Ramstein Winter Wheat - High Point Brewing Company

inebrius

Michigan

4.9/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

9.5%! I can hardly believe it. Pours mud under a thin bonnet of malted milk. Like eating a banana split next to a roaring hardwood campfire the nose is a sublime melange of banana, cherries, vanilla, chocolate and smoked malts. A man could go to slavering before he even takes a sip. More treats for the buds as I quaff this chocolate covered banana explosion that's somewhat held in check by what has to be--but is not perceived as--a huge dose of balancing hops. A thin wisp of smokiness hangs out like a middle-school drug pusher. Are there smoked malts in this brew? There has got to be. What an ambrosial beer. Unique and tasty! If Ramstein gets national distribution, this one will become an American classic, for sure!

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2003 20:22:07 | More by inebrius

umfskibum

Maine

4.9/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

12 oz bottle, thanks to markgugs for the trade!

A: Pours dark brown, with the slightest ruby tinge around the edges of the pint. Disappointing small head that disappears immediately.

S: Cloves, figs, and alcohol fill the nose. Very strong and complex, with a ton of layers to it. Sweet.

T: Fruity (figs and bananas) with some alcohol in the undertones. Malty and sweet, though the finish is a bit tart with some other fruity tastes, particularly plum/raisin. Nice and complex; this is a fantastic example of the style that has different flavors for beginning, middle and end.

M: Chewy and thick, but very smooth. The taste of alcohol is there, but there isn't any bite to it, but just a warming sensation in the throat. Sweet, soft carbonation.

D: Quite drinkable, and probably the second-best Weizenbock I've had. A fantastic example of the style, and the best you'll find brewed stateside. Balanced yet complex, thick but smooth, this beer is a pleasure to drink.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2007 01:52:58 | More by umfskibum

francisweizen

Australia

4.93/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

VENOM (Loren) was right, you need to do anything you can to get this stuff! A dark brown, nearly black, nearly opaque looking brew with an excellent head of tan foam, that unfortunately dies early and leaves little in the lacing department. The aromas are all there and all all classic: Cloves, vanilla, banana, other fruits and spices, with a distinctly flavorful wheaty-yeastiness to it as well. The taste is an almost euphoric blend of wheat flavors, coupled with chocolate (dark german chocolate?) cherries, berries, spices, and more! The mouthfeel is super creamy and excellent, but not perfect. The drinkability, however, is perfect, and the fact that this brew is nearly 10%ABV just absolutely blows my mind. Thanks for the tip Loren. Wonderful stuff here. The new Aventinus on the block.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2003 16:59:28 | More by francisweizen

Boilermaker88

California

4.95/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Received this beer from Davo as part of a side-bar holiday beer exchange during the Strong Ale Festival at the Carlsbad Pizza Port at the beginning of December. I opted to save this beer for Christmas Eve after putting my son to bed.
Poured from its 12oz. bottle, it had a near-black hue with deep ruby-tinged highlights and a thin bubbly tan head that left no lace. The nose was a rich array of aromas: clove, banana, dark fruits, bready malt, licorice, a touch of apple, and hint of chocolate all vying for attention. The taste was quite unique as it seemed a blend of styles came together. A hearty wheat malt backbone supported the flavors of banana and clove, some vanilla and dark, sweet chocolate, dark fruits - blackberries or black currants, and a slight smokiness. It finished with a nice hops flavor and those dark fruits that were in abundance throughout. The alcohol was very well hidden; only a warming sensation in the throat and chest gave a clue as to his beer's potency. The feel was full, smooth and warming.
This is one amazing brew! I couldn't put it down, even knowing it was going to put me on my arse if I didn't slow down. It was hard to imagine this beer having a %ABV of 9.5%. Big thanks to Davo for bringing a real treat out to SoCal.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2003 19:18:58 | More by Boilermaker88

ZAP

Minnesota

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

As I drink this out of my big Aventinus glass I can't help but feel there has been a changing of the guard for me....For a long time I have considered Aventinus one of the best beers in the world and THE best Weizenbock....I still consider it one of the best in the world but I can no longer call it THE best weizenbock around because this Ramstein Winter wheat tops it...

Pours a dark black with brown hues....a fantastic creamy 1/8 inch tan head...the nose is outstanding....one of those beers that you just want to smell, and smell and smell...Great clovey nose...but sweeter notes are also evident...a little bit of a sweet over-ripe banana aroma...

Flavor is sweet..dark fruits and banana sprinkled with chocolate syrup...cloves are dominant too....outstanding taste to this...

The body is full but not overdone....it's very creamy...9.5%?? The alcohol is remarkably hidden in the taste....a nice belly warmer though...

Drinkability is sky high because despite its strength and full flavors and smell it is extremely drinkable...Wish I could get a keg of this..

I've wanted to try this beer for a long time and usually when you are that excited about something it usually is a let-down when you finally taste it....this exceeded my expectations...I was thinking 4.0-4.5....not sure how this will compute when I punch it in but it will be above that for sure..

Big thanks to Biruchan and schoolteacher for this outstanding experience in beer drinking...

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2004 05:43:19 | More by ZAP

WVbeergeek

Ohio

5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours thick, not letting much light through if any hold on let me go grab my spectrometer. Yep, I was right opaque deep chestnut brown lucious fine bubbly tan head leaves some sporadic spots of lacing. Aromatics flowing here an amazing mildly smokey chocolate malt characteristic, talk about creativity this is the epitat. Banana and cloves sharp wheat malt sweetness is there somewhere what a complex wheat beer I now fully understand why this beer holds it's own on the Best of BA. As it warms alcohol and more intense over ripened fruit tones arise, nice. It's hard to sip on considering you could just sit here and smell the damn beer all day and be just as happy, but can't let it go to waste can we? A barrage of different but cohesive flavors, wow! A flight of chocolate smoked malts comes over the palate then this flavor is eased by the traditional yeast spawning tones of banana and clove sugar sweet twang and sharp tone of the unmalted wheat used here great stuff can't get over it. One bottle is a tease here with a lucious full bodied weizenbock like this and perfect carbonation you're going to want to look into a case or at the least a sixpack. Who are these guys, High Point Wheat Beer Co. I need to find the brewpub in my beer journeys intense flavorful near orgasmic experience with this beer. No hype needed this beer speaks for itself, great stuff.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2004 17:01:36 | More by WVbeergeek