Bonfire Dunkle Weiss - Two Brothers Brewing Company

adamette

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed by me on tap at Chef Paul’s Bavarian Lodge in Lisle, Illinois July 26th, 2012 in the presence of my brother in law Mat. I believe the place had been renamed simply “Bavarian Lodge” but I still refer to it as “Chef Paul’s.” By any name this is a world class BeerAdvocate place. Anyone reading this should seek it out.
Review from notes taken while I enjoyed the beer.

A Little light comes through body, Medium head. 4.0

S Banana, some wheat, dunkel goodness. Love the smell of one of my favorite styles of beer. 4.5

T Sweet wheat, Dunkel banana, cloves but a bit thin compared to Classic versions of the style that do not immediately come to mind. 4.0

M Big beer with all of that taste, at least a moderate feel and probably a "big" beer as far as mouthfeel. 4.0

D/O Drinkability is good with the manageable ABV and the good tastes. Overall this is a fine Dunkelweizen. 4.0

Serving type: on-tap

09-17-2012 04:14:24 | More by adamette

BierStein711

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Draught, unfortunately served in a nonic and not a weizen, thus the head was not as soapy or frothy as typically expected.

Smell: Banana bread, winter wheat, alcohol, and smoke

Taste: banana, bread, alcohol, cloves

Mouthfeel: full bodied, and smooth

Overall, this is a dunkelweizen worth your time. It was perfect on draught, and I can say that it is a testament to a great brewery.

Serving type: on-tap

07-31-2012 14:18:42 | More by BierStein711

Brenden

Ohio

4.3/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2B tap takeover at Swig 7/11/12. Second beer.

I understand some people have reviewed infected bottles. I understand some people don't get Dunkels. I understand some people don't know what a Dunkel is going for. As it is, this beer is supremely underrated.

Served from the tap in a 10 oz. snifter, Bonfire is a charcoal black with brown at the edges. A creamy, small tan head doesn't last as long as it could. Spotty lacing is left on the glass.
I'm impressed as soon as I smell this beer. It's strong and aromatic, better than any American interpretation I've had thus far and about as good as any I've ever tried. Overall, it looks heavy but it's light, brisk, clean and sweet. It's got light cocoa undertones under the wheat base with a mix of fruits (banana, apple flesh and raisin) and just enough of the yeast character to add some complexity without throwing it off, along with just a gentle spicy nip. This is a beer I could sip all night long under any circumstances.
The feel is crisp and light, but smooth as well. A good dunkelweizen will dispel the "darker is heavier" notion held by those who don't know better.

Serving type: on-tap

07-12-2012 14:18:49 | More by Brenden

drpimento

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This was served with a small light tan head and a little lace. Color is a fairly hazy very dark mahoganey. Aroma was roasty dark malt, pumpernickle rye, a little dark ripe fruit, and not a lot of spice. Flavor is dominated by tartness, then a little bittersweetness, the above aroma characteristics and a little nuttiness. Body is ok, a bit sharp. Finish is mainly dark sour malt. Nothing special, but not too bad.

Serving type: on-tap

09-15-2009 21:41:07 | More by drpimento

rudylaw

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap @ Jaks Tap

As this beer was put in front of me, it's dark... in the bar. OK, moved to a lighter area so I can see that this is a murky, dusty brown. There is an ever-present tan head that hardly leaves any legs.

I get a lot of cloves in my nose. It kind of does smell like burning leaves/kindling, ever so slightly. Malts as well.

I taste roasted malt, biscuit, cloves and slight fruit. This is very creamy and light. Could make for a nice fall session beer. Tasted pretty good with my burger as well.

As I find with most Two Brother's offerings... this was good, not great. It's a fun style to play with but I wouldn't be sad to let the rest of this season pass without having another Bonfire.

Serving type: on-tap

11-21-2008 22:40:19 | More by rudylaw

emerge077

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Draft at Village Tap.

Served in a pint glass, black with a dark chocolate brown edge. CO2 bubbles cling to the side, with a feeble head of foam that barely covers the surface. Aroma is plain at first, and some clove and cider notes come out as it warms.

Tastes cidery, there are grape and clove notes, with sort of a funky yeast presence that doesn't help things. It lingers into the aftertaste, with a sort of slick feeling. The body is thinner than a dunkelweisse/weizenbock, about as light as a standard hefeweizen. I finished the pint, but didn't really enjoy it. This is a brand new keg, as this was just released. I don't have high hopes for the bottled version, although this may be a bad draft line issue (not likely looking at other bottle reviews).

Serving type: on-tap

11-17-2008 00:21:26 | More by emerge077

MillRat

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A lightly hazy dark wheat beer with a thin but persistent white head, aromas of wheat malt, chocolate, and banana/clove yeast notes, leaning more toward the clove. Solid toasted malt flavor with enough roastiness to balance. Little hop presence until the aftertaste. A very easy-drinking beer for one with as much flavor as it has and a welcome addition to TBB's lineup. Since it uses the same yeast and hops as their year-round Ebel Weiss brew, I would not be surprised to see this one make a return appearance, maybe next year.

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2008 04:30:53 | More by MillRat

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bonfire Dunkle Weiss is ok....I am just not a fan of this beer style so ratings from me are probably skewed. This was a retro release from Two Bros. The beer was dark almost opaque with brow/ruby hugh. There is a almost non-existent head that is not lacing. There is a light wheatly smell and a sweet mlt taste. The mouthfeel is lighter in body with bland carbonation. Overall...eh.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 02:47:49 | More by WoodBrew

chanokokoro

Illinois

3.23/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a weizen glass.

Pours a dark brown with a two finger cream-colored head. Smells of light roasted malt and a bit of clove. Opens with a mild chocolately flavor mixed with light tones of clove and banana and a bit of bread. Finishes smooth with light chocolate roasted malt flavors. Very light bodied. A decent brew, however the flavors never really come through and were never as upfront as I would have liked.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 06:52:40 | More by chanokokoro

falloutsnow

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from Piccadilly in Champaign, IL
No bottled on date
Poured into a Weihenstephaner weizen glass

Two Brothers' dunkelweiss is slightly smoky, well-roasted, wheat-based beer that seems to eschew most of the classic dunkelweiss formula and replace it with that roasted nature, making everything subservient to it. While this wasn't a totally successful venture, it was good to try it, though I wish I had been able to get a six-pack instead of a single bomber. Was looking forward to this one, particularly the "chocolate covered bananas" remark mentioned on the bottle's writing. Well, that flavor combination doesn't really exist in a bold way, though it is there. Would I get this again? Well, I'm certainly curious, and though it was fairly satisfying as a twist on the dunkel style, so I suppose I would.

Pours a very tall, tan head, as expected, made up of small and medium-sized bubbles. Retention is a bit better than average, declining at a moderate pace and leaving some good lacing on the sides of the glass. Head eventually settles to a 0.5cm cap atop the body. Body of beer is a very dark for the style, sort of a very dark brown-amber, with light bringing out the red hues in the amber color. Beer is opaque from swirled-in sediment, but I can see some carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass.

Aroma is of roasted malt, toasted nuts, and a bit of yeast. A bit one-dimensional, but still inoffensive and enjoyable. Average would be a good way to describe it.

Taste opens with a bit of smoked and roasted malt, transitioning to a bit of dark bread-like flavors, yeast, and a bit of ripe banana. Mid-palate brings out faint chocolate flavor and ripe banana ester components, though it's certainly less than potent. The banana ester-chocolate pair is met with bread, roasted malt, some yeast, and mildly pie-spice like phenols. Back of palate features dark malt with some roasted characters along with mild yeast and overripe banana esters. Lingering aftertaste of ripe bananas esters, malt sweetness, and a small percentage of roasted malt. I found that the taste was more enjoyable at slightly above cellar temperature, and generally brought out the complexity and flavors of this beer.

Beer is medium-bodied, with mid-level carbonation that's enough to foam this up slightly on the palate without creating any "prickly" sensation. The resulting mouthfeel is smooth, flowing, and well-suited to the beer: it sits around on the palate long enough to pick up the flavors as necessary. Closes out semi-dry with a bit of stickiness around the edges of the mouth.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2012 22:21:50 | More by falloutsnow

bsp77

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Weizen glass.

Appearance: Dark brown with an orangish cast. Moderate tan head.

Smell: Milk chocolate and bananas mostly, with some wheat and clove.

Taste: Missing some of he yeastiness from the aroma, as here is lots of chocolate and roast. The banana is religated to the background, and there is just a hint of clove on he finish.

Feel: Moderate carbonation. Thinner body than expected. Off dry finish.

Overall: Decent Hefeweizen, but needs more yeast to balance the roast.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2012 21:29:43 | More by bsp77

innersanctum

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

C Dawg says the dunkle weiss is the worst style of beer, and I says he can shove a Firestone Walker IPA where the sun doesn't shine!

Its nice to see the Brothers produce some more of ye 'ole Bonfire. The dunkle isn't produced by many domestic craft outfits, and my neighbors out in the Western burbs have done an admirable job. Is it "The Best" dunkle out there, no, but its solid enough.

The malty dunkle/bannana/malt/sweetness comes through more in the smell than the taste. Taste is a bit drier and hoppier with a chocolaty finish with less complexity than others of this style. It is good, not great, and for $6/bommer it was solid value.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2012 03:25:58 | More by innersanctum

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.9/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in a Chicago Bears shaker pint glass.

Kinda going out of order in this anniversary series (1, 3, 2), but who's counting? This stuff pours a dark, somewhat hazy russet-ruby topped by a half-finger of off-tan foam. The nose comprises clove, dark wheat, light banana, a pinch of black pepper, and a half-pinch of cinnamon. The taste comes through with a blast of spice: cinnamon, clove, brown sugar, allspice, and black pepper. Some mild dark wheat and banana notes populate the background, but they're clearly relegated to the supporting cast (they're petitioning for more than their couple o' lines apiece, but the director seems to be a bit of an ass...). Something akin to mild tea sits amongst the scenery behind everything else. The body is a light medium, with a very light moderate carbonation and a slightly watery feel. Overall, a muddled, weak take on the dunkelweizen style. Not my thing, yo.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2012 02:25:01 | More by TMoney2591

metter98

New York

3.45/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is clear dark brownish amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation but poured with a massive three finger high beige head.
S: There are light aromas of bananas and sweet malts in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell but a little more complex with notes of caramel and chocolate malts along with hints of chocolate towards the finish. A light amount of sweetness is present.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate to high amount of carbonation.
O: The beer seems to be over carbonated and takes a delicate hand to pour this and get more beer than bubbles in your glass. The beer is interesting but doesn’t seem to fit the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2012 17:52:37 | More by metter98

Etan

Illinois

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a Libbey narrow tulip. Beer #2 of 15 from their new Retro Releases series, thankfully not an infected batch this time.

A: Pours a very dark, opaque brown with a decent white head. Very little retention and lacing.

S: Crisp brown malts and strong yeast. Slightly fruity with notes of brown sugar, banana, cloves, plum. Weiss character is very evident.

T: Dried plum, cloves, banana, dark bready malt, a bit of spice (nutmeg, cinnamon). Slight vinous yeast. Rounded out with a soft chocolate and roasted malt character. Ghost of hops in the background.

M: Creamy, nice carbonation.

O: The bottle describes this as a darker, more chocolaty version of their Ebel's Weiss hefeweizen. This is really quite tasty.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2012 01:06:45 | More by Etan

Duff27

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Short off white head that sticks around for awhile, leaves a collar. Some lacing left.

Sweet toasty bananas?

Very malty sweet with that banana/clove aftertaste. Drinks right at its states ABV.

medium mouthfeel, medium-low carbonation.

Ah it was alright, pretty drinkable although more flavor in any direction...whether it be more roastiness or more hefeweizen characteristics. Good price point but wouldn't seek out otherwise,

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 01:16:03 | More by Duff27

samie85

Illinois

3.43/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a very clear dark brown color with two fingers of light brown head.

Smells of clove mainly with some light banana and chocolate notes.

This one is pretty much chocolate banana with some light clove notes.

Pretty creamy upfront but the clove thins it out a bit with a drying finish; has low carbonation and light bodied.

This one is pretty drinkable, and I'm not usually a dunkelweizen fan (or wheat beer in general for that matter) but this one has a distinct enough profile where it distracts from the clove; my worst enemy.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 05:59:32 | More by samie85

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

2.93/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

22 oz bottle poured into a weiss glass.
16.1° P, 15.1 IBU, 6.2% ABV, no date.

*Yes, this is old. I picked this one up a few days before review towards the end of May this year at Groppi's, who, to my delight, had a bottle on the shelf. At that point I had wanted one for at least a year.

A - Bonfire pours a gorgeous vintage burgundy brown with good clarity despite the dark color. The light oak head is effervescent as can be and disappears quite quickly. No lace.

S - The volatile mutant yeast aroma disappears quickly leaving behind dark wheat and light smoke notes. The mutant yeast returns! Mild aromatic notes of the classic German strain.

T - Quite dunkl-y indeed, there's a good amount of dark what within this brew but just a touch of smokiness. The yeast shows mild signs of infection, but certainly no where near as much as the nose.

M - Highly carbonated with a medium-light body and soft, dry finish, the feel of this brew is still quite nice!

O - I wish I would have looked at reviews before my spontaneous, joy-filled purchase. It seems there had been issues even when fresh. Then again, I knew what I was getting into, buying an old beer. Still, it's not as bad as some reviews have made it out to be, even with it's age.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 02:35:38 | More by BeerFMAndy

mdwalsh

Iowa

2.75/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 1.5

Not sure how old this beer is, got it a few weeks ago at Andy's in Rochester, MN. I'll be gentle on things that appear they could be age related. It was still fantastically carbed when I opened it. Perhaps too carbed, it pours just a thick head Smells of a possible minor infection, but I don't think so. This is taking forever to settle.

Finally enough beer to actually talk about the look. Dark, ruby brown, slight haze, obviously good carbonation. The head is beige, small tightly packed bubbles.

The aroma is slightly acidic, slightly cidery, but not horendus at all. I've had perfectly good BMCs smell worse.

The taste again has just a touch of acidic sourness, a definite infection. But it plays ok with the rest of the beer. I won't finish this, not all 22 oz, but I will complete a review. Beyond the sour I get a little caramel, which is actually interesting with the apple. I'm thinking with age this beer has pretty much fallen apart.

Despite the carb and age, the body isn't half bad.

I hate to tank a rating, but in reality, there is an infection here and the beer didn't have anything to fight back with. If you still have this beer, drink or destroy.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 23:02:29 | More by mdwalsh

hwwty4

Missouri

3.1/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to jtrockchalk for this one.

I needed 22oz bombers to bottle some homebrew so I decided to do a little culling from the cellar. Found this one hiding behind some Stone IRS. Threw it in the kegerator to cool down.

Holy carbonation batman. Seriously, 1/3 of a inch of beer and a whole Tripel Karmeliet tulip filled with head. Jeez. That's a shit ton of head. Serious lacing all the way down the glass. Bad sign, only time I've ever seen that much head is in a infected beer. I'm glad I put in the the kegerator when I did, otherwise my cellar might have been a tad stickier. The nose is interesting. Muted notes of caramel and toast mixed with green apple skins and pie cherries. The flavor is much the same but the sour pie cherries and green apples dominate the flavor profile pushing the caramel and toast to the outskirts of the flavor profile. It's not horrific at all, but it doesn't seem like its supposed to be there either. Its not a bad beer, but I think its turned into something that its not supposed to be. I once had a barleywine that picked up a slight infection that just lent itself to a mild tartness in the background. Made it really tasty. This is more along the same lines. Malt is still there, but its definitely secondary the the tartness of the beer. It kind of hits you in the back of the jaw.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2010 00:56:32 | More by hwwty4

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.65/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acquired from diekia, courtesy of the Review This! BIF so a big "Thank You" goes out to her. Poured from a 22oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a medium brown color, with a large beige head that fades slowly and leaves a spotty lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of wheat, caramelized malts, some hints of dark fruit and chocolate along with a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out a little sweet with flavors of caramel, dark fruit and chocolate. Then bready flavors of wheat and a hearty roasted malt character come in. The hops presence is mild but brings some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, although there are better beers in the style this is still a solid beer that is worth drinking for a while.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2010 02:35:09 | More by TheManiacalOne

Dotcubed

Arkansas

4.65/5  rDev +29.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

I've always liked this brewing company.

And I like dark beers. This should be good.

Having chosen a tulip glass, I feel that the clear dark brown liquid is going to smell quite good since opening it.

Wonderful cocoa & banana smell, why can't more beers smell this good!!!

This tastes magnificent. Malty, toasted brown marshmallows.
Something warming.

Perhaps a little watery, fuzzy.

Quite drinkable but somewhat sweet. Clearly cold weather beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2010 02:28:00 | More by Dotcubed

Mistofminn

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a brown color with ruby red highlights. About a finger of khaki head with below average retention doesn't leave a lot of lacing.

Smells remarkably like a Weizenbock (gasps) with typical banana and clove characters, with the "dark wheat" characters of chocolate and lightly roasted malts.

Taste is spot on the aroma. Chocolate covered bananas, cloves and dark roasted malts. Pretty simple, yet complex and enjoyable.

Medium in body, with a smooth and creamy texture. Average carbonation level. Drinkability is good in this one, I had no problem finishing the bomber.

Not a bad offering from Two Brothers, but I like some of there other stuff better.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2010 07:45:55 | More by Mistofminn

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer is rockin' it carbonation a bit high at first pour but as the bottle opens and a focused slow pour there's no problems getting a nice tall weizen glass full of dark ruby almost black crimson highlighted dunkel weiss. Head is bubbly with the higher levels of carbonation but doesn't quickly dwindle head sticks sporadically in mixed chunky patterns.

Aroma has darker roasts a mild metallic twang with tart fruit including apples and raisins blended together with the creamy dark chocolate roasted malt character. I'm lovin' this brew mild banana esters but overall a kick as fall release that works for what it's trying to pull off authentic dunkel weizen. An herbal citrus kick is flowing as well and it's going great with the rest of the experience.

Flavor before pouring the rest of the yeast into my glass it was much more balanced in flavors I got dark roasts ripened fruit notes tart citrus with slight raisin and apple tartness. After pouring the yeast in I got a chalky nutty character that over burden the rest of the flavors that were going on. Tart apple still persisted with a raisin tone but the additional yeast sediment didn't do justice like it typically dose. So hold off or pour two smaller glasses to detect the difference.

Mouthfeel overall was nice effervescent with the heavy carbonation I don't believe it was overdone just right for the style, most American dunkel weiss brews leave out the spritzy carbonation levels. Medium bodied for sure especially when you pour the sediment in.

Drinkbility overall an enjoyable fall/winter seasonal that I would like more access to, I think these two brothers should move into Pittsburgh they are makin' some great versions of classic styles and this one sits no differently.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2009 01:11:43 | More by WVbeergeek

mwilbur

Minnesota

1.53/5  rDev -57.5%
look: 1 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Poured from 22 oz bomber into weizen glass.
A: Pours a...what the hell?!?! This is some kind of black magic... This literally poured an entire glass of head without any beer. I have never seen such a thing before. Bizarro. Takes about 10 minutes to settle...ridiculous overcarbonation. Once the beer does appear it is a dark amber.
S: Chemical malt note...no bananas and barely any spice. Not as bad as the no-beer beer appearance, but not good.
T: Simply terrible. Weak and bad tasting caramelt malt and that chemical thing persists here too.
M: Slick and oily.
D: I should have done my research and checked out the reviews on this one before getting it. The drain ended up getting more of this one than I did. I was all excited to try different dunkelweizens, but this one is a big disappointment. Stay away...I wish I had.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2009 04:39:44 | More by mwilbur