Dunkel Weiss - Great Divide Brewing Company

rowew

Colorado

3.85/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

presentation: 22 oz bomber red foil. abv and date are both clearly marked.

appearance: cloudy reddsh brown, nice thick head with good retention.

smell: nice banana bread aroma. bready malt with banana, just a bit of spice.

taste: sweet malt but not cloying. nice ester flavors: banana and just a hint of cloves.

overall: a bit sweet but still good flavors and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2009 03:04:01 | More by rowew

Anthony1

Colorado

4.38/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Serving Type bottle poured into a .5L Weissen glass

appearance- a rich, cloudy oak. nice dark head with great lacing. supprised on how much.

smell- a lovely aroma of bananas, caramel malts, wheat, and cloved.

taste/mouthfeel- The taste is great. Although i didn't smell it as much, i notice right away a slight chocolate after taste. the banana and wheat tasted alot like banana bread. the chocolate flavor went very nicely with it. it was medium bodied and good level of carbonation. nice and smooth to.

drinkability- i greatly enjoyed this beer and will buy another very soon!

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2009 18:40:35 | More by Anthony1

cjgator3

Florida

4.05/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle
Bottled Apr 17 2009

A- Poured into a weizen glass. Pours a murky brown color with a nice off-white head with a good amount of lacing around the glass.

S- The aroma is very nice with some bready malt, wheat, a touch of caramel and bananas and clove.

T- The taste like the aroma is caramel malts and bready wheat malts. There is also some banana and clove flavors, almost like banana bread.

M- The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation.

D- Overall, this is another fantastic brew from Great Divide that is recommended!

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2009 02:47:33 | More by cjgator3

Rayek

Colorado

3.83/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into my Erdinger weizen glass.

A: Murky walnut with somewhat active carbonation. Firm cream cap has very nice retention and leaves sheets of lace down the glass.

S: Banana and a bit of clove, plus a faint hint of baking chocolate.

T: Banana bread is the theme here, as the wheat and banana aromas meld with the clove and lemon bitterness to create a nice flavor medley. There's an ever so mild chocolate flavor in the background that I wish were stronger. Finishes tart and dry with a touch of acidity.

M: The medium body is quite creamy and smooth. Carbonation is right on the money.

D: This is a nice effort by Great Divide. I was quite pleased. The beer went down easy and made me what another.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2009 17:06:10 | More by Rayek

Haybeerman

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Brown color with copper highlights. Poured s 2 finger creamy tan head that slowly settled to a thick cap. Laced in sheets.

S: Light fruit and wheat malts. Banana and spice.

T: Slightly sweet caramel malts and bready wheat malt. Banana and clove flavors are somewhat muted by the malt. Toasty flavor lingers through a bitter finish

M: Medium body. Balanced carbonation. Dry and toasty flavor in the finish is pleasing.

D: Very flavorful and easy to drink. Good body and flavor if you're not quite up to a bock.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2009 18:34:23 | More by Haybeerman

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.58/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

One thing a love about Mountain Sun is their accommodation of guest taps. This one was a guest there on Vine Street in Denver.
A lighter pour than I was expecting. Hazy golden, murky, where's the 'dunkel'? No big deal, but if we're going with style points...
Semi-sweet aroma, a little spicy as well. Soft fruit.
Not as malty in the taste as I thought it would be. Spice, clove, banana, some bready yeast and malt. Maybe it's be, but I think this style should be a slight bit sweeter or maltier than a saison. Not that this is a saison, but it more closely resembles one to me. It's good. That's true. Very drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

05-25-2009 05:10:55 | More by Mebuzzard

GilGarp

Colorado

4.22/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I'm excited to see Great Divide branching out and doing some unexpected brews. This and the saison are some of the most recent ventures and both are worth a try.

Bottled 4/17/09.

Red foil wrapped bomber opens with a loud hiss and pours into a goblet. It has a nice redish brown color, clarity is fair, and the head is thick but short-lived.

Aroma is sweet and malty with a pleasant nutty fruit character to it.

Flavor is nicely balanced. Although it seems too sweet at first, the roasty malts and ample hopping even it out. There's a nice spicy flavor that is not uncommon in a Belgian. The wheat is big but the roasty carmel notes and even some chocolate come through.

Mouthfeel is smooth, almost creamy, with full body and light carbonation. It's very easy drinking even on the eve of a 90 degree day.

Although I don't have much experience with the style, I picked up an authentic German example (from the BA top 10) and had it earlier today. I don't know how true this is to the originals but it's a tasty beer in it's own right.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2009 01:20:35 | More by GilGarp

HeyItsChili

South Carolina

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

A - Poured from a growler into a weizen glass. Pours garnet with golden highlights and a thin khaki head.

S - Nutmeg, malt, light fruits, banana.

T - Bready, caramel, malty, mild spices. A very mild alcohol flavor in the aftertaste isn't surprising given the alcohol percentage in this one.

M - Medium bodied, mild/low carbonation, a little sticky.

Serving type: growler

05-19-2009 18:46:39 | More by HeyItsChili

Domingo

Colorado

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

This beer deserves a good rating for what it is, however it's one of those situations where an asterisk is probably needed.

Pours a pretty deep dark color for the style. Reminds me of the Erdinger DW and the HB "schwarz-weiss" examples because it's so dark. It's cloudy, and if you swirl to get the yeast going at the bottom, it forms a nice head that'll stick around.
The flavor/aroma profile is pretty much spot on for what you'd expect. Mild cocoa, banana, nuts, cloves, and a little nutmeg. There's more alcohol in this version than any other example I've had, but it isn't really noticable in terms of heat. The flavor profile is amplified a bit, but it's clearly nowhere near bock-level. It's an American brewer doing an old style and staying true to it while still giving it a US touch.
The texture is creamy and it's easy to drink. No chalky texture like some examples have had.
This is a good take on the style as it stays more or less authentic, but still kicks things up a bit in the right ways.

The problem is that this beer is sold in bombers and it's $7 per bomber. This is a style where individual bottles are the ideal serving size, and you can get an entire 6-pack of imported German DW's or even the surprisingly good Michelob version for the same price as one of these. The price/size just doesn't make any sense. While that probably shouldn't affect scoring, it needs to be pointed out because I doubt I'll revisit this beer as long as they're selling it this way.

EDIT: The 2010 version of this beer I find myself absolutely loving. It's still expensive and only in bombers, but it's more affordable at the tap room. There's a distinct flavor that can almost be described as like peanut butter that I love.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2009 13:53:32 | More by Domingo

belgbeerdrinker

Colorado

3.38/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

a: ruby red color, thick foamy head, moderate bubbly activity, with decent lacing
s: tempered aromas of banana bread
t: banana bread with wheat consistent throughout, finishes a little rough with traces of tartness
m: medium body maybe a little under-carbonated
d: pretty drinkable until you get to the finish where it almost seemed like things fell apart. not too memorable

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2009 00:06:23 | More by belgbeerdrinker

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Weird...I see this is available in bottles, though I've never seen it in the Philly market. I've actually never heard of it before I saw it on tap at Capone's today...

Appears a light russet toned amber with a fluffy, beige head that slowly fades out. Scattered bits of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is of the classic German Dunkel Weizens...spicy clove, caramel, nuttiness, light bread. Nice!
Taste follows the aromas with a roasted nut flavor with clovey spiciness trailing the rear.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, mildly tart from the wheat, with higher carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

05-08-2009 18:33:10 | More by weeare138

siradmiralnelson

Iowa

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

Poured from 650 ml bottle into Weiss Glass.

A. Poured an almost 3 finger head. Nice carbonation rising from bottom of glass. Ruby/Caramel color. Nice lacing left.

S. Banana, Clove, Spices, Malt.

T. Clove, Banana, a roastiness from the malt.

M. Medium bodied.

D. Easy drinking. An almost refreshing quality to it. Could use a little more complexity in the flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2009 21:58:18 | More by siradmiralnelson

greenbirds

Florida

4.38/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz. bottle into a weizen glass.

Color is very appealing hazy, rust/almost-brown with a creamy, 3 finger buff-colored head. Dissipated after a few sips but a thin layer hung around until the end.

Smell is powerful banana, clove, roasted, and nutty, in that order I'd say, but they're in a very nice balance. One of the best smelling dunkelweizens I've had.

Taste was very similar to the smell and thus was gratifying. Kept me coming back for more. There was a bitterness that I'd say was slightly more noticeable than in other dunkels, but it was by no means obtrusive and helped to balance out the sweetness of this beer.

Mouthfeel was quite creamy but not syrupy at all. Made my mouth water. Carbonation was just right. Finished smooth with a nice, lasting aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2009 18:36:52 | More by greenbirds

ArrogantB

Colorado

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

22oz bottle $7.49. Dark chestnut, not brown. Smells quite wheaty and tastes like cloves, wheat, yeasty, not bad for a dunkelweizen at all. Too bad there are plenty of German examples which are cheaper and are obviously a tad bit more authentic. Still, this was interesting and I am glad to see Great Divide releasing new beers in bombers.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2009 23:43:26 | More by ArrogantB

hopdog

Pennsylvania

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

On tap at Capone's.

Poured a deerper amber color (almost brown) with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of breadiness, wheat, toast, and some fruitiness. Tastes of bananas, wheatiness, some spices, and lighter roastiness. Lacing left on the glass.

Serving type: on-tap

04-30-2009 22:40:51 | More by hopdog

jamie2dope

Massachusetts

4.47/5  rDev +24.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is one of three new beers that I know of from these guys, the other two being Saison and Belgica. I like the blurb on the side of the bottle telling the drinker not to add any lemon to this. Decadent pour reveals a cloudy dark red, with a large white head. Musty smells of banana, brown bread and bubblegum come through in the aroma. Overall the smell is juicy. Taste is still incredibly juicy, but with a beautiful wheat backbone. Mouthfeel is incredibly smooth, with just the right amount of carbonation and flavor to make it complex, yet approachable. This is an easy drinker, but it deserves to be sipped. A great beer here from Great Divide that is as good, if not better than many of the great German examples. Hopefully this is a year round offering. Not to be missed for wheat beer lovers.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2009 00:51:16 | More by jamie2dope