I’ve made it no secret that German-style double bocks, are my favorite style of beer. They don’t necessarily have to be from Germany (some very good ones come from other countries, including the US and Italy). But they should be sweet and malty, dark in color, and packed with rich and nutty melanoidin malt goodness.

I’m always happy to stumble across a new one. Well, new for me, anyway. Because nobody could call Klosterbrauerei Ettaler Curator Dunkler Doppelbock a new beer. Indeed, by the time you finish saying the name you’ve aged a bit yourself. Be that as it may, this special brew is said to be brewed according to a recipe formulated in 1609. And if that weren’t old enough for you, the actual monastery from which the beer gets its name dates all the way back to 1330.

That makes the name of the beer, Curator, somewhat apropos I think. After all, a curator is the guardian of a museum, and a museum is all about history. Certainly, Ettaler has history behind it. The brewery on site has been operating for almost 400 years. And of course, the “ator” suffix is typical for the doppelbock style of beer.

Curator is imported by Beverage United, those fine folks who bring so many rare and wonderful brews into the United States. Interestingly enough, Ettaler has brewed a special version of Curator for the US. Beverage United claims they requested a version that more closely mirrors the original recipe than the brew currently being sold in Germany. For one thing, that means a stronger brew: the import version has an alcohol content of 9% by volume as opposed to 7% for the German domestic version.

But let’s get down to the beer.

Ettaler Curator is an attractive enough brew, pouring to a dark brownish chestnut color, tinged with a hint of red and capped with a light creamy head. The nose is packed with sweet nutty malt notes, and as soon as I took a whiff I just wanted to dive in and swim around in the stuff.

Of course, I couldn’t fit in the glass, so I had to just take a sip instead. As I rolled the rich liquid around my tongue, I was delighted by the full body of the beer. Rich and luxuriant, it’s thick and sweet and very delicious. I get wonderful notes of toasted nuts, chocolate, thick and sweet molasses, and a whole lot of melanoidin goodness.

The beer finishes a little sweet, and a very subtle kiss of hops tries to balance it a bit, but gets overwhelmed in the process. A respectable alcohol burn in the finish warms the mouth and restores the soul and does more to balance the brew than the hops ever can.

Beers such as this (though of less strength than this one) were first used as “liquid bread”, an allowable form of sustenance for fasting monks. You don’t have to be on a fast to enjoy this wonderful beer. Just pour yourself a slice and enjoy.

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