Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel - Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan

bmike86

Iowa

4.88/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I picked up a bottle from Hyvee Wine & Spirits in Pella, IA.

Appearance --- a burnt brown with free flowing carbonation, nice two finger off white/yellow head

Smell --- malty, banana bread, with a little spice

Taste --- malty, wheat, banana bread, yeast, possibly apple, very mild hop flavor

Mouth feel --- bubbly carbonation, soo smooth, light to medium bodied, possible tartness

Overall --- The hefeweizen from Weihenstephaner was the first “good” beer that I had many years ago, so I have been looking forward to giving their other offerings a try for quite some time. All I have to say is wow-wee-wee-wah, I just want more and more of this. I am generally not a fan of wheat beers, but this blew me away. I highly recommend this to anyone that wants try try a great dunkel weizen, or any type of very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 02:16:57 | More by bmike86

StevieW

Florida

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

Pours a rich creamy deep brown color. Super fluffy marshmellow sweet tannish head. Very balanced banana, toffee malt sweet smell. Taste was unbelievable. Balanced sublte hops, followed by sweet malty body of bananas, cloves, hints of vanilla, and crisp delicious wheat and malty sweet finish. Make sure you swill the bottom of the bottle to get all the yeasty goodness out. Medium to thick bodied, great finish, malty sweetness throughout. Very delicious by itself or with a meal.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2002 10:21:55 | More by StevieW

Boilermaker88

California

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

Found this at a small German-themed restaurant/bar in Glendale, AZ. My brother-in-law and I ducked in there while our wives were doing the post-Thanksgiving shipping ritual. This dark wheat beer was presented in a 23oz Weihenstephaner weissbier glass. The beer was a beauty for the eye: cloudy, almost muddy, brown with a ton of little streams of carbonation rushing to the underside of a massive, pillowy, 2" thick off-white head that left gobs of webby lace down the sides of the glass.
The smell was a rich and inviting blend of bready malt, clove, and banana. I was constantly sticking my nose into the glass to enjoy the aromas. The taste was classic German weissbier: banana and cloves abounding atop a solid yeasty malt backbone. The addition of some mild caramel notes enhanced the flavors. The banana taste was strong but not overpowering or causing the overall taste to seem imbalanced. The feel was light-bodied, clean and crisp. Very refreshing.
Drinkability was off the chart. I quickly polished off the first glass and ordered up a second which I savored at a less greedy rate. I just couldn’t help it with the first glass - it was just so damn good. This dunkel wiess is a stellar offering from Brauerei Weihenstephan, to go with their superb hefeweizen.

Serving type: on-tap

12-01-2003 17:45:21 | More by Boilermaker88

ditch

Virginia

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

"The World's Oldest Brewery!" With a slogan like that, you would expect to be getting the most evolved and damn near perfect beer on the planet! and guess what? It is! I was in the mood for something light, something quenching when i picked this up. I did not expect to be blown away with both refreshment and deliciousness.

Poured a dark copper with a lot of yeasty haze. The head was big and is still hanging around. I doubt it's going anywhere either!

Smells of baked goods!! there's yeast and spices, and almost a dried fruitiness to it. Not a strong bouquet, but e very deep one.

The taste is near perfection. It's a heffeweisen so it does have that yeastiness to it. But it is well balanced with the malts and spices. Not much to speak of in the hops other than the fack they were perfectly balanced to keep this beer from being too sweet. Uhh.. I don't know what else to say other than, near perfection!

Glad I picked this one up. This is my second beer from this brewery and it's got me wanting to try more German beers!

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2009 19:49:14 | More by ditch

PoisonedMushroom

Ontario (Canada)

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

My first beer review.

Before anything else, I opened the bottle and smelled the vapours escaping. Just in time, I managed to catch the wonderful bready, yeasty smell that filled the immediate surroundings.

A: As I poured this into a pint glass, I noted the beer's murky brown colour. I also observed the wonderful two and a half fingers of creamy foam that appeared uninterested in dispersing for quite some time.

S: I became immediately aware of the banana smell that filled the air. Every smell produced an aromatic burst of bananas. The yeast still made its presence known, although to a lesser extent. Mixed in were other fruity flavours and just a hint of clove. As the beer warmed, the clove became more apparent. I smelled this one over and over in the process of exhausting it.

T: Did the brewers brew this with bananas? It certainly tasted of them, along with some yeast in the finish. Cloves and other, more vague, fruitiness also attacked my taste buds. There was no mistaking it -- this was delicious and truly true to the style.

M: This appeared to me a very smooth beer. The carbonation did not make itself overly noticeable.

D: I thought this brew to be immensely drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2009 06:04:00 | More by PoisonedMushroom

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

beers2danno

Florida

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

The first time I had this beer(years ago) was on a trip around Germany, but at the time I did not know enough to appreciate as much as I do now.
Now I get it whenever I see it for sale.
A....this is what originally made me try it, cloudy reddish brown ith a beautiful fluffy offwhite head
S....very attractive smell of bananas, bread, yeast
T...banana, malty, citrus, yeast...
M...medium heaviness, satisfying like its more than a beer, perhaps a meal full of nutrients.
D...I can drink this any time, any place and it brings me right back to the place that I first had it in a pizza house in Germany, excellent drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2010 01:36:45 | More by beers2danno

EddieTheTrooper

Illinois

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

This reminds me of that movie beerfest when the guys brew the secret recipe and take one sip and start crying. The discussion of wanting to put one's dick in it and vice versa is fully realized after the first sip. Clean, flavorful, malty with traces of banana and vanilla, this beer has it all. The first time I tried this was at Schnitzleplatz in Addison, il. I drank a 2 litre "das boot" of it and every drop went down smooth. Those bavarians know their beer, but what else can be expected from the worlds oldest brewery?

Serving type: on-tap

09-02-2010 07:32:42 | More by EddieTheTrooper

sommersb

Tennessee

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

Tasted On: 09-18-2011
Freshness: Not indicated
Packaging: 500 ml brown bottle
Glassware: Weizen glass
Purchased: Single from Frugal MacDoogal, Nashville

Pours with a mammoth head of 5+ fingers in my weizen glass. The color ranges from a light to dark copper in different parts of the glass (different diameters). The first pour is clear and shows quite a bit of bubbles; a later pour is more cloudy but still relatively clear. The tan head is creamy and lends to great lacing and has a good retention.

Aroma is strong and has the characteristic fruity esters (bananas) and phenols (clove), along with bready malts and wheat grain, vanilla, and sweet dark fruits.

Taste is a malty delight - rich, dark breads and caramel sweetness are front and center, with fruity and banana elements, plus spices such as cinnamon and allspice. Bitterness is low.

Mouthfeel is clean and crisp with a high level of carbonation on a medium body. Finish is malty sweet and fruity, but not too sweet - its just right.

Overall a excellent, world class beer and highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 03:20:57 | More by sommersb

TripelJ

Florida

4.83/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Now Quaffing: Weihenstephaner Dunkel (draught)

When I first saw the tap handle, I thought it must be a dream. Poured a deep, tawny brown with a nice familiar opaqueness. There was a nice, dense off-white head, which receded leaving minimal traces of lacing. Aroma is dominated by sweetness and accompanied by a pleasant yeast smell. Taste is also sweet, with the malts being the dominant one in this complex relationship. There is a light citrus in the flavor and a perfectly placed crispness from the carbonation. The mouthfeel is medium and incredibly smooth. I don't usually drink wheat beers in session, but this one would be the one I would choose. One of the strongest features is that this beer is very smooth and easy to drink which makes it perfect for people testing the waters of better beer. It also has enough character to please the veteran beer advocates.

Serving type: on-tap

05-30-2004 15:27:15 | More by TripelJ

HappyHourHero

Indiana

4.83/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured a huge, dense, light brown head that left puddles of lace as it slowly faded to a film. Hazy cider looking beer with streams of bubbles rising along the edges. Yeasty aroma mixed with doses of lemon zest and banana. Aromas carry over into the flavor with a dash of that zesty lemony wheat flavor on top. Solid yeasty base mixes with bananas and even a bit of cocoa. Soft, light mouthfeel that's almost crisp. I'm a big fan of the refreshing wheat beers (German and Belgian). The cocoa flavors along with increased yeasty flavors combine with traditional Weizen flavors to make this one of my favorite beers overall. The fact that it's 5% and so tasty just makes it all that more amazing.

Serving type: growler

09-29-2005 01:13:42 | More by HappyHourHero

jwc215

New Jersey

4.83/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

500 ml bottle, poured into a Weihenstephan glass:

Pours a beautiful hazed caramel light brown with a thick head that slowly descends to a thick, foamy, lasting sizable head. Some lacing sticks to glass (a bit more and this would be perfect).

The smell is of banana/clove and sweet toffee. Doughy wheat in the back with a fruity/wheaty tang.

The taste is of banana/clove with sweet toffee. Maple syrup sweetness is balanced by a banana fruitiness with a touch of red apple. Some doughy wheat, but subdued, allowing for full complexities to really shine forth. Well-balanced sweetness throughout. Complex, yet light and smooth. Great carbonation level. Flavor linger.

It is appropriately light to medium bodied. Crisp and smooth.

A classic dunkel weizen that is absolutely delicious. This clearly outshines so many others. Unique, yet well within the style. Another great brew from this awesome brewery!

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2007 20:24:10 | More by jwc215

AKBelgianBeast

Alaska

4.83/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a very nice cloudy brown with some slight yellow tints and a lovely foamy white head (pour these slowly!) Nose is all banana and wheat. Taste follows with super banana and cloviness. bubble gummy flavor and radical wheat and yeast flavor. A very light malty caramel note in here. Mouthfeel is nice with ample carbonation and a great smooth feel. Drinkability is second to none (that I have had) and makes me wish I had a case of these for a hot summer day. A near perfect example of the style, the closest to perfect I have found anyway. A goddamn delicious brew, really no other way to say it.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2008 00:41:26 | More by AKBelgianBeast

treque

Mexico

4.83/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Hue between clear and brownish red, of abundant creamy beige head with good retention, visibly opaque, with ongoing carbonation.

Aroma markedly acid, citrus-tinged fruit and a slight hint of caramel.

Taste meets expectations. is pleasing to wheat, and yet stands roasted bitterness is mild, with dry finish and consistent.

One of the best Dunkel weizen I ever had

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2010 22:57:41 | More by treque

dutchlq7

New York

4.83/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance- A cloudy amber/dark orange. Creamy, off white 2 finger head, that leaves a thin layer on surface.

Smell-Strong banana with hints of apple. Can't pick out the other fruit smell in it though, maybe a raisin.

Taste- Banana and apple flavor with a smooth caramel malt flavor too. Just the slightest hint of hops after the finish. Just a really great experience from start to finish.

Mouthfeel-Smooth medium bodied, medium carbonation. So Good

Drinkability-WOW! Awesome!

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2011 23:27:17 | More by dutchlq7

MadCat

New Jersey

4.83/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Very cloudy light brown, pours with a good head that settles at a moderate pace, leaves good lacing

Smell: Toasted malts, wheat, yeast, hints of spice

Taste: Toasted malts, wheat, cloves, nuts, with hints of raisins. Minimal bitterness.

Mouthfeel: medium body, good level of smooth carbonation

Drinkability: Great session beer

Overall, it is clear why this is a top German beer. Good contrast to the hefeweizen. I'm going to be looking for more dunkelweizens, as I find the style very interesting.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2011 00:55:17 | More by MadCat

Vec2267

Florida

4.83/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - brown with an orange twinge, big head, nice lacing

S - vibrant mix of spice (clove), sweet (banana), and sour (yeast)

T - incredibly rich, very malty, banana, clove, raisin, carob

M - medium body, good carbonation

O - an outstanding beer, best of the style I've had

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 23:03:15 | More by Vec2267

momoagogo14

Iowa

4.83/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bottle into hefeweizen glass

Aroma: malty, bready smell with banana and clove notes
Appearance: foggy, mahogany colored, tan head
Taste: Very much like a hefeweizen style with toasty malt flavor, lots of yeast. Clove and banana come through, just like in the nose.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, light carbonation---dry finish
Overall: This is my standard for dunkelweiss styles. It’s the first one I ever tried, I’ve had many since, and nothing tops the Weihenstephaner version. I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that the oldest brewery in the world still makes some of the best beer in the world.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 01:55:03 | More by momoagogo14

goindownsouth

South Carolina

4.8/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Wow...what can I say. Another stellar brew by Brauerei Weihenstephan. This bier pours out of the bottle a deep rich brown, with a legitimate head, that eventually leaves a great lave on the glass. This brew has a great almost sweet, but roasted depth and complexity. I knew I would love it from the very get go, and I was not disappointed. A classic.

Zum wohl!

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2003 02:49:26 | More by goindownsouth

kaseydad

California

4.8/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured into a Pilsner glass with a massive off-white foamy head. Nice murky light brown color.

I smell an aroma of bananas and sweet pineapple. Very appealing.

An amazing taste. So much smoother than I was expecting it to be. It sort of reminds me of a Belgian beer but without the huge fruit splash. Absolutely no harsh aftertaste. Just silky smooth and makes my mouth water for more.

I am really starting to like the German beers and this is an awesome beer to try.

Highly recommended. The Weihenstephan crew definitely know how to do it!

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2009 00:57:50 | More by kaseydad

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.8/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

500ml bottle poured into Aventinus glass jan7 2010

A very cloudy brownish orange with lots of bubbles popping up from everywhere floating up to a two finger tan head that falls fairly quickly and leaves no lace

S lots of banana with some yeast, clove, a little earth and faint milk chocolate very nice

T it's a great thing the taste mimics the smell only it's a little better. for the style this is dead on with the banana bread flavor you can't miss

M light and very refreshing with lots bubbles very well put together

D I could drink many of these beers any time of the year enough said?

this is one of the better beers I've had in recent memory with little doubt. a big thank you adil for this gem, I only wish this was available where I live it would be in my regular rotation all year round. this is a must try for any beer lover and for the style it's awesome, you could spend a lot of time and money searching for a better one and may not find it

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2010 08:44:46 | More by wordemupg

Clydesdale

District of Columbia

4.8/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A: Pours a cloudy, yeasty orange-brown. The ample head has a similar color and a dense, foamy/rocky texture. Retention is strong, with attractive bits of lacing sticking to the glass.

S: A big, fruity, yeasty nose full of banana and apple aromas. Vibrant spicy notes of clove and tangy wheat and yeast. A light herbal hop presence stays mostly in the background. A very slight caramel/brown sugar note as well.

T: Some mild brown sugar up front, with firmer notes of wheat malt. A tangy, fruity yeast presence steals the show here. Banana, golden apples, and perhaps a bit of pear. Moderate notes of clove and dusty spice. A faint herbal hop bitterness fits the style well.

M: Medium-full body. An excellent, creamy mouthfeel with medium-light carbonation. A bit of an inviting dryness into the finish.

D: I'm very impressed with this beer. A delicious, supremely drinkable dunkelweizen that should have near-universal appeal. In many ways, this drinks like a cross between a dubbel and a hefeweizen, and in this case the result is excellent. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2010 02:30:28 | More by Clydesdale

ZAP

Minnesota

4.78/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

An outstanding dunkel...the best I have had thus far......pours a deep orangeish amber....with a nice white head...nose is fresh, sweet apples, banana, and a light caramel note....body is medium...very charged up in the mouth...this is a beer that justs "feels" like a great beer as you drink it....extremely tasty but very, very drinkable.....the taste has a restrained sweetness that is just fantastic....This has to border on Weizen doppelbock land....the taste profile is caramel sweetness...accentuated by soft layered flavors of banana, and cloves.....

This is an awesome beer....maybe the best wheat beer I have ever tried to date..I will seek this out and buy many more...

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2003 04:29:00 | More by ZAP

tonistruth

Nevada

4.78/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A- pours light brown/dark copper color with a big beige head that recedes rather quickly, some lacing on the glass, cloudy, yeast floating.

S- sweet malts, and fruit flavors including (obviously) banana.

T- roasted malts with banana sweetness. Cloves as well. Nothing overpowering, mellow.

M- perfect carbonation, smooth, light bodied, dry finish

D- very mellow relaxing beer. So smooth, so tasty, and so freakin easy to drink. I could seriously dream about this beer. Amazing.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2006 05:05:14 | More by tonistruth

hyland24

New York

4.78/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Poured from a bomber into a weizen glass I acquired with this great sampler. Poured a hazy iced tea brown with mysterious cloudy movement, very intriguing. I get my balls broken for always picking up banana smells in my weiss beers but this one had banana all over it followed by hints of fresh bread. Awesome smell. Loved the smell but was blown away by the taste. Banana sweetness followed by delicious chewy biscuit breadiness and finishing with a very faint malt flavor. Nice chewy thick mouthfeel. Each swallow left behind a delicious tasty coating. A perfectly balanced beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2008 04:01:57 | More by hyland24