Summit Dunkel Weizen - Summit Brewing Company

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

IronLover

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Brownish red in color, like dark tea with a slight chill haze. Poured with a short white foam that quickly reduced to a wispy cap. Sweet banana aroma up front with earthy wheat malt, yeast, sweet dark roasted malt and herbal hop aromas in tow. Medium bodied with aggressive, tangy carbonation. Sweet banana flavor up front with mellow roasted malt beneath. Tangy, herbal hop bite in the middle followed by earthy, yeasty flavors to the end. Finished with a hint of dark roasted malt and raw yeasty aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 01:42:40 | More by IronLover

herman77

Minnesota

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

A: Dark and hazy amber/ice tea-brown with a small off white head. Okay lacing.

S: Slight clove and yeast, with bananas, bready malt and a bit of toffee. A lot like a yeasty banana bread.

T: More spice in the taste then the nose. Slight clove spiciness that lasts all the way through. A little banana, wheat and malt. A bit chalky, but in a good way.

M: Medium body, slightly below average carbonation. Soft and pretty smooth feeling

O: Pretty solid. Not my favorite of the unchained, but interesting and glad they made it. Pretty good drinkability too.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2012 01:52:53 | More by herman77

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. It does not look like there is a freshness date.

Appearance: Poured into a 300 ml weizen glass. The color is cloudy, dark caramel. Two fingers of light tan head dissipated to leave a thin lacing and ring around the edge.

Smell: In a word: classic. Banana (very reminiscent of banana bread), cloves, apple, a little bubblegum, and an undertone of caramel and toffee. As the beer warms, hints of darker fruit emerge — mostly raisin and plum, but I could smell a little strawberry and raspberry, too.

Taste: Much like the smell, but the caramel and toffee are much more pronounced than the fruit. In the background are the usual suspects: banana, cloves, a little pepper, and apple.

Drinkability: All in all, it is pretty standard. However, off the top of my head I do not think I have had a better American dunkelweizen. The brewer mentioned it was inspired by a German version and I think he matched it to a tee.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 04:06:52 | More by TheQuietMan22

sweethome

Illinois

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

Bottle pour in to Chimay small goblet. Rather dark amber color, minimal head.

Nose of over-ripe banana and bubblegum. A hint of yeast. Smooth entry - slight, citric bite. Yeah,slight. A rather easy drinker. Not much banana/clove here - more dunkel than weizen. Nothing wrong here, just not full or deep, without complexity.

Rather smooth and light for style.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 05:48:30 | More by sweethome

plfahey

Minnesota

3.4/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance-Tawny-amber brown hue with a fair amount of haze. Moderate yellowish head with fair retention.

Aroma-Ripe bananas, clove spice, and toasty/bready melanoidins. Rich banana bread and just a touch of chocolate. Spicy and yummy.

Flavor-Heavier spice flavor than on the nose, with little to no banana fruitiness here. Still some toasty/bread crust flavors here with thick caramel in the mid palate. Quite spicy clovey in the finish with light hop bitterness. A little bland, but not bad, and no off-flavors.

Mouthfeel-Medium body with moderately high carbonation-almost effervescent.

Smells better than it tastes-quite spicy with little banana on the palate. It's certainly not a bad dunkelweizen, I just prefer mine a little fruitier. A nice attempt at a great style, but it falls a little short in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2012 03:21:08 | More by plfahey

jimmah120

Minnesota

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

12oz bottle with a best by date of 07/28/12

Look is a dark brown/amber with a small sticky head. Smell is very hefe-like at first with clove, banana, and yeast. As you dig, there's grain and malt manifesting as cinnamon rolls and freshly baked bread. Taste starts out crisp, grainy, and woody. Clove and banana notes fade into deep roasted flavors: light cocoa, toasted grain, cinnamon rolls again, and toasted bread. Very pleasant, but ultimately too sweet for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 04:03:16 | More by jimmah120

deebo

Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Ugly murky muddy brown with just a film of white foam, not a beautiful looking beer but I'm more interested in the taste.

S-Sweet malts and yeast dominate.

T-Sweet barley malt, some wheat notes. Perfectly balanced taste.

M-Medium bodied and carbonated. A smooth brew.

D-Really good. This goes down smooth and incredibly tasty. Finishes quick and cleanly.

O-Probably my favorite beer from Summit, I'll be getting more of this one. Keep it around.

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2012 02:34:20 | More by deebo

NuclearDolphin

Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Pint Glass

Appearance - Dark cloudy/hazy brown color. Pours a nice foamy 3 finger head that is slightly brown. Good lacing retention as well!

Smell - Caramel, toffee, bananas, and cloves. There's also a slight earthy scent to this beer, but it's not terribly noticeable.

Taste - Bubblegum, caramel, banana, cloves and malts. The taste is much sweeter and vibrant that the smell with each flavor rich and sweet!

Mouthfeel - Very light in body with some moderate carbonation. It's got a very crisp and I found myself drinking this quite fast. This is a very refreshing beer to drink!

Overall - I'm not terribly familiar with the Dunkelweizen style of beer, but what I got was a crisp and tasty Hefeweizen with a very sweet doppelbock-like caramel kick to it. I enjoyed this beer quite a bit, and I would happily drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 04:56:37 | More by NuclearDolphin

danedelman

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A-reddish brown with a 1 finger head. Slightly hazy to be true to style.

S-I get lot of dried fruits, figs dates raisins. Then a breast backbone with a slight clove lying back. Perfect to style.

T-really enjoy this one. Similar to the smell but adds a bit of a cereal taste on the finish. Almost corn. Takes a bit away from this.

M-medium bodied.

O-a great find for $7.49 a 6 pack. Great drink ability.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 17:15:05 | More by danedelman

312HopBomb

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Clear Reddish brown in color . Not much visible carbonation and no lacing.

S: Fruity dark malt and slightly sour.

T: Dark roasted wheat and full dark fruit. Slightly sweet with a tart finish.

M: Tingly bite and full for a weiss beer.

O: An interesting take on the dunkel weizen style.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2012 03:19:27 | More by 312HopBomb

sonata2008

Minnesota

3.1/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance: The beer poured very cloudy with two fingers' width of cream colored foam. It was a brown copper-like color. Nice lacing. But I would have expected a dunkel to be darker.

Smell: I could smell some banana, a bit of grass and biscuit, and maybe a little fruit with a hint of bubblegum. I expected a much more potent banana smell.

Taste: The beer had some banana notes but very subdued. A slight amount of bitterness. I expected much more in the way of banana for this style beer.

Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel, effervescence was light and tingly.

Overall: A nice, refreshing taste but seemed to lack body. It was somewhat disappointing for a dunkel.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 00:49:51 | More by sonata2008

wrycon

Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A cloudy burnt umber. Glows light tan in the edges. Thin, white head that clings to the edges and vacates the middle. Smells quite good. Obvious wheat notes coupled with a lemony undercarriage. Some toasted almond notes, as well. Wow, what a smooth, flavorful brew. A bit of tartness at the outset, buoyant with high carbonation. Seems almost thin until a wave of earthy, bread tones come crashing in. The middle lays a heavy blanket of wheat and malt on the tongue and, just as quickly takes it off, leaving a slightly tart, clean finish. Semi-reminiscent of Stillwater's Existent, which pleases me immensely.

Like it? Correct

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2012 01:31:13 | More by wrycon

kwill

Texas

4.73/5  rDev +24.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: Hazy golden brown, just like you would expect from the style.

Smell/Taste: Excellent. The banana and clove is heavy and adds a great aroma and flavor.

Overall: Excellent dunkelweiss. I am a big fan of this style and Summit's version is among the best I have had.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2012 01:54:53 | More by kwill

bmike86

Iowa

3.88/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I picked up a 6 pack from Byerly’s in Minnetonka.

Appearance --- a hazy golden-brownish (pretty much honey) in color with about 1 finger worth of a light off-white head with a tint of yellow, with a minimal amount of suds left lacing the glass while drinking.

Smell --- not much with the scent, a bit of banana and wheat

Taste --- banana, bread, malts

Mouth feel --- fairly light, minimal bitterness

Overall --- I am not a big fan of wheat beers, but am a fan of Summit’s take on the dunkel weizen. I think I would be a bit more excited about it, if it did not have as similar characteristics as the hefeweizen they recently axed from their lineup. I would love for this one to become a spring or fall seasonal, especially since I like this one and have little use for their Maibock. But with all of the recent changes to their lineup, I doubt additional change will happen. It is a shame, because I really enjoyed this one. If there are any around, I highly suggest sneaking in a taste of this before the new Unchained comes out and replaces this one.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2012 22:35:22 | More by bmike86

momoagogo14

Iowa

4.4/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Serving glass: poured from bottle into weizen glass

Appearance: Medium thick, off-white head, good retention, cloudy burnt orange color, pretty good lacing

Smell: biscuity, some caramel, hints of clove, bubblegum, banana

Taste: fruity up front (the banana comes through more here than in the nose) followed by bready, caramel malt. Slightly hoppier than most dunkelweizens---a little bit of a bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light mouthfeel, expected more carbonation. Dry finish is unexpected, but in a good way.

Overall: As a bit of a dunkelweizen snob (my first introduction to one was the world-class Weihenstephaner version) I think I went in with low expectations. And I was so wrong! This is yet another Unchained Series brew done right. Great representation of style. Great transition beer between late winter and early spring, though I’m finding myself enjoying it just as much in May. My only regret is that this is a limited edition beer. I’d much prefer Summit add this to their seasonal rotation for the spring, replacing the Maibock.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 20:32:22 | More by momoagogo14