Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel - Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan

Fatehunter

Oregon

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

Poured into a tall hefe glass. Cloudy, copper color with three! fingers of head.
Smells like ripe banana and wet hay... in the best way.
Tastes like banana too. Smooth bitter taste, some malty sweetness to it.
Low carbonation. Medium and sticky body.
A great dunkelweizen.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 19:22:05 | More by Fatehunter

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-hazy brown amber color with a generous off-white head a decent lacing

S-malt, bananas, caramel, raisins

T-wheat malt, dark fruit, bananas,caramel, nice crisp bitter finish

F-medium body with nice fine carbonation, crisp

O-a delicious hefe, more caramel flavor in the dark

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 22:02:07 | More by MDDMD

Cavanaghty

Maine

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

Poured from a bottle into a sample glass.

Appearance: Cloudy light brown color with a beige head.

Smell: Stronger on the cloves, carmels, and banana than a regular hefenweizen.

Mouthfeel/Taste: Smooth medium bodied and maybe a little thicker than I expected. Taste was just as it smelled; cloves, banana, carmel, malts and maybe some grassy and citrus notes too.

Overall: Not a huse fan of this beer personally, just wasn't my style. Glad i tried it though.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 22:40:21 | More by Cavanaghty

haddon

Kentucky

3.88/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The pour is a light brown color with a massive khaki colored head that sticks around forever. I've poured two of these into a tulip and the head is almost foamy to a fault.

The nose is distinctly German but IMO, much better than a lighter hefe... notes of clove, yeast, caramel, bananas & bread.

sweet from the beginning: banana bread, raisins and plums. On the finish is caramel and toffee with a hint of yeast.

The body is medium which is pretty thick for a hefe. plenty of carbonation on the tongue.

Hefeweissbier is hardly my favorite style but I do enjoy a good dunkel and this is a solid standard if you want to try a good German dunkel.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2012 17:21:02 | More by haddon

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.6/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Review from 1/2010 notes. Poured into a Celebrator pokal. Pours a murky medium copper color, thick off white head with great retention and lacing. Pleasant banana, clove, caramel and wheat aroma. What a pleasant beer! Nice floral, almost Belgian spicy taste with a dry, slightly hopped and floral aftertaste. A medium pleasant malt in the middle. Refreshing and clean. A delightful beer. This is one of the worlds greatest breweries.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 23:16:46 | More by LiquidAmber

acevenom

Louisiana

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

Pours hazy dark reddish-brown with a large, off-white head that dissipates quickly, but about a two finger length of head is retained before consumption. Plenty of tiny bubbles can be seen rising from the bottom of the glass. Some lacing is left on the side of the glass during consumption. There are strong notes of banana and clove in the nose. There is plenty of wheat malt in the aroma as well. There is mild sweetness and breadiness from the malt and the yeast expression comes through very well with the banana flavor and spiciness. The body is medium with abundant carbonation. The finish is smooth and dry. The drinkability is very high. This is an excellent and refreshing beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 18:10:22 | More by acevenom

yamar68

Minnesota

4.48/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cracked a 500ml bottle that I had to leave in the sink for a good five minutes to settle down.

Pours a nice murky nut brown with a swelling off-white head that retains rather well. Good lacing.

Tons of soft banana and clove on the nose - breakfast cereal. Maybe some nutmeg or cinnamon or something? Very smooth, very balanced in most every way.

Again - tastes like a bowl of honey nut Cheerios. Great stuff. Honey, wheat, clove, nuts... tasty.

Dangerously drinkable and very highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 02:40:52 | More by yamar68

Hopdaemon39

Massachusetts

4.53/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a .5 liter bottle into a pilsener- pours a slightly haze brown/ruby color with two fingers of smooth white head. Decent retention, no lacing.

Smell is pretty grainy in a very pleasant way- round, dark wheat notes and a little bit of yeast.

Taste is great- not an overwhelming wheat taste but full. Perhaps a little bit of plum, but definitely some yeast mid palate. Finishes sweet but not too much so.

Mouthfeel is great- medium light body with full carbonation; this is a great refreshing and full-flavored beer. At 2.99 a pop, it's a good buy.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2012 00:52:16 | More by Hopdaemon39

mick303

Ontario (Canada)

4.53/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a solid head of off-white foam, leaving a good film and lacing. Colour is a dark almond brown, dark honey hue, it has a moderate haze and an appealing hue.

Nose is quite yeasty upfront. Also strong toasted clove and banana aromas. Strong banana and 'mature' toasted wheat character. Smell is perhaps more toasted and malty than I would have expected but it has an intriguing balance and complexity.

On the palate this develops a strong malty then ripe banana flavour before notes of cinnamon spice, toasted oak, vanilla come through. There is some bitterness toward the middle-end and the finish is creamy, with a bit of leather.

Mouthfeel is oh-so-smooth. The body is quite medium-fullish with a solid and creamy texture, the toastiness of the wheat is perfect. It is slightly dry while retaining creaminess.

This is basically firing on all cylinders, and hard to find fault for what it is. I was quite impressed by the simultaneous drinkability and complexity. Great beer, with robust flavour, excellent balance, great style.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 01:25:25 | More by mick303

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

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

slitherySOB

Ontario (Canada)

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

Pours an amber brown colour with a big, billowy white head with plenty of retention. Lace sticks to the glass. A little bit of yeast floats in the glass. Aroma of cloves, bananas, sweet bready malts. Tastes just like it smells. Reminds me of spiced banana bread. Mouthfeel is light, smooth and creamy. An excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 23:16:14 | More by slitherySOB

sethmeister

New Hampshire

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

Cloudy brown body with a thick, slightly creamy off-white head showing remarkable longevity and terminating

Scent is strong banana and cloves. Spiced banana bread.

Taste follows the nose. Banana bread. Cloves and nutmeg. Sweet honey molasses. Soft bready malt notes. Slight dark fruit notes - figs. Even a hint of roasted and nutty flavors. A touch of herbal hop flavor and bitterness.

Mouth is creamy and soft.

An ideal dunkel.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 22:34:32 | More by sethmeister

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

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

Pours a hazy brownish orange colour, two fingers of white head, quite a bit of lace. Smell is of sweet malt with some banana and bubblegum, lots of yeasty qualities, clove and other spice there as well, almost a little 'christmas' like at times, also light cocoa/chocolate points. Taste is of darker sweet malts, dark bread like, bits of banana and slightly yeasty, a cocoa like sweetness, quite spicy, clove and pepper as well, the finish had a bit of warm spice thats kind of cinnamon like, spicy aftertaste. Medium and fairly active carbonation, medium body and a touch creamy. Very nice stuff here, very drinkable and something I will pick up as frequent as possible, spectacular on a nice warm day.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2012 15:11:10 | More by peensteen

Grohnke

Illinois

4.7/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

( BA / BJCP)

Large, moussy, condensed, long-lasting off-white head just lasts and lasts. Light lacing as it falls slowly. Deep copper with some beautiful yellow/gold and dark amber hues on the edges. Slight haze. Really a beautiful beer. ( 5 / 3 )

Strong banana and clove up front, that seem to be in perfect harmony. Medium-low grainy sweet wheat/malt, light crust. Very light noble hop. ( 4.5 / 11)

Bright banana and cove, again in perfect marriage. Grainy sweetness, with some underlying toasty/crusty malt flavor. Low hop bitterness, which carries the malt well to a dry finish. No hop flavor. Balance is yeast/malt heavy. Aftertaste is a light banana with some lingering sweetness. Mild tartness. (5 / 19)

Medium-light body with high carbonation. Very creamy in character. The tartness (if i am correct) can be perceived as astringency, but I do not believe that is the case. However, there is this "pulling" sensation. (4 / 4)

Wow! How has it taken me this long to drink the many wonderful beers of Weihenstephaner? This beer is complex, flavorful, and refreshing. Weigenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel defines balance and the style. ( 4.5 / 9)

(4.7 / 46)

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2012 17:17:38 | More by Grohnke

soulfly1492

Pennsylvania

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

Aroma: Bold savory aroma. Lots of wheat, some yeasty phenols, mostly clove and some black pepper. Malt is smooth and clean, mildly sweet and bitter Munich malt.

Appearance: Light brown. Head is tall and light brown. Very hazy, although no individual particles can be seen. Yeast stuck to the bottom of the bottle.

Taste: Sweet Munich malt and lots of yeasty character, lots of clove (smooth though) and pepper. Very mild hop character, floral if anything. Mild to moderate wheat flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium body. Moderate carbonation although smooth without any bite. Silky smooth. Finishes moderately dry.

Overall: Near perfect balance. Hard to ark for any improvement here. Maybe slightly more malt character to make this a perfect 5.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 00:22:17 | More by soulfly1492

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

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

reviewed from notes taken 6/21/12.

500ml bottle poured into weizen glass.

Appearance: a medium brown bodied beer thats just a touch darker in color than a copper. Huge off white to tan head. Lots of lacing clings to the glass as the head slowely drops, but never goes away.

Smell: Sweet smelling bready and yeasty notes, bananas, and just hint of clove. Maybe a little caramel or nuttiness.

Taste: Bananas, biscuity malts and whole grain wheat bread. Hint cloves and nuttiness.It tastes good, but I am not sure if the flavors all work together in harmony.

Mouthfeel: light to medium bodied beer with carbonation that is on the high end of moderate. This beer is really drinkable.

Overall: I really love the kristalwiezen better, but this beer is no slouch either. Over 400 reviews and I havent drank very many german beers!?! YET... What was my problem. Really liking the beers that this brewery makes. It was a bit of an eye opener for me. Will be trying alot more of beers from this brewery! Affordable at $5 price point for 500ml and its an easy beer to find!

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 01:57:28 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

Arno

4.1/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had a bit of a Weisenstephaner session, with the Vitus as the clear winner. This one confused me a bit though. Never had a "Dunkel" (dark) white bear before, so can't compare it to others.

Update: Don't drink this one after a regular (Wiehenstephaner) white bear, because then it really tastes odd.

appearance: Bit of a cloudy dirty brown/copper/amber looking color with a big and full creamy looking foam head. Looks a bit weird.

smell: Banana bread, yeast, wheat and malts. Bit of a brown sugar / caramel malt scent. And some spices i can't really define.

taste: There's the expected banana bread, wheat, yeast flavor of a Hefeweiss, but combined with clove, caramel, brown sugar and some spiced malts. It makes it a little odd flavor combo but surprisingly works really well. It's all very light in flavor, making this very easy and refreshing to drink. And a nice variation to a regular Hefeweizen.

mouthfeel: Quite light and thin feel for a weiss beer. Medium carbonation. Quite refreshing.

overall: I didn't really like it at first. But i drank a regular Hefeweis, followed by this one. And then it really is kind of weird. Later i tried it just as a starter, and the more i drink it, the better it seems to get. It's got more depth to it than i thought at the beginning. Very nice refreshing beer with different flavors each time you drink it.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 11:26:00 | More by Arno

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

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

Picked this up at Liquor Outlet Wine Cellars in Boonton not long ago, along with a few other Weihenstephan offerings. I like my Dark Hefe's and this was about as good as it got. Although it was a bit more watery and less full than I envisioned, this was an amazingly smooth and easygoing beer, that should be pleasing to all!

This may have been the only beer I've ever had that overflowed as soon as I opened it. The head was quite voluminous and even when I poured it out, I had to let it settle for quite a while before I head a decent amount of liquid in my glass. The nose was that of wheat and banana and it was only when I tasted it that a slight sugar and caramel undertone could be felt. This reminded me of a Weizenbock because of the dark hue and mouthfeel, but there weren't any fruit flavors here. Just a bit of sourness in the back and a bit too much of a watery taste. Surprisingly, there was not a lot of lacing to be seen as I worked my way through my session.

I bought the big bottle of this and could have easily had another, since the alcohol was nearly undetectable. This was nicely balanced because of the dark malt and readily enjoyable. Anyone looking for a textbook example of this style need not look any further. This is about as good as it gets!

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2012 11:58:07 | More by JerzDevl2000

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

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

500ml bottle poured into a 22.3 weizen glass.

A - As expected, pours with a monster head of light tan foam, above a murky body of dark honey brown brew. Nice head retention but no real lacing, just some spotty suds sliding down the glass after each sip.

S - Smells delicious! Big bready malt, hefe yeast, banana, coriander, clove, brown sugar, wheat and rich caramel malt. Fits the style to perfection and is extremely inviting. Mild floral esters, light spice, and green apple appear as it sits.

T - Follows the nose beautifully. Lots of rich, bready malt, yeast, and wheat, making for an excellent base for the sweet brown sugar and fruits to show. Finishes yeasty with a bit of spice. A fantastic mixture of fruits from start to finish, with banana, green apple, peaches, apricots, and a touch of plum. So drinkable and crafted perfectly.

M - Big, smooth, and bubbly carbonation with a medium body, just adding to the delicious flavors. This stuff just floats through your mouth. Almost foamy even, but in a good way. The spice and yeast give the finish a pleasant dryness.

D - A true benchmark for the style, much like Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier is to the traditional Hefeweizen. A damn tasty beer that goes down so smooth; every beer in the style should be compared to this.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2012 01:35:21 | More by Converge

BlurryVisi0n

New York

4.63/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a weizen glass.

Appearance: Cloudy amber brown , still clear but hazy at the same time. Head is off-white with a slight orange tint to it rising to maybe a full inch.

Smell: Rich banana peel and complex yeast.

Taste: Like the smell, it is rich, malts light sweet yeast you feel its banana aroma in your mouth (for real).

Mouth: St5icky after taste not to mention smooth texture combined with it's medium carbonation.

Overall: Weihenstephaner might not make the "strongest" beer but drinking quite a few of their brews you don't need to be strong to be the best. This dunkel is almost borderline perfect, just by the first taste you will know one glass isn't enough...Salud!

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 02:29:40 | More by BlurryVisi0n

augustgarage

California

4.4/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 500mL bottle into my Ayinger weissbier glass.

Cloudy chocolate body glows with fulvouls and earth yellow highlights. A massive lasting fist of buff/beige foam threatens to climb out of the glass before finally receding to two creamy hilly fingers. Dark brown specks of yeast crown the head. Thick chunky lacing and superior retention.

Deep bready aromatics with light esters and gentle clove notes fill the nose. Subtle.

Crisp wheat-filled palate entry with a pleasing lactic tartness offsetting the darker barley notes and the phenols from the yeast. Chocolate, white pepper, cherry pits, and rye are suggested. Hops contribute a mild but lasting bitterness which cuts through the esters and dries out the finish. Very nuanced and well balanced.

Soft pillowy mouthfeel but with a certain crispness throughout.

It is a little humbling to critique a beer produced by a brewery that has been around longer than my entire family line. Weihenstephan has once again gone for balance over potency, restraining the banana/bubble-gum/clove notes you might expect to find in abundance; not to say this lacks flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2012 03:45:14 | More by augustgarage

rfbenavi80

Missouri

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

Bottle poured into a Weizen glass. Date coded 1911 on back of bottle. An aggressive pour.

A- Pours a nice medium amber color, with tons of thick and creamy looking light tan head. Slightly cloudy. Looks very refreshing.

S- Nice ripe bananas, some bready yeast, and plenty of malt.

T- Very complex taste, an array of rich spices mixed with a nice, not overwhelming banana taste. Plenty of malt flavor coming through. The wheat tatse makes it very drinkable.

M- Feels light bodied. Not overly carbonated.

O- Another easy drinker from Weihenstephaner, the more I try from this brewery the more I appreciate German Beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 02:59:18 | More by rfbenavi80

MattSweatshirt

Texas

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

Poured a two finger off white/light brown head and the body is a golden copper. Even though it is cloudy and somewhat dark you can still see the ample carbonation Weihenstephaner has with their wheat beers.
Big malt character is present in the nose. The usual banana and clove suspects but with some apple as well.
The spice notes play a big part in the taste. The prominent malt characteristic in the nose is present in the taste as well. The fruitiness is not as prevelant in this one as in the regular hefe.
Smooth and kinda light – medium bodied with enough carbonation to keep it interesting as you drink. Slightly drying.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 06:36:24 | More by MattSweatshirt

draheim

Washington

4.08/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

500mL (code 1191) into a weizen glass. Lots of carbonation evident as the foam pushes its way out of the bottle as soon as I pop the cap.

Pours a slightly hazy brownish amber w/ a thick dense beige head, vigorous carb.

Aroma is dark malts, ripe bananas, spices, and something that reminds me of V-8.

Taste is soft mellow fruity malt and clean crisp water. A nice bready softness from the yeast.

Mouthfeel is smooth, medium-bodied, clean.

Overall another reference-quality beer from Weihenstephaner.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 23:25:49 | More by draheim