The Weltenburger Winter-Traum, (Winter Dream) pours a deep reddish amber with virtually no head that leaves only slight tracing on the sides of the glass. The aroma is caramelly with some fruity overtones.  The flavor is tart and full of malt and the beer finishes sharp and clean.  Not a bad way to start the Christmas Season.  Go out and find yourself one of these.

Weltenburger Asam Bock

The Weltenburger Asam Bock is this weeks beer review, it's a doppelbock from the Weltenburger Kloster Brewery in Weltenburg, Germany.  If you remember the brewery tour was one of the last things that I did before I deployed and it was really cool, read about it here.

This beer poured thick with a brown almost black body and a tan head.  It definitely gave off a chocolatey aroma.  The beer went down the throat very thickly and tasted of chocolate and finished slightly dry.  A very satisfiying experience. 

I was a little shocked at how thick the beer was.  I was expecting a regular bock and not a doppelbock since most doppelbocks are seasonal and it was late May when we went to the brewery.  It was very good though and I definitely have another one when I return.