Josephs Brau Dunkelweizen - Trader Joe's Brewing Company

wagenvolks

Texas

3.68/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Truly an attractive beer - poured into a pint glass, the body is a rich, dark caramel center transitioning outwards to a lighter, creamy orange hue. A large head (pour carefully), khaki in color, recedes slowly to a half inch of foam but leaves no lacing. Aroma is decent, with wheaty, Hefe-style yeasts shining through amidst dried fruit (banana, peach, & mango), toffee, and candi sugars.

The flavor could be better, but it's definately not without its merit. Citrusy, wheaty, yeasty Hefe notes form the backbone, while a bit of pale chocolate and caramel malts add a nice complexity. The label's proclaimed "roasted malts", however, I found to be lacking. Mouthfeel is creamy and zesty at the same time, with a well-carbonated body and medium-light thickness. All in all, a pretty solid brew for the always cheap, $1 Trader Joe's lineup. I'd consider having this again.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2008 05:57:10 | More by wagenvolks

t0rin0

California

3.35/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Not sure this is available anywhere other than at trader joes but it came in a 12 oz bottle from a 6 pack. It poured a murky brown color with some amber showing through. There was some offwhite head but it didn't last.

There was a strong sugary malt smell coming out of my pint glass. Kind of like a bock but there was also the soft wheat in the aroma too. There was also something else that I can't quite figure out, possibly some caramel malts which I'm pretty sure accounts for the "medicinal" smell that some other people here mentioned.

The flavor was alright. Plenty of dunkel beer sweetness but it was a bit over the top. There was also a little german hefe yeast banana quality in the flavor. It was nice and smooth and drinkable but the flavor wasn't anything special. I'd drink it again if it was free.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2008 00:15:04 | More by t0rin0

1759Girl

California

3.4/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance> hazy, dark amber color. Lively with a big head, with
some retention, no lacing.
Smell> burnt sugar, malt
Taste> Sweet and spicey start like a good Munich heffe, but dark
with a heavier finish. Not much hang to speak of, though.
Mouthfeel> quite thin
Drinkability> very easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2008 01:15:15 | More by 1759Girl

wedge

North Carolina

3.3/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appropriately cloudy dark, opaque brown fading to amber at the bottom...nice thick, sticky head on top. Surprisingly high caramel candy aroma with a hint of vanilla. Dried banana and bubblegum is kept way in the back. More traditional flavors present themselves a little stronger in the flavor...malty with banana and phenols, but in a dessert-like kind of way with the toasted caramel. Medium-light body and creamy leaving the tongue dry.

Its not bad, and the more I smells it, the more I likes it. Not the best example of the style though and I find it hard to have more than one or two.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2008 23:35:36 | More by wedge

punjab78

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bought this at Trader Joes. Cannot beat the price, was about 4.99 for a six pack. Pour is a cloudy brown color, looks very similar to german dunkels. I've had some mixed results with Trader Joes beer, ranging from ok to good. This one I would say is quite good.Especially for the price. Doesn't compare to German Dunkeweizens but it is one of the better US dunkels I've had. I definitely recommend this, especially for the price. Recommend picking up a six pack and giving it a try.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2008 01:23:42 | More by punjab78

blackie

Virginia

3.8/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a: Weizen glass. Pours a monstrous khaki colored meringue head. Slow recession with nice retention. Only lacks lacing. The beer is a cloudy, rusty amber-brown in color.

s: Bready amber malts with sweet estery notes of overripe banana and moist banana bread. German yeast aroma with a soft noble hop profile.

m: Low-medium, smooth carbonation with a medium body. Nice, but the carbonation could stand to be a little higher.

t: Amber malts with flavors of mashed bananas and sweet, dark bread. Moderate malt sweetness tempered by a gentle, clean noble hop flavor and light bitterness. Finishes nicely.

d: A quality dunkelweizen, by any standard. An aromatic and flavorful beer with nothing off. Could easily have a few of these.

single bottle from TJ's Cary

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2008 00:45:21 | More by blackie

tai4ji2x

Massachusetts

2.63/5  rDev -25.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

brown and hazy, decent head, but fades very quickly. not much lacing.

whiff of banana and spices, a bit of medicinal solvent.

the medicinal character tends to take over on the palate as well, distracting from what otherwise might have been acceptable.

way too fizzy

trader joes has done much better with their other value-conscious brews. i guess you win some, you lose some.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2008 10:00:44 | More by tai4ji2x

daliandragon

North Carolina

3.15/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Contract brewed for TJ's, I believe by their friends at Gordon Bierch in San Jose, CA. A robust pour releases a respectable medium brown with good cloudiness and a very attractive but temporary head. The nose hits you with the banana and clove alright but not as fresh or yeasty as some of the best German examples.

A bit sweeter than usual for the style with chocolate and dark malts predominant. Mouthfeel is smooth enough but I would prefer it to be dryer and stiffer than it is; it's a little watery and weak.

This is tolerable, especially for the price, but if I can get Ayinger or Weihenstephaner than there's really no reason to drink this.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2008 06:17:46 | More by daliandragon

Hojaminbag

Colorado

3.7/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12oz bottle, batch number, freshness date.

Small head, very little retention, but some lacing on glass.

Brownish amber color.

Smells faintly of banana.

Taste mingles banana, slight clove and bubble gum. Strong malty aftertaste. Very similar to the heffe by the same brand, but maltier and less fruity.

Not a full enough body for a dunkel, but not unpleasant.

Easier to drink than its heffe- counterpart due to less sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2008 22:55:54 | More by Hojaminbag

josiahschlender

Oregon

4.05/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I picked this up out of curiosity at the local Trader Joe's. I've had mixed experiences with the TJ's beers, but the prices are attractive.

Poured from a brown bottle with a smudged batch number on it, but no drink by date. It comes out an attractive hazy reddish brown, with a medium-lasting tan head with red highlights.

Aromas are pretty good. I haven't had many dunkelweizens, but I appreciate the good amount of sweet malts, dark fruits and yeasty, spicy clove things going on.

Taste follows suit. Quite a bit of complexity and intensity to this beer for flavors. The dark fruits go well with late hitting roasted grains. I definitely notice clove flavors, and just a bit of the typical banana, but not as strong as the couple other dunkeweizens I've tried.

Mouthfeel is nice, slick and creamy. Maybe just slightly on the thin side. This is a refreshing beer, as well. Flavors linger for a long time, but it finishes clean, with very little bitterness.

This beer surprised me with how tasty it was. It might not be the most versatile beer to pair with food, but it was quite good by itself. At less than $6 for a sixer, it's a great deal. Price often factors into my drinkability score, and it's definitely reflected here.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2008 20:32:15 | More by josiahschlender

eberkman

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a hazy burnished dark copper with a creamy tan head that had excellent retention and left a good bit of lacing up and down the glass. Faint banana bread smell -- not a huge nose presence. The taste was also a big dose of banana bread and bubble gum, a lot like the TJ's hefeweizen (which I always thought was a fun-house caricature of a hefe). Pretty much indistinguishable, actually, from the hefe, except for the appearance. Mouthfeel was medium-to-light bodied with decent carbonation. One goes down easy, but the intense banana and bubble gum with a complete lack of hop presence to balance things makes this a little much for sessioning.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2008 02:22:14 | More by eberkman

Boneheadmx

California

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours out to a hazy brown with a creamy, off-white head.

The smell is of bread and muffins. Very pleasant.

The taste is of banana bread or something similar. Sweet flavors, but the hops is really lost in this except for a bit of a skunky aftertaste.

The mouthfeel is pretty good, with a decent amount of creaminess. I would think that this is too carbonated based on the head that was left by the pour, but I think the thickness counteracts it and just makes it sit really well.

Drinkability is OK, but it does sit a bit on the heavy side.

All in all, a very good beer, and for the price, an excellent deal. Just wished it were a tab bit fresher.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2007 20:10:19 | More by Boneheadmx