Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel - Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu

dgallina

Georgia

2.83/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

500ml brown bottle without freshness dating.

Pours a very cloudy dull light brown with enormous off-white head. The head takes quite a while to recede to a thick blanket of film. Smells a bit bland; metallic hops and hard water over slightly sweet malts. Flavor is thin and dull; carbonated water, tinny hops, and a touch of malt that flashes by leaving no finish. Weak and uninspiring body, enlivened slightly by a trace of wheat creaminess. Not a particularly good dunkel weizen.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2006 01:33:40 | More by dgallina

tr4nc3d

Kansas

2.8/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured a murky light orange color with a two finger tan head.

Smells of cloves, spices, semi-sweet citrusy

As it warms the banana flavor comes out, cloves, yeast

Very light bodied, a little watery, smooth

Very low ABV but to watery for me makes this not to drinkable

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2009 21:19:06 | More by tr4nc3d

ADR

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Hazy, hazy light brown, big and pillowy head. Yeasty and citric aroma. Early orangey flavors, a little ester that strays toward nutmeg. Some sense of hazel nut. Cottony and very mild, mouthfeel is light and fades fast. Definite orange-rind aftertaste. Minimalist brew, doesn't strike me at all.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2002 07:37:53 | More by ADR

McD0uche

California

2.7/5  rDev -29.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from bottle into a pint glass:

A: A dark brown, reddish color, which is very attractive overall. A decent two-finger head bubbles forth, and subsides after a couple minutes. No lacing to speak of.

S: Smells like your typical Belgian weissbier. Peppery, vinegar-like aromas pervade. Earthy malt notes. Not a smell I care for all that much.

T: Tart, sweet, earthy. Boozy. I'm not the biggest fan of this Belgian flavor, but it isn't enough to keep me from drinking it.

M: Light carbonation and light body. Crisp, refreshing, drinkable, and enjoyable on the palate overall.

O: This was an alright beer, but not anything I'd look for in the future.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 00:25:33 | More by McD0uche

Reidrover

Oregon

2.65/5  rDev -30.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pint bottle bought in Lincoln City Oregon. Nice enough looking beer, murky dark chesnut coloured with a frothy/chunky light tan head. The aroma was not as strong as I expected from a "real" German Dunkleweizen, all the regular components were there but very muted. fruity and peppery aromas. I was really quite dissapointed with the taste weak overall..yes all the usual "bananas and clove" was there but extremelly weakened. Palate was very thin and almost watery. Overall i felt let down by this one, below average for a German weiss beer

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2005 17:59:20 | More by Reidrover

ChadQuest

Illinois

2.65/5  rDev -30.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Color is a nutty dirty looking brown, off white ring around the cap.
Aroma is alot more muted compared to what i was expecting from a beer with weizen in the name. Not a strong yeasty note at all. there is some nutty earthy notes, and hint of spices.
The flavors pop a bit more, but follow the same notes of earthy nutty flavors. The clove flavors come out a bit but not like i envisioned. I am not finding intrest in much here.
Slightly creamy but thinner.

I'll skip this one in the future. to many outstanding ones from others.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 22:20:43 | More by ChadQuest

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

2.63/5  rDev -31.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

One of the better "Franzishizers," actually, I shouldn't call it a shizer, since its not shitty, but I digress.

Pours a nice dark, thin bubbled beer. Aroma, nothing apparent, but doesn't seem alcoholic like many of this breweries stuff.

Taste, here comes the strange nuances for this American boy's palate. Apple, banana, fig, raisin, all that kind of stuff I don't prefer to mix with my beer. If you're the standard guy who drinks hoppy ipas and fortified stouts, I don't think this complex batch is for you (or at least not me). But with that said, there is something respectable about the interplay between all these styles, and the malt bill here, that doesn't taste like the typical chocolate and coffee you might get for something this dark.

Can't give it good reviews on mouthfeel and drinkability. Its value to me is that of something different to sip, but I don't see myself going back to these.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2010 00:38:58 | More by Beerandraiderfan

KodyBrannon

Texas

2.6/5  rDev -32.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured a dark color with a thick head that laced the glass well. The overall smell was kind of fruity with hint of nut. The taste of this beer was kind of standard, kind of bland in my opinion. I wasn't overly impressed with this beer. It was good, just nothing I would preferably drink. I personally was expecting more from this beer than what I got.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2007 13:18:50 | More by KodyBrannon

youngleo

Michigan

2.6/5  rDev -32.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A- Poured to a good head that had some lacing, but not much. Head was off white in color. Beer was cloudy and murky at the same time. Also tannish brown in color.
S- Smelled of bananas and yeasted malt.
T- Tasted of bananas and yeasted malt. With a slightly bitter aftertaste. Also bananas as a aftertaste.
M- Felt good in the mouth. Carbonation was about right. But a little bit on the watery side.
D- I wanted to try this Hefe Weisse and did. I wouldnt make a session out of this. I think the banana flavor was a bit too much for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2008 19:27:32 | More by youngleo

Fatehunter

Oregon

2.53/5  rDev -33.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Into a weizen glass. Finger of head with a cloudy dark brown body.
Barnyard smell with a little ripe dark fruit. A bit muted though.
A little sweetness, mild bitterness and a chalkiness. Disappointing and weak taste. None of the style's characteristic richness.
Too fizzy, medium body.
Not impressed or interested by this.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 03:20:34 | More by Fatehunter

Twerknasty

Ohio

2.5/5  rDev -34.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a very dark orange, short lasting head with not as much carbination as the regular Hefe. Nose contains hints of yeast, bananas, some spice, with some doctor band-aids, and one of those terrible candied white chocolate waffers all sitting on top of a slice of an old raunchy orange. What can I say, the nose ruined this half-house effort for a dark wheat. The palate gives a little bit more hope with a little bit more creamyness that can off-set the off nose, but the dunkel gnome malts never really find a finish and leave you wondering where did the little flavor dunkel gnomes roll out to at the finish? I can only imagine what kind of whip they are sitting on, but i guarantee it has to have like a trillion horse-power. Its not really that atrocious, but theres better!

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2008 06:17:31 | More by Twerknasty

stckhndlr

Virginia

2.5/5  rDev -34.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Poured out with alot of head. Golden color but the smell didn't impress me. smelled like a cross between band-aid material and hand soap with a hint of banana peel. Feels very watery on the palate with very malty wheat flavor. Probably the last time I will try this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2011 04:49:52 | More by stckhndlr

PatronWizard

California

2.35/5  rDev -38.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

**Please tolerate my 'Short Review Series' which come from sparsley populated notes.

Color looks like Mr. Hanky took a swim. Opaque, cloudy, guess it wasn't the color I was expecting. Nice head though. Aroma of very light clove and .... maybe not much more. Citrus? I don't think it's very flavorful either. Smooth at least.

Overall: not impressed

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2009 22:23:21 | More by PatronWizard

Winter

Wisconsin

2.33/5  rDev -39.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Dark cloudy brown, with an off-white head. Banana and malt aroma. Watery mouthfeel, that teeters between smooth and crisp towards the finish. Taste consists mainly of malt, yeast and sour fruit. As beer warms flavor takes on an almost "pumpkin" taste to it. This one didn't appeal to me at all.

Serving type: on-tap

12-13-2002 20:53:12 | More by Winter

Admiraldinty

Massachusetts

2.33/5  rDev -39.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I thought this stuff was God-awful. I could not even get through drinking what I had. Pours a cloudy brown with a decent foamy head. Could not detect very much from the nose. Some banana flavors, maybe some chocolate, and definite malt characteristics. Full-bodied mouthfeel. Perhaps I got a bad bottle, but this stuff just did not go over well wiht me. Besides macro-swill, this may be one of the worst beers I've sampled.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2003 14:07:31 | More by Admiraldinty

bacabuck

California

2.33/5  rDev -39.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Poured a golden copper with even cloudiness throughout. Nice head that leaves no lacing behind on the glass. Has a terrific bready aroma.

Unfortunately, the beer is nearly flavorless. Really surprising. This beer is terrific on the nose, but falls surprisingly short on taste. A metallic, lemony acidic flavor falls quickly over the tongue. Mouthfeel is horrible. Has the carbonation of a soda.

I drank about a pint and tossed the rest.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2006 06:33:29 | More by bacabuck

washburnkid

New York

2.23/5  rDev -41.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

I loved Franziskaner HefeWeisse, so I thought I'd give this one a shot. I was greatly disappointed.

A: Big beige head over hazy brown. Held up to the light, the orange really comes out. A good amount of sediment. Average retention and no lacing to speak of.
S: Surprisingly dry and biscuity malt characteristic. Banana and clove are faint, as is the citrus.
T: Dry malt dominance. One other thing really coming out is the diacetyl butter notes, which is unfortunate. A little tangy. I'm getting barely any wheat and the malt characteristic is certainly not what I expected.
M: Light body, low carbonation bordering on flat.
D: This beer tastes like an old, infected brown ale. I'm really disappointed here, but will give it another shot and re-review in the event that I got a bad bottle.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2010 04:54:23 | More by washburnkid

ronzorelli

Texas

2.23/5  rDev -41.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Not a fan.

As I poured it into a chalice, I was impressed by the dark, almost quarupel look to it. Mahogany and rich. Gorgeous head on it.

As I put my nose to it, it didn't meet my nostrils in a pleasant way. Very metallic odor, and not in a good way (metallic never is "in a good way"...).

I sipped on it anyway, and it was very bland and watered down. This was nearly right out of the fridge, so I decided I'd let it warm up a little and see what happened.

After about another 10 minutes in the glass, I tried again. I was even more disappointed. Still watery, and it seemed a little extra foamy in my mouth. Weak, but foamy mouthfeel. Weird. In addition, the finish had a strange, almost "artificial sweetener" aftertaste to it. Very, VERY strange.

I'm not a fan of this brew.

I've had the Hefeweizen from Franziskaner before and was hoping this would at least match it, but I'm severely disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 02:39:45 | More by ronzorelli

tesguino

Mexico

2.08/5  rDev -45.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

In appearance a little more dark than its sister Heffeweizen; i cinfirm its fruitty taste, smell like a malt liquor; mouthfeel and drinkability are low in the average, i try this beer with salad and cheese, not try with mexican or american food; i always serve on a glass mug; 45% recommended.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2005 16:42:42 | More by tesguino

LyonsHead

Ohio

2.08/5  rDev -45.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

A: murky orange/brown, the color of rust with a very creamy, off-white head.

S: There is a low malty flavor with some bready yeast character. Im getting a big whiff of clove and not a whole bunch else.

T/M: I normally don't combine my taste and mouthfeel reviews but in this case I find it a necessity. This beer, in my opinion, is way overcarbonated. As a result, Im finding it hard to taste much else. There is a sharp burn at the onset of the first sip and it simply increases intensity as you move the beer over your tongue. there is a hint of clove in the background, and a very subtly maltiness. It feels like there is potential there but the overall impression is just a watery taste.

D: Fighting the carbonation all night won't make for an easy drinker

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2010 00:04:19 | More by LyonsHead

scottum

Vermont

1.48/5  rDev -61.4%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Maybe I got a bad bottle, but this didn't go down to well. Poured out brown with a nice head. Lots of sediment. Tastes of wheat, and sour fruit. I like Franziskaner's regular Hefe (was my first of the style,) but this one just doesn't hold up. Although it was cheap, it tasted cheap. No more will this enter my home!

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2003 15:15:44 | More by scottum