Last year, Total Wine started carrying beers from the German Furst Wallerstein brewery. Having an affinity for German beer, I snapped a few up and brought them home straight away. The nifty half-liter swing top bottles for a reasonable $3.99 didn’t hurt. First Furst beer on the agenda: Furst Wallerstein Landsknecht-Bier Dunkles Kellerbier.

What the heck does all that mean, you ask? First, Furst (again). Furst (in German with an umlaut, those two little dots over the “U”) is a term that implies nobility or royalty. Wallertstein is the name of the family that owns the brewery, and the Swabian town where the brewery is located.

A Landsknecht, or land servant, was a member of a famous class of German mercenary warriors in the 16^th century. Knecht sounds a lot like knight, and though these men were indeed warriors, they did not have the noble rank that the word implies in English (the German Ritters were much closer to that title). Landsknechte were famed for their gaudy and colorful costumes; you can see an example of same on this beer’s label.

Lastly, Dunkles Kellerbier. Dunkles is the German word for dark, and this is a dark lager, a Munich Dunkles to be exact. Kellerbier is a German term for unfiltered beer, so this beer has yeast in suspension. See? Not all that complicated. Who says drinking beer isn’t an educational experience?

From the bottle label:

In 1598, the royal Oettingen-Wallerstein family experienced the joy of brewing beer for the first time. Although the noble German family has gone through many changes over the years, their sacred recipes and brewing practices remain the same. All Wallerstein gourmet beers are made using local, natural ingredients and spend many weeks maturing in the brewery’s cellar to perfect their signature taste.

Best before 25.09.13

Lager ALC 5.2% BY VOL

Furst Wallerstein Landsknecht-Bier Dunkles Kellerbier pours to a deep chocolate color with a thick creamy tan head formation and a nutty chocolate nose. The beer has a delightful soft chocolate chip cookie matiness common to the dunkles style. It’s also slightly nutty with a smooth and creamy texture. The balanced finish has a subtle grassiness but it’s still the dark nutty cookie malt that defines the beer. I swirled the light sediment at the bottom of the bottle and poured into my glass to add a bit of nutty flavor.

A very tasty example of the style, and a rare unfiltered version to boot. For a measly four bucks, how can you pass? You shouldn’t, bottom line. Be sure to add Furst Wallerstein Landsknecht-Bier Dunkles Kellerbier to your beer shopping list the next time you go hunting for brew. 

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft



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