Dunkel Weiss - Great Divide Brewing Company

RickS95

Indiana

4.28/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Damned thing almost exploded as I popped the cap, then literally filled my snifter with the head after roughly an ounce of beer hit the glass. The beer is a medium brown, very rich looking, in color; but all you notice is the huge head of slightly offwhite bubbles. All different sizes, all popping at different times.

Nothing Earth-shattering about the nose, it's not bad, just nothing exceptional. Standard issue banana and clove, with what must be cinnamon giving it more depth. All the usual hefe suspects are kept in line with an aggressive malt bill.

I totally dig the taste. Very malty, but it's got that nice yeasty tang to it and the aforementioned spice (has to be cinnamon) to balance the twang and add a little sweetness.

Medium-bodied, feels thick and creamy as it dances on the tongue. Tangy and sweet, faintly spicy with some heat at the end, mostly from the carbonation.

An extremely easy drinker. No real faults, the lack of smell is a minimal issue in my book. The style hasn't always been high on my list of must haves, but this beer may enter my normal rotation of drinks.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 03:20:54 | More by RickS95

Phinner

Michigan

2.13/5  rDev -40.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Great Divide = Great Disappointment. Dunkelweizen is one of my preferred styles, but this doesn't come close to being up to par. Very syrupy; balance is way too malty; and overall I had to pour into the sink.

The proprietary yeast is not close to being what a weiss should represent. Would not purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 22:59:52 | More by Phinner

CHADMC3

Connecticut

3.23/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a chestnut brown with ruby hues and a foamy, light tan head that quickly dissipates to leave only faint traces of lacing to accompany the lively bubble of carbonation.

A unique aroma seems to offer the yeast of a hefe and the hearty malt of a Marzen, yet also hints of cocoa. It is earthy, yet zesty, with the german malts really becoming present as it warms.

The flavor is similar with a mix of German malts and yeast with lemon zest and a touch of spice/coriander.

Light to medium in body with medium carbonation and a crisp finish.

A decent take on the style, perhaps a touch heavy on the malt, but certainly worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 00:57:36 | More by CHADMC3

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.93/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a warm and inviting clear brown tinged with golden red, almost mahogany, with a fairly decent light tan head. Aroma is strong, yeasty and wheaty with a hint of citrus. Pleasing flavor is mainly wheaty with hints of fruit - mainly pear and apple plus a subtle note of orange - and wood. There is also just a whisper of cloves. Texture has average body but plenty of fizz, leaving a persistent tingle and a fruity, wheaty finish.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 02:07:32 | More by Cyberkedi

feylure

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottled on April 12 2010.

Pours like thick, cloudy, dark amber.

Smells like sweet malt and caramel.

Taste is almost like it smells, sweet up front that fades to the dark wheat citrus flavor and has hints of rye. It has a full mouthfeel beginning to end.

Overall, I'd say this is a ok brew. I got it discounted at the store, and I'm a fan of Great Divide, but I'll stick to their IPAs and stouts.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2011 01:03:10 | More by feylure

gkunkle

Oregon

3.98/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a muddy brown color, as the bottle describes it, visible carbonation. The head disappointed me a bit, most wheat beers present much better head with good retention, this one had a decent head, but retention was poor. Smell was of clove, wheat, brown sugar and a little bit of raisin. Taste is great, as far as American made dunkels go, this is pretty good in the taste department. Sweet wheat taste with just a little bit of alcohol present in my nose as I sip (since the head has now fully receded) the taste is good, but would not stack up to something like weihenstephaner. Overall, a decent representation of the style for an American brewer, but there are better offerings in the same genre available to me that I would rather buy.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2011 03:50:43 | More by gkunkle

birchstick

Missouri

3.23/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - pours an amberish copper with a billowing white head

S - smells of toasted and caramel malt (which give it the nice color) with a bit of grass and citrus

T - starts off with caramel malts that take over the palette. This fades to a bit of toasted malt and some nice, light citrus hops. The caramel malt flavors return on the exhale, making this a nice malty wheat beer.

M - a little light on the mouthfeel, but goes down smoothly

D - pretty decent dunkel weiss beer...I picked it up for 1.79, which was a steal. I would stick to brewers across the pond next time I go back to this style. Pretty good though.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2011 00:00:59 | More by birchstick

htomsirveaux

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22 oz. bottle tried 25 Jul 2010. Served in the Paulaner weizen glass.

Medium foamy khaki colored head. Medium carbonation. Cloudy brick red color. Aroma is a bit lighter than expected, borwn sugar and yeast. Sweet and clovey. Slightly bready. Some brown sugar and banana. Chewy body. Minimal ethanol. Fruity nutty sweetness in the aftertaste.

Overall flavors seem a bit watered down and muted. Would not get this again at $7/22 oz.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2011 06:02:43 | More by htomsirveaux

brentk56

North Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a cloudy russet color with a head as big as was anticipated; plenty of lacing around the side of the weizen glass

Smell: Crusty wheat bread; a dusting of cocoa powder; hints of hazelnuts, banana and clove; and a trace of lemon

Taste: Wheat bread, up front, with hints of cocoa, hazelnuts, banana and clove developing by mid-palate; after the swallow, a hint of tartness develops but the cocoa and bready flavors dominate the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderately high carbonation

Drinkability: Great Divide isn't the first brewery I would think of when it comes to German style beers so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that this one is a bit of a disappointment; the malt bill lacks the banana, clove and cocoa prominence I seek in the style; the beer is pleasant enough but not a contender when compared to the best of the style

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2011 21:59:48 | More by brentk56

jdflyer06

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz. into a snifter

A: A beautiful dark orange with little head and some lacing. A really pretty beer.

S: Smells of a sour. Lemon zest and grassy notes dominate. Some bitter hop aroma comes through.

M: Perfect carbonation. Finishes clean and leaves no unwanted aftertaste. Perfect.

T: Citrusy with a light caramel malt backbone. Some bitter hops come in and the finish is orange peel and candy sugar. Very nice.

O: Pretty drinkable but is somewhat sour and dries the palate as you get further along. Pretty unique; somewhere between a sour and a lager. I would say this is exactly what GD was going for. I don't think I'd want this often, but it's definitely worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2010 02:51:22 | More by jdflyer06

TheHoppiest

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a weissen glass. This beer was bottled on April 10, 2010. Pours a silty brown with light filtering through to the bottom, making it look like a sunset in a glass. A mild amount of sediment is floating around A relatively thin cream-colored head that has mild retention along the sides as it swirls.

Smells of sweet malt, toffee and oranges,with floral notes and mild grains.

Has a nice mild sweet taste, with caramel, honey, peach, and malt. Some grassiness hits then back of the tongue, ending with a bit of lemon.

Fairly carbonated, this beer is medium-bodied with very little bitterness.

Fairly drinkable, especially for a wheat beer. I'd much rather have this than any of the other wheat beers sold out there!

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2010 01:32:07 | More by TheHoppiest

vkv822

Oregon

3.65/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

22oz. bottle into weizen glass.

Pours a clear brown with very light orange hues and a thin off white head. There is slight carbonation and yeast visible.

The aroma is of banana, with notes of sweet wheat bread. There are faint notes of clove and cocoa as well, though overall the aroma is fairly subdued.

The taste follows the nose nearly identically with a mixture of banana, wheat bread and cocoa combining into a pleasant banana bread-like flavor.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a pleasant level of carbonation.

Quite drinkable, though not quite as strong flavored as I was expecting.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2010 04:40:50 | More by vkv822

bfree

Pennsylvania

2.35/5  rDev -34.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A: way too much head, but other than that a nice amber brown color

S: bananas, clove, but also a strong CO2/gassy tone

T: honestly, this is not very good...I do not know if it is because it is over-carbonated or what but it tastes a lot like seltzer water with a very faint banana/clove taste

M: too carbonated

D: I am very disappointed, as I am a big fan of Great Divide and dunkleweizen...I will try it again sometime and update this post if necessary, as I find it hard to believe they would actually sell something this bad, it might just have been mistakenly over-carbonated

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2010 03:00:56 | More by bfree

mentor

Colorado

3.55/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a two finger light tan head over a brilliant dark copper liquid. Smells caramel, wheat, and moderate clove from yeast. Floral hops and banana ester.

Tastes tempered malt that is wet, but counter-balanced by yeasty clove, nutmeg, some peppery zip (from hops or carbonation?) and a mild astringency that helps dry out the finish. Nice munich-type malt flavor late and lingering into the aftertaste. There is also phenolic cardboardy character that I find rather off-putting. Md body and moderate carbonation. Fair drinkability, would be moreso if I enjoyed the style. This bottle was a gift that I enjoyed trying, but won't revisit. Judged to style, not my preferences. Could use a light chocolate character.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2010 02:03:49 | More by mentor

Metalmonk

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Healthy "zisss" upon prying the cap open, and the pour produces a head of light tan, foamy and firm, sitting on top of a bronzed brown sort of color, hazy from the swirled yeast second pour.

The aroma is a beautiful thing: banana, clove, sweet dark bread, and a hint of cocoa or carob. This could pass as a banana/chocolate pudding smell, I swear.

As with a regular hefe weizen, a pour/swirl/pour thing is the way to go here, too bad they don't remind us on the label. I almost forgot. This has subtlety and smoothness of flavor, but it's not a style that knocks you over the head or anything. Healthy clove and banana, although these aren't dominant, with a light nuttiness, grainy/bready character, Tootsie Roll and watered-down carob milkshake. An almost citrus-y springiness betrays the beer's American origins...

Not as silky or velvety as the real German deals, this has just a tad too much carbonation to perform alongside its better traits. Needs to be rounder, and silkier. More presence. More volume. Something.

A good stab at this style...although I've always thought Great Divide was one of those breweries, like Avery, Southern Tier or Flying Dog, that excels with the bigger 8%-plus type of brews.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2010 22:31:32 | More by Metalmonk

Shaw

Florida

3.9/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A deep, deep amber in color with a light brown frothy head.

Banana and clove aromas, of course.

Classic dunkelweizen tastes of banana and spices combine very well.

Pillowy soft body that's creamy.

Overall this is a winner that's not hoppy from a brewery known for hoppy brews.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2010 03:35:21 | More by Shaw

BlackBearForge

Florida

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Great Divide Dunkel Weiss pours a dark brown with ruby amber highlights with a creamy white head and slippery lacing.

The aroma has strong ripe banana, spicy cloves and dark caramel roasted malts.

The flavor follows the nose nicely, with strong ripe banana, clove spiciness and darkly toasted and bready caramel malts.

Mouthfeel is on the light side of medium, very smooth and creamily carbonated with a lively finish.

Dunkel Weiss is a very good German style wheat beer, tasty and very satisfying. I would expect nothing less from Great Divide however!

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2010 23:39:29 | More by BlackBearForge

dstc

Florida

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a brown color with an orange hue. Full bubbly tan head that falls to a thin one. Full, thin lace.

Nice wheat aroma with a bit of bready yeast. Bit of clove and sweetness.

Nice wheat taste with a dark malt backbone. Somewhat sweet and spicy with a slight banana flavor in the finish.

Medium bodied with relatively low carbonation and a slight bite on the tongue.

I like it. I can see drinking more of this.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2010 15:02:28 | More by dstc

avalon07

South Carolina

3.7/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a weizen glass. Had a dirty brown color and a thick, cloudy texture. There was a big, white, creamy, long-lasting head. Good lacing.

S: An underplayed aroma of wheat, grain, and a little banana.

T: Tasted predominantly of wheat and grain, with a little big of banana. A bit thin in the finish. Not as complex as you'd think.

M: A decent amount of carbonation with a mostly dry finish. Light- to medium-bodied.

D: While this one does have its negatives, it's still pretty drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2010 12:59:02 | More by avalon07

oberon

North Carolina

3.28/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into my Brooklyn-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse glass a murky russett color with a great fluffy two finger white head that settled slowly into a frothy mass leaving broken chunks of lace behind in its wake.Aromas of chocolate malt and clove mainly,much more chocolate than any other of the style I have had.I hate to say it but the flavors for me are average to below average for the style for me,mainly chocolate weheat malt flavors with light clove,no complexity or nuances.I love GD,one of my favorite breweries but this really doesnt hit home for me.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2010 19:54:29 | More by oberon

bump8628

Oklahoma

3.28/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Murky brown with a light tan head that fades quickly.

There's a weird mix of characteristics going on in this one. The banana/clove character that I was expecting is quite muted, which isn't necessarily a bad thing considering most American brewed examples taste like banana Runts. Other than the mild yeast I get a solid dose of bready/toasty malt and just a dusting of diluted cocoa. All of these characteristics are at home in the style, but they just don't seem to meld well in this one.

I've found Great Divide almost always does a style justice, but this is one that didn't do it for me. Not that it's a bad beer, but it's a style I typically enjoy and I found this one to be a bit muddled and well overpriced.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2010 20:43:01 | More by bump8628

clayrock81

Virginia

3.2/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a light brown with a two-finger head that takes forever to die and leaves minor lace around the glass. A funky roasted malt aroma and hints of bready yeast but not much sweetness nor is there very much in way of lemon/citric zest or spices. Light-to-medium bodied that for some reason has a smokey edge and while trying to combine with the spices and citric hops it doesn't mesh well. So basically a rather dry malted hefe with very little in the citric/spice taste category that is well-carb'd so it finishes crisp, dry but bland. Minimal sweet malts like caramel and very hard to notice pepper and clove in there as well. A nice attempt at this style but not very good and the price isn't exactly inviting me to buy another.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2010 16:56:25 | More by clayrock81

Pittsburgh

Massachusetts

2.28/5  rDev -36.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

Something about this beer is very off-putting to me. I can't really pick up exactly what it is, whether its a bad malt or yeast, or the combination of the yeast and malt, but I am not liking this beer.

Looks good, but smells a little weird and tastes a little weirder. There is this dominant smell/taste that is just pungent/borderline awful to me. I tried to be nice, because I think its on purpose, but I can barely get this down. Sorry. Very sweet, has characteristics of a Heffe/Belgian, again there is something pungent dominating this beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2010 01:32:20 | More by Pittsburgh

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

2.65/5  rDev -26.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A-pours a dirty dark copper color with red edges. the head is tight and creamy, very light tan color with a nice lace left behind.

S-the nose is quite grainy, a sort of dirty grit and wheat. notes of caramel underneath with a hint medicinal phenol.

T-again, a dirty grain, notes of wheat, nice banana and lemon flavors in the back taken over by a medicinal phenol flavor and touch of bitterness.

M-grainy feel with lots of carbonation in the back and spicy crisp finish. thin in the middle and towards the back, body falls off and is light in the first place.

D-phenolic and thin in the back lingering and bothering me. not a solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2010 02:14:07 | More by cpetrone84

WhiteOak

Connecticut

3.28/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottled 4/2010

A- Cloudy, murky copper brown color. The head is tan with a very impressive, copious quantity of lacing which coats the glass like drapery and is retained forever.

S- Muted, but evolving and opening over time, the aroma was unexpected. Roast, mocha, and wet cardboard. No classic Dunkel Weiss aromatic characteristics of soft banana & spice were detectable.

T- Sweet roasty malt & toffee on the attack. The mid palate is dominated by a strong roasted hazelnut flavor. The finish is of hazelnut & mocha. No classic Dunkel Weiss flavor characteristics of soft banana & spice were detectable.

Unlike a true classic Dunkel Weiss, but not unpleasant, as the rich sweet malt was quite good. Perhaps this should have been more accurately labeled as a "Hazelnut Brown Ale".

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2010 00:30:27 | More by WhiteOak