Andechser Dunkel Naturtrub Juliläumsbier - September 2005
It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the beers of Kloster Andechs, the Benedictine monastery located just outside of Munich. But not even my considerable experience with that brewery's brands prepared me for this dark lager, brewed in commemoration of the 550th anniversary of the abbey and kindly transported back to Toronto for me by Jim Brickman of Ontario's Brick Brewing Company, who brew under license the Andechs Spezial Hell.
Ruby brown in colour, this unfiltered, 4.9% alcohol lager offers a rich nose of toasted caramel, cinnamon, light chocolate, a bit of black bread and just a suggestion of coffee. Such complexity continues in the body, with a lightly sweet and raisiny start leading into a malt-dominated, though hardly sweet flavour offering a gentle mix of roast, raw cocoa, earthy hop and faint tobacco leaf, amongst other malty flavour notes. Throughout, however, the Juliläumsbier stays true to its lager profile, with nary a hint of fruitiness or the roundness one would expect of an ale, and especially a commemorative one. In fact, it is precisely the restraint shown in the crafting of this remarkable lager that is one of its hallmarks.
Precious few beers have I labelled instant world classics, but this exceptional dunkel unquestionably deserves such categorization. I only hope that I might have the opportunity to sample it again before the brewery files the recipe away for the next 550 years.
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