Summit Dunkel Weizen - Summit Brewing Company

maximum12

Minnesota

3.28/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Well, this is only my second dunkelweizen ever, so I my expectations are stripped down to their g-strings. Excepting, of course, that the Unchained series has been very good for the most part. But enough of that. 12 oz. bottle.

Pour gives vigorous head, so much that I have to pause in the middle to give it a rest. Occluded amber with brown thrown in. Smell is strong cloves, bananas, old Topps bubblegum (before they stopped putting it in baseball card packs because, y'know, it might ruin the value of a card). Wheat is faint. Nice.

Unchained #9 Dunkelweizen isn't quite what I saw advertised on the board. Wheat is much more prominent in the mouth, & interacts oddly with the sugar-drenched bananas. Lots of clove-spice in the middle, devolving into yeasty esters on the finish. Snapping bubblegum permeates the entire org structure of the brew.

Very strange beer; given my youthful inexperience with the style, not sure if this is indicative or an outlier, but the tastes & whatnot just don't meld all that well for me. Still a pretty good beer, but leaves me puzzled.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 02:00:13 | More by maximum12

msubulldog25

Oregon

3.83/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Review from notes; picked up a 12 oz bottle on a late August visit to Iowa (bought at John's in IC), consumed mid-October. Dated 08/16/12. Poured to a pint glass back home in Oregon.

"Unchained Series - Batch 09"

A: Deep copper-orange coloring, moderate carbonation. Loud, fizzing head, (almond colored and soda-like), building to about a finger, dissipating rather quickly. Slim lace bands linger before fading. A little hazy, as it should be.

S: I originally gave a 3.5 (before the new .25 point grading), but adjusted today; it was a category I recall wavering on... Good bready/fruity aroma - apple, raisin clove and roasted nuttiness.

T: Mild 'banana' flavor, MUCH stronger 'clove' spicing. Not to say it's over-bearing or imbalanced - it is neither - but earthy/dry clove plays a part in initial tastes and beyond (see Mouthfeel).

M: VERY fizzy carbonation in the mouth, bordering on too much. Light-medium body, but a trailing clove/spice zing adds a nice finish.

O: Pretty likeable dunkel, at the end of the day. Have only had one other chance to try ANYthing from Summit (that on a layover at MSP several years ago), so it was nice to get a seasonal/limited sipper like this. Authentic to the Germanic standards, solid all-around. Would I have this again? Absolutely.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2013 00:34:25 | More by msubulldog25

morimech

Minnesota

3.35/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a cloudy, light brown color with a massive four finger head that had excellant retention. Sheats of lacing is left down the glass.

Does not really smell different from Summit's Hefeweizen. Yeast dominating with banana esters. Some wheat malt but missing anything dunkel.

In a blind tasting (literally), I would have a hard time telling this apart from their hefeweizen. So if you are not a fan of that beer, you will not like this beer. They must of used the same yeast as the same flavor dominates. Has some good wheat flavor but cannot really pick out any of the darker qualities.

This seems undercarbonated. For something that was a lively pour, I expected more pop in the palate.

Not the most successful beer of the Unchained Series. Maybe if I had not drunk so much of their hefeweizen over the years, this would of seemed more special.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2012 19:30:58 | More by morimech

garymuchow

Minnesota

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

Served on tap at The Old Mill.
Lighter in color than many for style - more of a cloudy dark golden than a full on brown. Initial fluffy head that settles out a little quick.
Nice fresh and refreshing aroma - banana, clove and the barley malt hanging around.
Refreshing rather clean taste. Similar to aroma, but also holding a slight tartness. A little soft on the barley grain flavors, but clearly still hitting style.
Soft fullness in carbonation. Clean finish.
Nice beer. Would be good anytime and especially with warm weather coming.

Serving type: on-tap

04-28-2012 00:21:12 | More by garymuchow

budgood1

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

pours out a turbid burnt sienna colour with a large frothy light tan head. ample lacing as per the style. looks great! banana esters upon first whif followed by a healthy dose of clove, caramel and cocoa. not overly spicy, but about just right. the taste provides more fruitiness than i was expecting...bananas and a lemon twist upon first impression. a slight alcohol spice intertwines with some clove and wheat notes. a nice hop layer also contibutes to the fun and contributes a slight bitterness. the addition of the healthy amount of dregs adds a definite yeasty aspect that seems to smooth out the overall profile quite a bit. unchained #9 has a relatively sturdy body with a creamy, smoothed out mouthfeel. pretty nice. drinkability is very good.

overall a winner IMHO. it sort of blurs the line between dunkel and weizenbock, but clearly lies in the former category. this offering is a respectable and unique rendition of a lesser known style. definitely recommended for consumption as a change up in the weizen drinking season.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2012 01:18:40 | More by budgood1

jera1350

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours out viscous looking. The color is a hazy orange hued brown and the head is of dense sticky foam. Some nice sticky lacing also.

Lots of overripe banana in the nose to go along with some clove and caramel roll smell.

The taste consists of caramel with banana bread and clove with a lighter smoked malt presence on the back end. Some warm alcohol peeks its head out at the very end with a touch of bitterness. Very pleasant taste with a mild complexity to it.

As it warms a bit, the carbonation becomes quite creamy. Light-medium body here with a lightly sticky finish.

I am really glad Summit did this. It's a different style than what 99.9% of breweries in the U.S. are willing to do and this shows how good this style can be when done correctly. Makes a really nice transitional beer from winter to spring.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 01:21:42 | More by jera1350

hardy008

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Cloudy burnt orange color with a 3 finger off white head with very good retention and lacing. The aroma has bananas, bread malt, and cloves. Smells like it should be a sweet beer.

The taste is sweet, but not overly sweet, with bananas, bread malt, cloves, yeast, and a small amount of lemon. Taste every bit like a Dunkelweizen should taste.

Light bodied with soft carbonation. Has a lightly sweet aftertaste. Very refreshing, and easy to drink. Nicely made.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 01:05:57 | More by hardy008

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Red with orange highlights. Head is thin but lasts well. Fairly hazy.
S- The smell is very heavy on the banana. There are some dark malts and a hint of clove, but those are pretty reserved compared to the banana. Still, very good aromas.
T- The taste is more balanced. A fair bit of spice up front. Some fruity, bananaesque sweetness round it out. There is just the slightest hint of smokyness in the finish.
M- Body is about standard for the style. I actually found it a bit overcarbed, a bit abrasive at times.
O- The dunkelweizen is a style that I think is way underrated by American breweries. I enjoy a good dunkel. This is a sound example that has all the requisites that needs just a touch more balancing and bit less aggressive carbonation to being a great example.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 01:23:58 | More by jsprain1

jjanega08

Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Batch Number 09... No other freshness dating.

A= Pours a nice hazy brownish dunkel like color the head is a bit small for a dunkel rising only a half finger and falling to a thin skin on top of the glass with some spotty lacing.

S= The smell is a lot of sweet bready malt. The bananas I usually associate with the dunkel is missing but there is a definite yeastyness to it that covers all of the sweet grainy buiscuity malt.

T= The taste is much more of what I think of when I think dunkel. A nice sweet bready malt character is prevelent in it but the yeast is able to take the main role. There is a great wheat character to the beer and the yeast brings together a bit of that banana character I am familiar with. A nice spicy yeast character maybe cloves or some other spice comes through that is unique to a dunkel.

M= Nicely carbonated and a great body to it.

O= At first I was skeptical but the flavor is there with this one. A solid offer that I hope to be able to enjoy for a while. They did the style justice on this one. While not the most outlandish dunkel it is a good one that is worth trying again and again.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 03:41:06 | More by jjanega08

bsp77

Minnesota

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

Unchained #9: With White Wheat, Cara Wheat, Malts (Vienna, Munich, others), Tettnanger Hops, and Bavarian Weizen yeast.

Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Weizen glass.

Appearance: Dark, cloudy orange with billowing creamy head and great lacing.

Smell: Sweet banana bread with notes of caramel and chocolate. Very minor touches of clove and Tettnanger hops.

Taste: Very malty and not as sweet as the aroma, with chocolate, caramel and banana. Ends suddenly with light clove and spicy hop notes.

Feel: Creamy (but thin) body with moderate carbonation. The sudden drier finish is slightly odd.

Overall: Very solid example of the style, with nice appearance, aroma and taste. The mouthfeel is the only minor issue I have.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 23:13:19 | More by bsp77

Mdog

Minnesota

4.38/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Brown, good head.

Smell: Wheaty, yeasty, mild banana.

Taste: Nice sweetness, banana, yeasty. Weizenbock-lite.

Overall: I really like this beer! I like weizenbocks, especially the ones that are banana-centric, and this one combines those flavors into a less-alcohol-potent beverage. I'm going to have to pick up more of this one before it disappears, probably my favorite so far of the Summit unchained series.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2012 19:28:28 | More by Mdog

soju6

Missouri

3.85/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a hazy reddish-brown color with a decent head that fades to some lacing.

S: Aroma of bananas, some roasted malt, bit of toffee sweetness and just a bit of spice.

T: Taste of roasted malt, chocolate, some toffee with a mild sweetness. There is an easy bitterness in the background with a clean finish.

F: Medium body, quite smooth and well balanced.

O: Very enjoyable drinker. Nice take on the style. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 19:38:25 | More by soju6

MattyG85

Minnesota

4.43/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a dark and very hazy brown with a tint of orange and peach. Lots of rising bubbles and a huge five fingers of off white head with good retention. Lots of lacing clinging to the glass.

Smell: Big wheat aroma with some lightly roasted malts. Big smell of banana esters and clove spice. Also lots of yeast and bready biscuit. Light hints of chocolate from the dark malts but the yeast and banana stands out the most. Fruits are very vibrant. A very solid smell.

Taste: Big taste of banana esters throughout with wheat and bready biscuity malts. Good notes of caramel, toffee, and clove spices. Subtle hints of chocolate underneath the fruit. Light hints of earthy hops towards the finish provide a little bitterness. Pretty good taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation. Very creamy and smooth. Somewhat sweet but has a drying finish.

Overall: A very solid take on the style. The Unchained series does it again. Very nice ester and biscuit flavors. A good easy drinking warm weather beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 05:08:24 | More by MattyG85

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.4/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from Beertopia in Omaha, NE
No bottled on date, but "1353 73W042" stamped on bottom
Poured into a Weihenstephaner weizen glass

Summit's unchained dunkelweiss is a version of the style that plays up the roasted characters of the style a bit, bringing out some char and chocolate in the normal dunkelweiss mix. Unfortunately, the beer is a bit weak in its olfactory and gustatory presentation, hinting at flavors more than asserting with them. The one flavor that is overly expressed, I felt, was the roasted malt, which ventured into slightly burnt malt territory (and believe me, I've burnt malt before), and comes across as less than desirable. Overall, a fairly average to slightly above average version of the style.

Pours a very tall, tan head, as expected, made up of small and medium-sized bubbles. Retention is only about average, this declines fairly quickly and only leaves minimal lacing on the sides of the glass. Head eventually settles to a thin (0.2cm) cap atop the body. Body of beer is a deep, fairly dark, orange-brown color, with light bringing out the orange around the edges of a brown center. Beer is opaque from swirled-in sediment, but I can see some carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass.

Aroma is fairly faint overall, yielding a bit of old banana, yeast, and a bit of toasted malt; you really have to dig to find some of these, though. Not as bold or bountiful as its German counterparts, pretty average.

Tasting opens with some mild roasted flavors and mild sweetness a bit like apple cider. Mid-palate brings in more roasted malt, overripe bananas, some bread dough, and a bit of light apple juice sweetness. The roasted malt sticks out a bit more than expected, more than usual in a dunkelweizen, actually coming across as slightly burnt. This is just at the border of unacceptable, but as it does not cross that line, I actually find it somewhat different and enjoyable. Back of palate picks up continued cider-like sweetness, bread-like flavors, and a hint of chocolate. Lingering aftertaste of slightly burnt malt, ripe banana, and some yeast. Generally good, but the burnt flavors aren't particularly to my liking and become off-putting after a while. Also, feel that the flavors could be bolder, like the scent.

Beer's body is medium-light in weight, with carbonation that's a bit below medium for this beer. The result is a fairly light beer that sits around a bit too long on the palate. Finish is dry with a slight residual stickiness on the lips.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 20:19:36 | More by falloutsnow

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz into tulip. no bottled on date.

A: a hazed, but very bright, light brown/almost orange hue. head is brownish and white. retention is terrible as it disappears quickly.

S: a little bit of a vinous, corky aroma. banana. ground ginger. the vinous scent is a little off-putting.

T: pretty classic dunkel flavors to start. caramel, sweet fruits, a little bit of clove. a little cheesy? a lingering caramel flavor lasts long into the finish. along with a mild fruitiness.

M: ample carbonation on a medium body.

D: not bad, just not too impressed either. not sure if this was sitting for too long or just not great. maybe better closer to the source....

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2012 00:28:30 | More by Jimmys

BedetheVenerable

Missouri

3.43/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Presentation: 12oz brown pop top with cool minimalist 'Unchained' label; best-by 8-16-12. Picked this up in KC...was looking all around mid-Mo for a dunkelweizen other than the 500 ml bottles of Weihenstephaner which are often out of code, and love Summit. KC gets Summit even though the rest of the state doesn't. Booyah!

Appearance: Murky sienna beer, capped with a dark eggshell colored crown with decent retention.

Smell: Mostly estery banana, with some doughy notes in the background, a ghostly whisper of alchol, and a hint of sweet graininess. As this warms, hints of clove and sweet toffee emerge, so I'm bumping this up from what I gave it originally. Pleasant overall, if not tons of depth.

Taste: Banana jumps out front from the get-go, which I don't really mind for the style. The only problem is (and it pains me to say this, as I was really wanting to love this beer) that there's not much behind it. There's very minimal bready malts, and a sort of odd light astringency here as well. Perhaps some dark fruit flavors as well, but they're mild (although nice). Overall, not a ton going on.

Mouthfeel: Fairly light, esp. for teh 6%, but it has that nice hefeweizen drinkability.

Overall: Like I said, I wanted to love this beer, but I just can't. It'd be great for gulping down with German food outside at a hot July picnic, but I probably wouldn't buy it again to drink on its own. Summit makes some really tasty beers, and their Unchained series has produced some awesome stuff, but this one's fairly average.

At around $8-9 a sixer, I'd have to give this a B-.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 03:24:10 | More by BedetheVenerable

barczar

Kentucky

3.78/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a murky brown with a solid inch and a half light khaki head that slowly dissipates, leaving sheets of lacing.

Orange, wheat, coriander, caramelly sweet, bready, toasted malt and banana esters form the aroma.

There's a toasted barley character throughout the flavor profile, with notes of chocolate and nuttiness. Tangy orange, wheat, banana, and coriander lurk beneath. The finish it's slightly dry and fairly toasty.

Body is creamy and on the full side, with carbonation lightening things up a bit.

Overall, a great example of the style. Malt and hefe yeast esters blend well. Not enough toasted and roasted flavors to dominate, but they add complexity to the banana, wheat, and orange flavors.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 23:37:35 | More by barczar

BeardedBoffin

Minnesota

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The latest in Summit's Unchained Series is a Dunkel Weizen. It pours a cloudy copper-amber color with a cap of really thick sticky foam. Banana and pear mix with in the aroma with a dash of spice. The wheat adds character and texture to the body. The flavors are a bit sweet with some hints of caramel. This is solid drinkable brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 00:09:48 | More by BeardedBoffin

dbossman

Nebraska

3.95/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Cloudy, iced-tea colored beer with an incredibly large, foamy head; lacing is okay

S: Banana and cloves are prominent up front, of course, but so is a heavy bready, biscuity base; this smells like freshly baked, lightly spiced banana bread; mmm

T: Of course the bananas and cloves are at the forefront but so are the biscuity, toasty malts; some other spices--nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper--play off those toasty malts quite well

F: A touch thin and yet creamy but fairly typical for the style--perhaps a touch under-carbonated

O: An easy drinking beer; I love dunkel weizens and this one does the trick

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 02:07:12 | More by dbossman

Strix

Wisconsin

4.13/5  rDev +9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Cloudy caramel color, decent initial head, doesn't last or lace though.

Malt, clove, and banana present in the nose.

Caramel, clove, banana, wheat, bubblegum, malt. Nice blend of flavors.

Mouthfeel a little thin perhaps.

I think this is my favorite of the unchained I've had so far.

Serving type: on-tap

04-19-2012 23:51:33 | More by Strix

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.8/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle says best by 08/16/12 - no problem there. I've been enjoying Summit's one-off series, looking forward to trying this latest one. Poured into my new curvy Surly pint glass (I'm short on weizen glasses).

Pours a hazy medium amber brown. One finger of cream-colored head, decent retention. Slippery lacing needs suspenders.

Smells like a malty hefeweizen. Loads of banana yeast, some rich sweet malts. Spice is there but light, at least in the nose. A bit of chewy bread. I like it, but I want more complexity.

Taste has less banana and more other stuff. More spice (hello, cloves), and more hops than I'd expected, bringing a medium bitterness. Once again, I like it, but I want more depth. And for this style, I want it to be a little less persistently bitter.

Mouthfeel is very nice. Medium-bodied, tingly, and moderately dry. Most of it dries off the tongue, but a bit of the flavor lingers on.

A tasty beer. Nothing about it bowled me over, but I could drink a whole lot of these. And it's a perfect Minnesota spring beer, with those hefeweizen characteristics teasing me about summer, but the darkness and malts I want from my winter brews.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2012 02:10:24 | More by zeledonia

JackieTH

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Hazy orange-brown with a half-inch of khaki foam that recedes slowly and leaves fits of lace. Smell is ripe bananas, cloves and biscuits. Taste follows the nose, ripe bananas, cloves, allspice, hit of fruity flavor..yeast. It's got a decent level of carbonation but would have liked to see a more substantial body and a creamier feel. The good flavors yield too quickly, the body falls apart a bit on the tongue leaving a slightly chalky after taste. I enjoy the style and, though there is some room for improvement, I enjoyed this example from Summit. Keep making them and I'll keep drinking them.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 04:23:09 | More by JackieTH

yamar68

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours like a glass of freshly brewed sweet tea. Murky, cloudy, with a slight, off-white head. Nice lacing. The nose is full of cereal, bananas, malted wheat, it smells the part. The wheat, on the tongue, is very straight-forward, unadulterated. A few wood notes, and just enough hop presence to support the bigger picture. Overall, this is a nice surprise. Not exactly a breakfast beer, per se, but it does taste like breakfast.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 03:59:08 | More by yamar68

tewaris

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured into a snifter. Very slightly hazy and dark amber with a rich head. Good retention and lacing. Fruity as well as phenolic notes, and plenty of sweetness in the aroma. Bready notes as well. Taste is a little unexpected after the aroma... doesn't really taste as 'German wheat beer' as it smelled. Clean, too clean. Some sweetness as well as some bitterness with only hints of esters. Mouthfeel is smooth, and the beer drinks easy.

4, 3.5, 3, 4, 3

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2012 06:42:36 | More by tewaris

barnzy78

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle, pours a cloudy light brownish-orange. Huge frothy tan head leaves good lacing on the glass and fades to a thin layer of foam atop the ale. Aromas are of wheat, clove, maybe some orange, but seem muted. Tastes are wheat, caramel, clove, banana, faint orange. Mouth-feel is full-bodied, creamy, and smooth. Finishes with a tingle on the tongue. Overall, good take on a dunkelweizen, but I think I got my hopes up too high for this one - nobody does a Weisse bier like Germany.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2012 16:18:35 | More by barnzy78