Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel - Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan

Scooter77

Ohio

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

Pours a hazy brown/copper color with a huge rocky head. Head retention is great, it lasts until the last drop. The aroma is full of malted goodness mixed with a hint of cocoa and toffee. The taste is an exceptional medley of malt, hops, vanilla, and bananas. This is a great medium bodied beer from the folks at Weihenstephaner.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2003 06:35:21 | More by Scooter77

WMBierguy

Maryland

5/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

My favorite style beer from my favorite brewery. Great flavor, great color.A slightly stronger taste than an average Weiss beer, and the typically rich Wiehenstephaner quality.Anyone who likes Weiss beers would love this beer, and I suggest that they try it as soon as they can get their hands on this semi hard to find beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2003 22:10:20 | More by WMBierguy

cokes

Wisconsin

4.35/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Muddied amber-brown with an ample beige top.
Apple pie, clove, and pepper on the nose.
Taste begins with the chalky yeast joining with the husky wheat flavors. Turns into the apple pie essence as promised by the nose. Loads of pepper, and quantatively smaller hues of clove. Touches of chocolate-coated banana follow to round things out. Lingering impressions of lemon.
Firm, yet soft medium body. And a dunkel drinkability that has not been surpassed in my experience.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2003 13:56:13 | More by cokes

Mitchster

Michigan

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

Clear brew (until the yeast is poured in), medium-amber in color forming a peaking, meringue-like off-white head atop medium-large bubbles with strong carbonation, and very active spiral streamers. The head remains at least 1/2" thick until the bottom of the glass. Lacing is good. Aroma is rich with phenolic bananas and clove, peppery alcohol, and lightly husky amber malts. Mouthfeel is bright, yet remarkably smooth in finish despite the high carbonation, with a light body. Taste starts out with spritzy bananas and wheat malt, some very subtle soft hops, fading into a slight metallic note, and ending in a wet, lightly astringent, lightly grainy amber malt profile with just enough hop bitterness to balance it. Very easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2003 16:28:39 | More by Mitchster

Stubbie1

Connecticut

4.03/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours like most good dunkel weissbier, dark in color with fine beads of carbonation. A towering off white head is at the top of this beer. Aroma is of most beer of this type, cloves, banana, citrus and yeast. Taste is a bit malted but the natural flavors emerge. A bit dry in the finish but very drinkable. A good beer!

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2003 18:18:58 | More by Stubbie1

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.6/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

An impressively foamy, bilious head tops a beer with a dark brown, almost pruney, or figgy hue. Aroma is lively and satisfying: citrus, notes of vanilla, banana, cloves, rich, deep, dark. Reminds me of Belgian abbey dubbels, a favorite. Taste is sharp, dry, with a hasty finish, that leaves you yearning for more. A very sociable beer: not too difficult to drink, and not in the least forgettable. Slight bitterness, medium body, and as for flavor, I feel like it's close to a lighter version of a barleywine, crazy as that sounds.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2003 19:10:15 | More by feloniousmonk

MJR

Missouri

4.9/5  rDev +15%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Pours a beautiful medium chocolate color with edges that are a shade lighter. Cloudy as all hell, with lots of bubbles racing to the top of my glass. It's head starts out massive and shrinks down to a steady 1-inch cap.

Smell: Fairly spicy with suggestions of apple, banana, clove, tart wheat, lemon, and bubblegum.

Taste: Dark wheat beer perfection with a glorious balance of the fruitiness from the banana and apple flavors, the soft spiciness, and the tart freshness from the wheat. All of the flavors intermingle well with each other, without overpowering and taking over control of the palate. This is the blueprint for what a Dunkel Hefeweissbier should taste like. Unmatched...

Mouthfeel: At first, the yeast in the body fools you into thinking it's thicker than it really is. But as it warms in your mouth, it shows it's true colors: a thin-to-medium body with a crisp and tart, yet soft and round mouthfeel that just begs for another sip. Then another...

Drinkability: As high as they come. I could easily drain glass after glass of this nectar in the summer...oh, who am I kidding?! This beer is amazing in any season.

Absolutely world-class. If you're curious what wheat beers are 'really' supposed to taste like, this and it's lighter brother are German Wheat Bier 101. Take a seat, 'cause class is in session!

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2003 20:08:23 | More by MJR

jackndan

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hefie dark: Not really one of my favorite styles, but this remains a very fine beer. It pours a cloudy brown, with a huge head that is as tall as it is smooth. This beer has sort of a lemony aroma. The taste is very nice, a very malty hefe style, with the traditional yeast flavors being muted and very much in the background. A good version of the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2003 16:54:41 | More by jackndan

mikes2923

Illinois

4.9/5  rDev +15%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This brew (along with everything from this brewery) is just another example of what excellent beer is all about. Nice chocolatey-looking color as you would expect from a dark weiss beer and the taste is nothing short of outstanding. Very smooth, not at all harsh or "too strong" even for those not accustomed to this type of beer. Generally, I prefer Hefe-weizens to their darker cousins but this is an outstanding exception as this ranks as one of my all time favorites.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2003 11:01:49 | More by mikes2923

DerKaiser

California

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

This is a quintessential Bavarian weissbier from Weihenstephaner. And as such, it is superb in every respect.

The beer is a dusky brown with a thick, creamy head. The proper clove and phenolic banana smells and flavors are well represented throughout. These are balanced nicely with roasted notes and a crisp carbonation level, which helps dry out the finish.

This is truly a wonderful example of this style and but one of a number of great products from this brewery outside of Freising.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2003 16:48:08 | More by DerKaiser

RBorsato

Virginia

4.97/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Murky light brown with a nice tan head and decent lace but not really active carbonation until swirled. Spicy banana-clove aroma and flavor from the yeast. Restrained caramel flavors in the finish. Light bodied and airy.

A true dark hefeweizen and exactly what you would expect !

[16 oz for $2.59]

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2002 13:13:20 | More by RBorsato

Gusler

Arizona

3.93/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On the pour, a clear deep amber color, impressive head, creamy in consistency, lace in fine sheets to coat the glass. Malt nose, clean, fresh, crisp, the front semi-sweet, top skimpy, the finish has a pleasing carbonation, daintily hopped, droughty aftertaste. The whole Weihenstephaner line of beers are quite quaffable, and well worth the time and effort to sample.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2002 06:21:57 | More by Gusler

mzwolinski

California

4.38/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cloudy and amber in appearance. This beer has a sour, somewhat nutty aroma. Very spicy in the mouth -- cloves and a subtle hint of cinnamon seem present. Smooth, with a full-seeming body. Quite tasty.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2002 16:15:51 | More by mzwolinski

putnam

Michigan

4.6/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Sewage brown with a tall, brash sandstone-colored head that recedes quickly. Strong aromas of banana bread and banana muffins, complete with walnuts, clove and cinnamon. Dry. Some fresh tartness gives the flavors lift and clarity. Creamy, cOOl, velvety richness that plays light as a feather on the tonsils...

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2002 12:11:52 | More by putnam

Thrasher

Oregon

4.35/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Burnt caramel apple color with enormous head. Nice yeasties dumped into the glass making it hazy and tempting. This is a luscious brew, creamy and refreshing in the tradition of the best Bavarian wheats, and roasty and nutty like a good dunkel. Hints of banana, apples, slight medicinal quality in aroma. Quite tangy and sharp on the tongue. I love dunkelweisses but I'd say Weihenstephaner's best brew is the hefe, which is a notch above this, and in the dunkel category overall my nod goes to Ayinger's superior Ur-Weisse. It's good to have choices though. This beer seems a little subdued so I wonder if my palate is off today. Regardless, it's excellent.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2002 14:37:18 | More by Thrasher

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -12%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours with a towering, long lasting head. Medium-dark, hazy brown color. Slightly spicy aroma. Very mild esters and phenols. Soft, smooth, malty sweetness: very subtle beer. Medium body. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2002 17:04:23 | More by Suds

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The color of this beer is a nice blend of scarlet red, amber and orange. A little murky. Nice creamy two finger off-white head tops it off. Aroma seems to indicate a fairly high phenolic content. There are also some spicy, peppery tones present on the nose. The mouthfeel is on the high end of the spectrum in regards to carbonation. Body is medium to full. I get some banana esters on the tongue as well as mild (to my surprise) phenolic content and peppery spice accents. Some slight roasted overatures are noted also. Not bad. Pretty decent dunkel weizen here.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2002 21:16:50 | More by Bighuge

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

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

An excellent dunkel, slight sweetness to it, chocolate and banana flavours, slight bitter finish, a bit of saltyness in there aswell, not as good as their regulare weissbier though, but highly enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2002 15:22:26 | More by rastaman

Bierman9

New Hampshire

3.98/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Following is for a bottle drank at the Brauerei 25SEP03... Same attractive appearance as above. Aroma similar as well, but I found this one with lots of carboated roughness on the tongue. Clove, choco, toffee flavors...still tasty!

overall: 4.05
appearance: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | mouthfeel: 3.5 | drinkability: 4

*** ***

Original review - 17JUL02. This one's a keeper! Had to give it a slow pour else I'd have all head! Did produce a big, creamy mousse-like topping, with decent lace. Was chestnut in color, a touch cloudy to start, more-so after swirling in the yeasties later. Lovely aroma, big-time on the clove, along with some banana, malty sweetness and yeaty spiciness. Really good body, and quite smooth for a Weizen! Enjoyed the flavor greatly. The malt produced a welcome sweetness, with a fantastic combo of clove/spice/fruit notes. The late addition of the yeast did not detract in any way from the experience! My fave DunkelWeizen to date! Thanks, Murph! (4.5/4.5/4.5/4.5/4.5 = 4.50)

272

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2002 04:43:22 | More by Bierman9

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

marc77

California

4.25/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The murky, tawny, effervescent, dark bronze hued brew is topped by a formidably dense and mountainous head that deserves respect. After an eternity, the head settles and allows access to the liquid. Light toasted malt, smooth chocolate notes and mellow banana w/ clean wheat tartness round out the aroma. Banana esters are prominent in flavor while clove is subdued and when combined with the rich, vanilla - like and slightly sweet malt backbone the overall flavor is very enjoyable. Medium in body, w/ a slick, proteinaceous and agreeable mouthfeel typical to good German wheats. Hop bitterness only serves the purpose of preventing overbearing sweetness, but does its job well. Finishes w/ a hint of caramel malt sweetness upfront, followed by grainy tartness and lingering but mellow hop bittermess. This beer exhibits tremendous balance and drinkability. It's among the best Dunkelweizens I've had thus far.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2002 16:30:34 | More by marc77

inebrius

Michigan

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

Ummm, dunkel. A caramel brandy sauce covered apple baked in cinnamon and clove with fried plantains sits on your fork. As you place a tasty morsel in your slavering mouth some mutant hop freak gives you a bitter slap to quell the sweetness. Weihenstephaner sets the standard for Bavarian wheat beer brewers. All the characteristics of their awesome hefe with an addition of sweet malts. Seems on the verge of weizenbock the flavors are so powerful in this brew. A must try for all hefe lovers!

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2002 23:48:10 | More by inebrius

Jason

Massachusetts

4.75/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 12 oz sleek euro brown bottle with the boasting words “Oldest Brewery in the World” on the label, freshness date is on the back label.

Appearance: Deep tarnish copper with a red hue, some haze from the addition of the yeast into the glass. After a proper pouring a thick meringue like head forms and stay for the duration.

Smell: Malty nose, light brown malt or toasted. Suggestions of green apple, yeast and pie spice also in the aroma.

Taste: Moderate body that is well structured and able to hold the soft malty palate, very crisp carbonation that is at a perfect level. As soon as the carbonation hits there is a spicy snap of clove and a twang from the fermented wheat. Nice even malt flavour with a bit of toasted and dry malt character. Neutral though a bit nutty yeast on the tongue. Minimal bitterness from the hops, barely noticeable. Vague fruitiness of over dried raisins and plantains though esters are controlled. All in all the finish is quite clean and is comparatively a dry beer.

Notes: By far one of the greatest dark wheat beers available in the US market to date, very soft on the palate … no harshness at all. Malt flavour is near perfection with all the other flavours kept as a backdrop to let the malt be dominant.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2002 10:33:52 | More by Jason

mattmaples

Oregon

4.6/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

So far this is my favorite Dunkel Weiss. Slight friuty ester, didn't get too much phenols. Nice wheat sourness without being over done. All and all very tasty.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2001 21:35:41 | More by mattmaples