Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel - Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu

mikeg67

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

500 ml bottle. Pours hazy-brown with a thick long lasting white head and much lacing. Aroma of yeast, wheat malt, cloves and caramel. Body is full and crisp. Wheat malt, cloves, some caramel and banana notes fill the mouth, some tartness. Finish is short and slightly sweet. Overall good brew.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2012 22:16:19 | More by mikeg67

thebrood1987

New Jersey

4.08/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Has a very nice color to it witha deep rich mahogny look and smell with a hint of clove banana and but mostly a sweet roasted malt dominating the smell which is what I tend to like more than the the traditional hefe banana overload.

This beer is exactly that when it comes to the taste. It has a slight herbal hop bite with the nice and sweet roasted malt that and just ending with that slight clove banana yeasty flavor but melding in with the very sweet malts so nicely.

Hefe-Weisse Dunkel is definitely a favorite of mine over the traditional hefeweizen. If you want a darker, heavier and sweeter version of the style this is your beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2012 02:04:49 | More by thebrood1987

karait95

Mexico

3.55/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: nice traditional looking for the style, brown cloudy beer with a big almost withe head that dissipates not too slow and doesn't leave lot of traces behind, body is light more than bold and carbonation is not very rich.

S: aroma is pleasant but not as deep or intense as could or actually as should, of course that the wheat is clear but the toasted and the fruity is not that clear.

T: flavor is just avobe average doesn't show intense character doesn't show the banana or spicy character, it is plain semi toasted wheat.

M: the sensation is good, it represent the style, a refreshing medium body balanced beer with low sweetness and low bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 03:44:08 | More by karait95

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cloudy plum-brown color with an almost light-cinnamon color to the head. 4.0

Rich banana, wheat grain, taffy, and clove aroma. Sweet and nutty. Dark wheat bread glory. 4.5

Nice malty dunkel. Slight roast, powdery yeast, sugar-spotted banana, spicy clove, cherry juice, and dark bread. Nice. 3.5

Medium body that's a little thinner than expected. Subtle carbonation adds to the velvety feel. 4.0

Classic dunkel. Worth buying and re-buying and re-buying. Get the point? 4.0

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 01:57:22 | More by thecheapies

hardy008

Minnesota

3.38/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Cloudy light brown with a 3 finger light creamy tan head with nice retention and lacing. The aroma has cloves, bananas, and caramel.

The taste has cloves, bananas, and light caramel. Not a very strong flavor. Sweet taste, but also somewhat watered down. Don't know how else to put it.

Light bodied with average carbonation. As mentioned before, somewhat thin and watery. Not bad, but not worth seeking out again either.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2012 02:45:57 | More by hardy008

tdm168

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - dark amber; huge, foamy, thick, off white head; great retention

S - yeast, clove, banana, straw

T - caramel, bubblegum, banana, yeast, straw, clove

M - smooth, crisp, well carbonated, medium bodied

This is a very decent, easy drinking, flavorful beer. It has good flavor, good body, and great drinkability. I recommend checking this out.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 21:20:08 | More by tdm168

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

3.53/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16.9oz served into a Weizen glass.

A - Pours a hazy russet brown with a hefty head of foam that is light tan in color and has proper retention.

S - Roasted wheat malt, banana, mild caramel, clove.

T - Follows the nose but clove is more pronounced. Toasted banana bread, moderate wheat, nuttiness pulls through and rounds things out very nice.

M - Moderate carbonation, medium body with slight creaminess.

A solid Dunkel. The nut flavors really pull everything together.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 17:33:39 | More by StaveHooks

eclipse54

Idaho

3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this one plenty before, but finally getting around to reviewing it. 500 mL foil-wrapped bottle into a tulip glass.

A moderate pour yields a caramel colored body that is not as translucent as anticipated. A finger-wide head comprised of eggshell white bubbles adorns the surface; retention and lacing seem a bit lacking. The aroma is of wheat, straw, grass, and some grains that, while don’t seem roasted, do seem to have been “warmed” in some way. Some faint lemon and malt dropped in as well. The flavor follows suit, with an emphasis on the wheat, grass, and straw notes. Some caramel mixes well with the muddled grains, while some lemon pulls through towards the rear. Mouthfeel is crisp and finishes clean. The consistency is thinner than the color of the body may suggest, but it lacks not in flavor. Overall, a great beer. Not particularly rare or sought after these days, but one that is certainly worthy of revisiting any time.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 03:41:26 | More by eclipse54

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.05/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into tulip...yes, wrong glass but its all I had.
Pours a thick brown sugar colored haze with thick head. Smells of typical munich hefe; banana, wheat, malts, clove. Taste is very nice, wheaty and malty with hints of banana and honey maybe??
I love this dunkel weisse..its what others should be. Just plain great. Every sip takes me back to Germany...

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 01:35:52 | More by DrinkSlurm

UCLABrewN84

California

3.53/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly murky brown with a 2 inch foamy khaki head that settles to a small cap on top of the beer. Thick foamy rings of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of wheat toast, spices, and some slight banana aromas. Taste is of wheat, spices, brown sugar, and subtle banana on the finish. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good dunkelweizen but nothing really stands out to me.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 01:31:09 | More by UCLABrewN84

BTFU

Indiana

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured a dark brown and bubbled/foamed a lot. It formed a solid head that kept its volume and laced some but not consistently.

S - The malt is yeasty and wheaty with a underlying scent of bananas

T & M - The dryness of the malt character combines well with the sweet banana and wheat tastes to make a well-bodied beer. The carbonation was very smooth and not crisp but had a very good sensation on the tongue. The sips finished well, but after I finished the beer, there was an odd malt flavor that I didn't notice after having the regular Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse.

O - I've had a good number of German and American wheats but not too many of the associated dark versions. This was a good beer, but to me, they are a step down from their brothers.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 15:55:58 | More by BTFU

scratch69

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I poured a bottle into a weizen glass.

Appearance- Cloudy brown color with two fingers worth of light tan head. Thin, runny lacing on the sides.

Smell- Wheat bread and yeast with a slight hint of banana.

Taste- Sweet malt with some nuttiness and faint banana notes.

Mouthfeel- Smooth with a mildly dry finish. On the lighter end of medium bodied with a nice amount of carbonation.

Overall- Nice, drinkable brew. I would be willing to drink this again from time to time.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 17:37:06 | More by scratch69

uustal

Rhode Island

3.5/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a mid-brown, caramel color with a two-finger very off-white head. Aroma of spice, caramel malt and a bit of wheat. Flavor follows. Fairly mild. Hints of wheat, grass, spice to start. Subtle sweet caramel, bready malt with a bit of banana on the back end. Not nearly as big or sweet of a malt compared to others in the style. A bit subdued overall. No big heffe flavors either.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 01:27:47 | More by uustal

RodneyFarva

Spain

3.23/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

500ml bottle poured into a stein

a: pours a cloudy mocha brown with a 4 finger tan head, dissipates with good lacing

s: aroma of wheat, banana, bubblegum, some light cloves. very fruity and bready.

t: a strong malty sweetness, some spices of clove and some banana, finishes with a chocolate and caramel aftertaste. a bit thin and watery.

o: a very good dunkelweizen, but a bit of a heavier and chewier mouthfeel would definitely improve this.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 17:55:59 | More by RodneyFarva

Everydayoff

Thailand

3.98/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle poured into a weizen glass by freshness date.

A:
Murky brown hue with average light tan wheat beer’s head, it gradually collapses with good retention to thin foamy layer cover on top along with trace of some laces, high active carbonation soaring upwards.

S:
Very mellow banana to banana bread, dark bread, powdery yeast, crackery malt, some clove spice and hint of bubblegum.

T:
Malty sweet bursts up to seduce the palate. Mild banana and dark bread come in mind not much mellow as in the nose but in way of balance. Some phenolic spice and subtle hop bitterness interpose adding more refinement yet with a slight pinch of yeast, slight bread note in the finish.

M:
The body is medium, smooth yet refreshing with good crispness and lively carbonation, very dry finish.

O:
Very easy drinkable with fine refreshing character, it’s mild, smooth and balance Dunkelweizen.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2012 07:16:36 | More by Everydayoff

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.38/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Poured from bottle into pint glass

Appearance –Pours a hazy lighter brown color with a large billowy off-white, bordering tan, head. The head is nice and thick in nature and fades over time to give a persistent film on the brew and leaving some spotty lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell – Yeast aromas are the most prevalent with hints of darker fruit mixed in. There is some bready aroma in there as well with a little bit of spiciness.

Taste – Sweeter malt flavors with a bit of yeasty flavor are upfront. The sweetness gives way a bit of dryer roasted flavors. While losing some hold in the middle of the taste, the sweet flavor does persist and at the end seems to gain ground again with some caramel flavors which mix with a bit of nuttiness.

Mouthfeel- Rather thin with a slightly above average carbonation level. The body is a bit lighter than expected and threw me off at first. It is really too thin and carbonated for the more roasty flavor of the beer. The mouthfeel of this one is a little off in my opinion.

Overall - A good, look and smell and a pretty nice flavor profile, but the mouthfeel definitely leaves something to be desired. Not bad, but not great either.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 01:29:25 | More by Darkmagus82

mekanical

Florida

3.68/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bought in Celle, Germany. This beer smells sweet and fruity (bananas). Unlike many popular dunkels it is completely unfiltered. The head gives way after a minute or two, not too much lacing. Taste is rather sweet, much like a their hefeweizen, just with some added chocolate malts. Definitely a solid beer, I would buy again. However, I believe there are some better dunkels out there.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 17:26:26 | More by mekanical

IronLover

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Raisin brownish-red in color with a murky haze. Poured with a thick beige foam that slowly reduced to a thick cap. Wheat malt aroma is prominent with spicy clove and hints of banana. Medium bodied with ample rich carbonation and a semi-dry finish. Wheat and toasted malt flavor with clove up front . The spiciness intensifies into the middle giving way to banana and yeast flavors and wheat malt flavors to the finish. Finishes clean and semi-dry.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 19:39:46 | More by IronLover

Zachtheporter

Wisconsin

3.78/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a Stella Artois chalice.

A- Deep dark brown with a fat bubbly white head. Very murky.

S- Dark fruits, spice, yeast, toasted bread and malts, wheat cereal.

T- Spicy with a defined breadiness. Sweet with some dark fruit notes as well as a hint of chocolate. Has somewhat of a toasted pastry taste.

M- Well Carbonated, with a light bodied feel. Crisp and clean feeling for a dunkel.

O- A very well rounded dunkelweizen. Very refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2012 05:34:35 | More by Zachtheporter

CloudStrife

New York

3.8/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16.9 oz bottle poured into a wheat glass

A: Pours a ruby-amber body with a 2.5 finger white head that has hints of cream coloring. Slightly rocky and fizzles down to 1/4" in a minute or two. No lacing on the glass and lasting head until the end.

S: Initial hit of bread and banana from the yeast. Grassy wheat characteristics. Slight roasty malt and a twang of alcohol.

T: First comes on with wheat and a banana, then a hint of spice followed up by a caramely malt aftertaste and hints of bread. No extreme flavors just one hell of a drinkable beer.

M: This beer is light on the palette with ample carbonation. Very smooth and drinkable. No lingering stickiness in the mouth. The best part about the beer.

A very drinkable and well priced beer. I'm more of a fan of their regular hefe-weisse but this is good when your drinking a few franzis in a row.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2012 00:16:06 | More by CloudStrife

DM1293

California

4/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: A dark cloudy brown, like if you mixed a brown ale with a hefeweissen.

Smell: To me, much like the regular hefeweissen.

Taste: And unsurprisingly, it tastes much like their hefeweissen...only there's something different around it. And I can't place exactly what characteristics come out. I don't get a malty or a nutty taste.

The only way I can put it is "if you took their hefeweissen and made it a little bolder and muted the flavors a little."

It doesn't make it bad, I actually think it makes it a good alternative if you don't like hefeweissens for being light. This is a good, balanced drink.

Mouthfeel: A little thick, but that might've been due to bad pouring on my part.

Overall: Its not quite as good as their regular hefeweissen, but its still stands out a solid drink. I paid two fifty for a pint-sized bottle, so I can easily say that what I paid was worth the taste.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 08:31:21 | More by DM1293

vkv822

Oregon

3.13/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

oz bottle into tulip snifter.

Pours a dark brown with a foamy, bubbly light tan head.

The aroma is a balance of banana and clove.

The taste follows the nose, though the mouthfeel is quite light and ends a bit watery, which unfortunately detracts from the taste as well.

The aroma really had me looking forward to this but unfortunately the taste was just average and the mouthfeel was a bit disappointing.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2012 04:08:46 | More by vkv822

puboflyons

New Hampshire

4.15/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From a 25 fl. oz. bottle stamped L-152136-20:54. Sampled on February 8, 2012. The pour is olive brown coming out of the bottle but it becomes a dark amber tone with a generous head in the tall glass. The aromas are modest with dark malts, wheat, yeast, banana, and clove. The body is on the light to medium side. The flavor is scrumptious with its sweet dark malts and wheat up front and a slightly dry finale. It is a beer that is easy to drink quickly while at the same time savoring it.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2012 02:06:28 | More by puboflyons

FriarPrickly

Wisconsin

4.13/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 750 ml bottle into pint glass. A gift from my wife who saw this at Sendiks.
Beautiful caramel color murky with tan tinged pillowy head. Excellent retention and vivid lacing.
Smell of cloves and banana and bandaid
Tastes open with bublegum, bandaid and orange fading to lemon pepper...wow....swallows to a bitter that lasts
Creamy with mild carbonation.
This is a beer I could drink for a long time. I will buy this beer for special occasions in the future.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 00:46:19 | More by FriarPrickly

dbaker61

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

500mL bottle. Brew date: June 13, 2011; best by date: june 1, 2012. 5% ABV, 11.8 degrees Plato.

Appearance: A careful pour yielded about two fingers of light tan, dense foam. Great head retention. Cloudy, very dark amber in color.

Smell: Not a huge amount of banana and cloves, but what there is is balanced against a bready sweetness, with a bit of caramel.

Taste: More of the aroma notes. Just a touch of bitterness, well-balanced with an understated sweetness. Banana and cloves are not as forward as in helles weissbiers.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied. Good level of carbonation. The initial mild bitterness fades and is replaced with a balanced, smooth, medium dry finish.

Overall: Very good example of a dunkel weissbier. I could session this beer with no trouble. Refreshing and satisfying.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 12:29:56 | More by dbaker61