Weltenburger Kloster Asam Bock

Review Date 10/19/2018  Last Updated 10/22/2019   By John Staradumsky

We were in Helen, Georgia for Oktoberfest, and I was ready for a beer. We had arrived right around noon, too early for me for drink, though not for a hearty lunch. We stopped into the Old Heidelberg restaurant and enjoyed a savory bratwurst with sharp German mustard, sauerkraut, and Kartoffelnsalat (German potato salad). I thought about having a beer but decided to wait.

That’s because I had seen a very special beer on the draft menu when I checked out the restaurant website the day before: Weltenburger Kloster Asam Bock. I have enjoyed several beers in the past from Weltenburger, including the delightful Barock Dunkel, but doppelbocks are my favorite style of beer, so the Asam bock was a holy grail for me.

Therefore, it was the first beer I enjoyed in Helen for Oktoberfest 2018. We headed for the downstairs bar, separate and distinct from the dining areas (they have a large biergarten, too). Our barkeep was very friendly indeed, we enjoyed much conversation and she was so kind as to give us Paulaner pins for our hats.

Kloster Weltenberg is the oldest monastery in Germany, the oldest monastic brewery in the world and the second oldest brewery in the world. The brewery has the following to say about their Asam bock:

Der Weltenburger Asam Bock verdankt seinen Namen dem genialen, barocken Maler und Baumeister Cosmas Damian Asam. Der malzbetonte Bock verströmt leichte Röstaromen, die eine Kaffeenote erahnen lassen. Freunde und Kenner schätzen ihn besonders wegen seines kräftig-süßen, sehr aromatischen und bis zum Abgang anhaltenden Geschmacks.

Ingredients from their website:

Hopfen Perle

Malz dunkles Gerstenmalz, Caramelmalz, Farbmalz

Weltenburger Kloster Asam Bock has an alcohol content of 6.9% by volume. I gladly paid $7.50 for a pint cup at Old Heidelberg, but have never seen it in bottles. Total Wine sells it in other states for $3.99 for a 16.9 ounce bottle.

My cup of Weltenburger Kloster Asam Bock arrived a dark brown to mahohany color with a tight tan cap of creamy foam and luscious toasty nutty malts in the nose. That’s just a tease, though, because sipping reveals a beer bursting with deep nutty toasted melanoidin goodness, a faint hint of molasses, a soft sweetness, all leading into a gently balanced finish. The depth of malt here is outstanding and has to be experienced to be believed.

Nobody does doppelbock like the Germans, doubtless a double decoction mashing here makes the difference. Even among the German versions, this is one of the best I’ve ever sampled.

I want more!

Update 10/22/2019: I got more! This year, I ordered up a full liter of this delicious beer which I still have not been able to find anywhere else. $15 seems a reasonable price, and I hope to find it on tap here again next year.

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, Canned

(D)=Draft

 

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