Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel - Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan

ToasterChef

Maine

3.98/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed from my notes. The beer is a muddy brown liquid. It has a thin, off-white foam head. The beer is opaque, but I can still see some carbonation bubbles clinging to the sides of the glass and rising within. There are a number of aromas coming from this beer; I can smell clove, banana, and a slight sweetness reminiscent of brown sugar. It tastes of musty yeast, like a weissebier should. There is lots of banana and some clove in the flavor. The finish has a bit of peppery spice to it. The beer has a medium body and high carbonation. The coating is very good and it contains some sweetness. The pepper in the finish provides a bit of a bite, but otherwise it finishes cleanly. It is a very drinkable beer. I could easily have a few of these. It is a perfect beverage for the outdoor deck here at my favorite bier garden.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2010 11:58:37 | More by ToasterChef

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Rustico.

A: Pours a cloudy dark orange with an incredibly-huge of-white head and loads of lacing.

S: Loads of sweet malt alongside the typical clove, banana, and bubblegum notes. Just what I expect from a good dunkelweizen.

T: The sweetness of the malt comes through more with some caramel and a few darker fruits. The yeast flavor then really takes over.

M: Light-bodied; nice and creamy with good carbonation.

D: Just a great beer. I believe I like this quite a bit more then the Hefe, actually.

Serving type: on-tap

05-15-2010 11:39:40 | More by Thorpe429

bob3701

New Jersey

4.45/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served in a Weihenstephaner weiss glass at Stuff Yer Face in New Brunswick, NJ. First I loved the glass and need to track one down. Very cloudy malt brown color with a decent head and nice lacing. Great wheat/bready aroma. I love this taste. Malty and wheat. Sweet but not overly so. Very refreshing but filling too. This is what all other dunkles should be judged by.

Serving type: on-tap

01-01-2010 00:15:47 | More by bob3701

jbertsch

Massachusetts

4.85/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Wheat beers are not my favorite. I don't dislike them, they're just not one of my favorite styles. Because of that, this beer had a strike against it before I tasted it. BUT, the fact that it won me over so well speaks volumes.

Had this on top at Jacob Wirth's in Boston - served in a nice, large weizen glass.

The color is a murky dark brown with some haze. I wish the head was larger (could have been the bartender's poor pour), but what head was there retained well as I drank it.

I love to smell a serious malt in a weizen style. What a great juxtaposition compared to the heffe's we all know too well in America. Behind the malt there were notes of banana, and a hint of clove.

The taste mirrors the smell, but there are llayers upon layers of flavor - it's one combined flavor balanced very well. Some nuttiness comes through at the end, as well as some fig/rasin. The hops are very far in the back.... Not absent, but agreeably not a big factor.

The Mouthfeel is easy, smooth, and on the thinner side while still feeling creamy. There is a dry finish without a bitter aftertaste.

I don't know if it was the mood I was in, or the day, or the gorgeous sauerbraten I had with it, but this beer hit the spot and just seemed so perfectly balanced and restrained in the right areas.

Can't wait to have another.

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2009 23:16:34 | More by jbertsch

Aenema

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Appearance - Murky brown the color of syrup mixed with melted butter. Topped with light tan foam. Leaves splotchy lacing along the glass.
Smell - Banana, clove.
Taste - Lots of banana, a bit of clove. Some sweet caramel malt with a wheat note.
Mouthfeel - Smooth, light-medium body with moderate carbonation. Well-balanced.
Drinkability - A very easy-drinking beer with a nice balance of flavor, body, and carbonation. I could easily drink this for a long, long time.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2009 02:07:29 | More by Aenema

drabmuh

Maryland

4.28/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beer on draft at a local beer bar, served as a 0.5 L in a Weihenstephaner wheat beer glass. Beer is brown and has high haze, cannot see through the beer. Whitish / brownish head of tight bubbles is present and completely covers the beer (two fingers thick). Head falls away as you drink and leaves some lacing on the glass.

Aroma is pretty similar to the hefe, but there is more sweetness and some hints of nuts to it. Same esters and fruity aromas, smells good.

This beer is slightly heavier in my opinion than the hefeweizen. Still a stand up beer. More sweetness, beer is still wet and not dry at all. Finishes nicely, not as high drinkability as the hefe but still a stand up beer. Mouthfeel is heavier than I would like but that's why its a dunkel.

Serving type: on-tap

11-13-2009 20:46:50 | More by drabmuh

david18

New York

3.5/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Not as good as the dunkel or the hefeweissbeer, this is nonetheless another great beer from weihenstephaner. Shared this one after the dunkel, had a good combination of both beers with a refreshing quality that will knock you out as much a the stonger dunkel. Would recommend this if you can find it in the states. And, once again, if in berlin, you should find this restaurant.

Serving type: on-tap

07-12-2009 20:09:49 | More by david18

patmcd

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at SYF in New Brunswick.

Ahh Wheat Beers...my personal favorite.

The original Hefeweissbier may be my #1 all time favorite brew, so this had a lot to live up to. I saw it at my favorite watering hole and it was even on tap...I instantly ordered a liter.

Pours a turbulent leather brown that his a bit of a river clay color to it with a cloudy, ever slightly off-white head.

On the nose I sense glimpses of predominately barley with hints of clove and citrus.

Tastes consist with the usual Hefe tastes of banana, clove, citrus accompanied by some darker, candied malts and more roasted barley.

Is extremely, extremely smooth and drinkable. One of my favorite Dunkels, and only second to Schneider Aventinus.

Serving type: on-tap

07-07-2009 20:28:53 | More by patmcd

mhatters

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on-tap in a standard pint glass at TDR Exton

Pours a dark hazy amber-to-light-brown color with a small dense white head.

Lots of fruit in the nose - banana, green apple, passion fruit. Also the wheat and spice make this a great smelling beer.

The taste follows the nose - the wheat and fruit play off one another. There is a clovepepperiness as well

Crisp, sessionable beer, very refreshing, easy to drink, a very good beer that leaves you wanting more.

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2009 21:32:32 | More by mhatters

JoeBloe

New York

4.18/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

had this on tap at the breezy point inn at greenwood lake - the waitress taught me the correct pronunciation when i ordered - following a hofbrau maibock - chunky brown with a 1 1/2 finger head - smells sweet and malty - i agree with the heffe/dark malt take on this beer's taste - crisp and malty sweet - goes down easy.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2009 01:43:36 | More by JoeBloe

gford217

Georgia

4.43/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

On tap at Taco Mac Lindbergh.

Pours a hazy brownish amber that looks a bit like tea in the glass underneath a big off-white head that shows good lacing.

The aroma is just flush with bananas and bubblegum sweetness mixed with lots of clove spiciness. It definitely has a bit more malt presence than the hefe and a bit of lemon as well.

The taste ratchets the bananas down a notch and the malts come through a bit more. The finish brings back the spiciness of the cloves and leaves a dry, clean finish.

The mouthfeel is highly (almost too) carbonated and extremely smooth going down.

I was expecting this to be one of the best dunkels I've ever had and it lived up to the expectations. A supremely drinkable beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-13-2009 20:59:38 | More by gford217

Getinthevan

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had a stein full of this brew on a recent trip back to Tallahassee, Florida and needless to say, this stuff was class all the way.

Appearance is a dark brown/creamy black with gobs of head retention and thick as a brick. This stuff doesn't mess around and knows how to make its presence known. Definitely a great looking dunkel.

Smell was strong in roasted malts and wheat. This stuff does not mess around and is not for the lighthearted. This dunkelweizen carried strong wheat aromas and did not disappoint at all.

Taste was great. This is a bitter beer no doubt, but it's an enjoyable bitterness with a sweet finish. This is also a very thick beer and certainly not one to hand to a friend to chug with. No no, this is a patience beer and drinking this beast with its great taste is something to behold.

Mouthfeel was thick, flavorful and overwhelming in retention. One of the strongest beers I've ever tasted and certainly look to trying again in the future.

Drinkability is killer. I had a stein of this and needless to say this was beyond magnificent. Great flavor, great volume, and overall provides a great buzz. Definitely grab a pint or two of this, as you will thoroughly enjoy it.

Serving type: on-tap

05-10-2009 19:47:51 | More by Getinthevan

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Cloudy, muddled brown body with a thinnish, white head.

Smell: Dull, earthy spices over malty scents of caramel covered wheat and cocoa with notes of fresh bananas.

Taste: Light, dry caramel mixed with a bit of cocoa and a taste of wheat grain. Rich blend of spice flavors: clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Banana esters perk up shortly. Light spicy hops and bitterness. Final hints of malt and spice on the soft, drying finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-high carbonation.

Drinkability: A delightful dunkelweizen and a fine example of the style. Go out and get some!

Serving type: on-tap

03-29-2009 22:32:51 | More by ChainGangGuy

tconboy

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a nice cloudy dark brown, with a cloudy big white head. Excellent lacing and light carbonation. Smells wheaty, a faint lemon, light spices. Has a nice balance of spice, wheat, and an amazing malt that comes together beautifully. Mouthfeel very light and extremely drinkable. This is a fantastic product - as you would expect from such a distinguished brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

01-20-2009 07:08:09 | More by tconboy

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark, opaque, golden brown with a thick, foamy, pale tan head. Nice, fairly strong aroma is wheaty, malty and "rubbery" with hints of orange and spice. Flavor is rich, wheaty and malty, and has a spicy and orangy undertone. Texture is very smooth, and finish is pleasing and satisfying.

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2008 22:10:54 | More by Cyberkedi

BretSikkink

Mexico

4.15/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Burnished brown color with a huge, tightly-packed head that looks just magnificent in the glass. Some lacing but not a ton.

Pleasing aroma of clove that jumps right out of the glass and permeates the surrounding area. It hardly smells different from the regular hefe, which is a great compliment.

Mostly phenolics in the flavor as well; whereas the regular hefe leads with the banana and backs up with clove and spicing, this one is the opposite. While there is plenty of both, the clove is really huge.

Other than regular hefeweizen flavors, there's a touch of cocoa and baked banana bread. Some more malt flavor; significantly carbonated which is both pleasing to the palate with the scrubbing bubbles but also a little much in that it seems to lighten the body a bit.

Really terrific dunkelweizen, I need to drink some more, but compared with the standard hefeweizen versus an Aventinus I find it somewhat lacking in complexity and heft.

Serving type: on-tap

08-24-2008 03:39:13 | More by BretSikkink

Chinon01

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - Opaque tea-like color with soapy sudzy head.

Smell - Caramelized, roasted notes with standard phenolics consistent with the style.

Taste - Same as smell with spice character along with orange citrus.

Mouthfeel & Drinkability - Wonderfully spicy and tangy finish.

Serving type: on-tap

08-18-2008 05:06:35 | More by Chinon01

plaid75

New York

4.28/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured a murky soft brown hue with a two finger foamy white head. There was good retentionan and lacing.

The smell featured a toasted grain, sweet caramel and a wheat spice, with some banana yeast esters.

The taste consisted of a sweet caramel, toasted graininess, and an estery yeast.

The mouthfeel was full and chewy.

Overall a superior dunkel.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2008 05:42:28 | More by plaid75

JArami

Florida

4.68/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Got it on tap at Mr. Dunderbak's

A: Came to me with minimal head and the color of the head was hard to discern in the dim light. Lacing was evident only toward the bottom, might have been the glass. Not too cloudy, and nicely dark for a weiss as the name promises.

S: Definite banana esters. Mixed with the roasted malts, it comes across almost like banana bread.

T: Where are the hops? The darker malts are delightful and the banana-ness dominates but not in excess. Great tasting wheat beer. Almost no hop in the aftertaste, but a cool fresh palate.

M: Clean and crisp, great for quaffing after a tasty sandwich.

D: Very drinkable.

Wheat beer is glorious, and this one is even better as its a dunkel. Very malty and fruity while not bogging you down with a huge amount of carbonation. If you like munich dunkels, and hefeweizens, you should give this a try. It's not the best of both worlds, but its pretty close.

Serving type: on-tap

11-05-2007 03:17:16 | More by JArami

bonbright7

Florida

4.05/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

In comparison to my previous great experience with the bottles of this, I thought the tap version was a half step down from what I experienced with bottled version.
I was having a big Southern style party with a blues band and we served this and the Brooklyn Pils. The chocolate and banana nuances that came through so valiantly before were toned down in the taste, but you could smell them like flowers. That was odd. I would like to try this again on tap to see if it was just me.

Serving type: on-tap

10-07-2007 14:53:12 | More by bonbright7

ski271

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Zeno’s in State College. A- Dark, murky brown with a small, foamy, off-white, quickly-diminishing head. Light lacing. S- Mild. Fruit, whole-wheat bread and berry. T- More pronounced than nose for sure. Clove, berry, honey, citrus, bread and straw. M- medium body, slightly oily texture and moderate carbonation. D- Oh I like this one. Meaty with a very nice light fruity character. Worth a try for sure.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2007 18:23:18 | More by ski271

travelfrog

New York

4.22/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

While I had tried the more common Helles Hefeweizen, I had never tried this version until now. I had it on tap in the USA, served in a traditional weissbier glass.

Appearance was medium-brown and cloudy, with a nice, long-lasting head.

Smell was not overpowering, but with pleasant parallels to fresh bread.

Taste was quite good: it tasted somewhere between a Scheider Weissbier and a Franziskaner Dunkelweizen. Yeast and fresh bread were the orders of the day, with maybe a hint of apple. Excellent, dry finish.

Mouthfeel was just fine, maybe a bit of acidity clinging to the roof of the mouth.

Drinkability was also above average. Perhaps the slight acidity makes you want to drink it less quickly (not necessarily a bad thing).

Serving type: on-tap

03-21-2007 00:33:45 | More by travelfrog

Redrover

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served on tap at Glunz Bavaria Haus on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. .5 Liter correctly marked glass!

The beer is a slightly hazy coco brown with an impressive beige head.

The beer had a fresh aroma of banana, spices and a bit of toasted biscuit.

The taste was great. I found the expected clove/banana and a really nice toasty under pinning. This dunkel is slightly earthy with some dark fruit notes with a bit of a dry finish.

Great smooth mouth; this is an extremely easy drinker. Hats off the brewery & hats off to Glunz for taking such good care of this beer!

Serving type: on-tap

05-01-2006 19:30:07 | More by Redrover

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I had this on tap at the brewery restaurant on March 20, 2006.

A: Murky chestnut, fluffy white head, great retention and lace.

S: Bready malt, a little banana.

T: Bready malt, a little banana. Slight sweetness, but very nicely balanced.

M: Moderate body and carbonation. Creamy and smooth.

D: Exceptional (So much flavour, yet they go down so easy!)

Serving type: on-tap

04-04-2006 23:43:29 | More by Derek

DrunkMcDermott

Illinois

3/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Draft, at the Maple Tree Inn, Blue Island, IL. Not quite up to what I hoped to find. Still pretty nice, though. Color is beer-bottle brown under a fizzy head. Taste is sugary and kind of light. Banana flavor builds up with not much else to balance it.

Serving type: on-tap

03-30-2006 16:22:09 | More by DrunkMcDermott