Neuzeller Kloster-Brau Original Badebier
 

Review Date 10/17/2001 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Schwarzbier   Brewery: Neuzeller Kloster-Brau   Country: Germany   State: N/A   $ Per OZ: $.21 (B)   ABV: 5.2%

My grandmother has a saying about alcohol. “It’s ok to take a drink now and then,” she is fond of observing, “but don’t take a bath in the stuff.” Though the advice is sound when taken metaphorically, taking a bath in beer is not such a bad thing literally. Just ask the brewers at the Klosterbrauerei Neuzelle in Neuzelle, Germany. They brew a Badebier, or bath beer, that can be drunk or bathed in. Here’s how they describe the brew on the label:

An ancient style of dark beer brewed in the Brandenburg region of Germany. Sip one while you take a bath, or, like we do in Germany, add it directly to your bath water.

I think this beer is far too good to be poured into my bathwater. At $3.49 for a half-liter bottle it is a bit expensive for that purpose, too. It’s worth every penny to drink though. The beer comes in an attractive brown-glass bottle with an elegant tan label and is imported by All-Saints Brands. In Germany, you can buy it in a three-liter size as well. Curiously, the label has the words “Monastery Fun” printed beneath the name of the beer. I’m not sure exactly what’s done in a monastery for fun, but I can tell you if I were a monk I’d have plenty of fun drinking this beer.

The brewery operates on the original site of the monastery where brewing has occurred since 1268 and has commercially brewed since 1589. Many of the beers brewed at the Klosterbrauerei are made according to traditional recipes that date back almost to the brewery’s founding. Many of their brews are darker in color and robust in flavor. These include an extra strong Schwarzbier, a Bock, a pilsner, and a unique “Black Abbot” ale.

The tradition of monastic brewing is a strong one in Europe, and unlike here in the United States, beer and religion go hand in hand in many parts of the Old World. In days gone by, monasteries and abbeys often served as stopover points for weary travelers who could purchase food and drink and spend a night. These religious “hotels” as they might be described often produced fine beers the likes of Neuzeller Kloster-Brau Badebier.

Neuzeller Kloster-Brau Bathbeer pours to a jet black color with a huge rocky head formation that fills your glass with foam, so much foam in fact that you must wait a few moments before pouring more beer. Most likely all that foam is intended to add bubbles to your bath. The nose is roasty and slightly smoky, the palate slightly smoky, chocolaty, very lightly phenolic, reminiscent of Alaskan Smoked Porter, finally smooth and clean. The balanced finish has a touch of roasty bitterness. This is a classic German dark brew with a bit more character than most.