the beers of Weltenburger Kloster

It's always good to taste something new in the beer line, though 'new' is hardly a word you could associate with Weltenburger Kloster, who stake a claim to being the oldest monastic brewery in the world, with brewing records dating back to 1050. What is new, is that the beers should be easier to find in the UK thanks to Pierhead Imports, who have just become their British distributor. For the moment the beers are available from and from one or two other specialists, but hopefully they will gain wide distribution as these are, in my opinion, an outstanding range of brews.

Weltenburger is a Benedictine monastery in Weltenburg, on the Danube in Bavaria. It is still the home of the brewery, and the only monastery brewery in germany today.

Weltenburger, Asam Bock (Germany) Weltenburger's Asam Bock is a doppelbock-style very dark beer, that is also strong at 6.9% ABV. It pours a really deep, rich, mahogany colour, with a huge, creamy cream-coloured head. The nose is deliciously inviting, with chocolate and coffee, deeply roasted cracked wheat notes and an impression of opulent, fruit-cake depth. On the palate this is thick and creamily textured, with a real sweetness to it. There are mouth-filling flavours and textures here, not just sweetness, but toffee and toasted bread, plummy fruit and a certain marmalade tang. The malty weight and breadth pillows beneath the whole picture here and yet, this beer retains plenty of freshness, with a bite of bitter hops coming though along with some tart acidity, to leap in and rescue the finish from becoming too sticky and sweet. A terrific beer. 6.9% ABV, 50cl, �1.95, Beersofeurope, .

Weltenburger, Barock Dunkel (Germany) Weltenburger's Dunkel pours a lovely dark brown with a distinct ruby at its core. The pillowy head is cream coloured, and moderately persistent. The nose is very appealing, with all sorts of clove and cinnamon spice notes, roasted, chocolaty malt and nicely vegetal hints of grass and nettle. On the palate it doesn't have the richness - nor the sweetness - of Weltenburger's fabulous Asam Bock, but it has a fine, mouth-filling texture and plenty of chewy, malty, brown bread and caramel flavours. There is some sweetness here, but the good levels of hop bitterness and acidity balance, and this is another very fine beer indeed from this brewery. 4.7% ABV, 50cl, �1.79, Beersofeurope, .

Weltenburger, Barock Hell (Germany) From the world�s oldest monastery brewery in Bavaria, this rich, full-bodied pilsener beer pours a light to medium gold colour, with quite a full white head. The immediate aroma is beautifully clean and brightly fruity, with lemon and some straw like aromas, and just a wheat beer-like suggestion of clove and spice. There's a background suggestion of biscuity malt in a fairly complex aromatic profile. On the palate this is really quite weighty, with a substantial mouthfeel and gentle carbonation. There's more of that pure, unadulterated lemony fruit, a big grassy, nettly core of hops, and that malty suggestion of richness just coming through. With a very nice bitterness right in the finish, this is a very nice beer with some real structure to it. 5.6% ABV, 50cl, �1.79, Beersofeurope, , independents.