Erdinger Weissbier Pikantus - Erdinger Weissbräu

Cozzatoad

Italy

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle

A- Pours a nice deep dark brown, with a huge amount of light brown/off-white head. Retention and lacing are both quite good

S- Soft bready malts with notes of yeast and brown sugar. Delicate but still easily detectable dark fruit hints (prune, maybe more). Simple and delicate aroma, but still very nice

T- What the smell suggested, though a bit more assertive. Quite big malt presence with notes of brown sugar and maybe caramel. A Spicy/phenolic underneath presence (clove, maybe pepper) shows up on both tongue and palate and brings some life and vividness. Some delicate dark fruit notes show up as well (prune, raisin). Overall this feels like something crossing the border between a weizen and a strong dark ale

M- Medium body. Smooth but vivid mouthfeel on both tongue and palate due to a nice amount of carbonation

O- Extremely drinkable, decently complex. Somehow warming and refreshing at the same time. A very fine brew

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2012 11:47:56 | More by Cozzatoad

johntfox

Florida

4/5  rDev +3.6%

05-21-2013 17:37:03 | More by johntfox

NightINgale

Quebec (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%

05-19-2013 20:13:49 | More by NightINgale

Ciocanelu

Romania

4/5  rDev +3.6%

05-15-2013 18:58:28 | More by Ciocanelu

rickyleepotts

Arizona

3.05/5  rDev -21%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

I am not sure I have had a beer like this before. I mean, I have had a weizenbock before, but I don't remember what it tasted like. I know I have not had the Pikantus before. I actually recently finished a few bottles from Erdinger. When Total Wine dropped the price on their Oktoberfest, I grabbed a case. They make one of the best most flavorful Oktoberfests on the market. Hopefully that carries over to their weizenbock. Not sure what to expect here, as this is not a typical style for me. Should be fun!

In the Glass: It was easy to pour, and had a nice soda head on it. Not much lace to speak of, and I can imagine this beer is easy to drink. I have a feeling this will be a thin mouthfeel, too. Now that I think of it, I should have poured this in a boot. You know, DAS BOOT!

Nose: My first impressions are nice. It is malty and has a somewhat sweet aroma to it. I am getting almost plum notes on the nose, and while I am sure this will be a carbonated beer, almost want this to be on nitro and to be thin and room temperature before I drink it. The price is good, though. For a beer this high in alcohol, you should expect to spend $5.99 or more. As I smell this, I am just getting malty goodness. Let's see what it tastes like!

Flavor: I was right. It is very easy to drink. It's thin, and has a lot of carbonation on the outer layers. However, it is VERY easy to drink, and as it heats up, I can see this becoming almost chuggable. The beer is quite balanced, and you would never know it was 7.3 ABV. Those same sweet/plum notes I was getting on the nose carry over, but the malts are what I am tasting here. WhenI close my eyes, I can see them brewing this in Germany just drinking as they work. I mean, that is what makes a good brewmaster, right?

Mouthfeel: The front half of my palate is bored, but the back half is excited. The bubbles, when they hit the back of my tongue explode with flavor and as I swallow, the finish is smooth, crisp, and clean. This is not a speciality beer by any means, but a good example of a daily drinking Germany bock.

Aftertaste: There isn't much of an aftertaste. Oh, and the burp is pretty gross. If you can tolerate the bubbles, swish this around in your mouth a little bit. You will then open up some more flavor and it will provide you with an almost dry hoppy finish. The sweetness, when you swish it around a little, pretty much disappears. The more I drink this, the more the finish is starting to become bready; almost biscuitlike.

This isn't my favorite style, but it's good. I would totally order a pitcher of this if I was in Germany. Not sure when I will be in Germany, but maybe I will find an excuse to visit the brewery. I guarantee it tastes better there! Bottoms up, people.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 21:56:18 | More by rickyleepotts

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.86/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Erdinger Pikantus has an appearance difficult to describe; it is dark but clear and isn't any one colour in particular, but various degrees of amber and brown. Its most obvious feature is a thick and enormous head that health nuts could mistake for a mound of Greek yogurt; it doesn't leave much lacing but lasts longer than the beer itself!

The bouquet is certain to raise an eyebrow (or two). Equally distinctive as it is enticing, this mysterious blend of sweetness and spice, strength and sensuality, reveals notes of vanilla, bubblegum, raisin tart, toasted rye bread, molasses, and mulled apple cider. More than anything, however, it smells incredibly and identically like banana bread.

On the palate are equally definite flavours of banana bread and butter tarts, along with flashes of clove spice and general fruitiness. The taste has a strong cola-sweetness and undertones of molasses, milk chocolate and plum. Its 'cola and bubblegum' profile is far less intense than other examples of the style; it's very easy to let slide that this beer is actually over 7% alcohol.

Often a beer can conjure up a season - Erdinger Pikantus conjures all four! The rotting orchard fruits of fall, the warming spices of dark winter, the budding florals of spring, and the tangy orange peel notes and crisp refreshment of weissbier in summer. While all elements are accounted for, they all seem to be slightly abbreviated; the finish is disappointingly vacuous.

On par with other offerings from Erdinger, Pikantus is a very agreeable, if diminished example of a weizenbock style that can often be devastatingly intense and spicy. If you're an initiate to the style, there may be no better place to start. But for those already accustomed to the likes of Aventinus, Vitus and Ayinger, this will practically be candy.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 01:02:35 | More by biegaman

KrisDLSmith

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%

03-26-2013 03:06:13 | More by KrisDLSmith

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottle: Poured a clear dirty brown color weizen with large off-white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma consists of banana bread with some cloves notes and some bready notes. Taste is also dominated by some really good banana bread notes with just the right amount of residual sugar and some light cloves and bready notes. Body is full with a fluffy creamy texture and some good carbonation. Solid rendition of the style with loads of interesting esters and a solid wheat malt backbone.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 20:25:28 | More by Phyl21ca

Poupae

Thailand

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%

03-09-2013 13:43:07 | More by Poupae

philmen

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%

03-09-2013 03:00:56 | More by philmen

mintjellie

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Mahogany murk topped with a massive light tan head. Poor retention, no lacing. Deep yeasty aroma, like fermenting bread dough; it also presents notes of vanilla, clove, and banana. Tastes much the same as it smells, hearty bread with banana and spices. A hint of raisin. Banana cake. A slight tang in the finish. Medium-bodied with medium carbonation. Feels smooth and slightly thick, but not heavy. Simple but flavourful. Pleasant and approachable. Not a great weizenbock, but still a good one.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 02:31:07 | More by mintjellie

jaimenavarrog

Mexico

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%

03-01-2013 19:41:22 | More by jaimenavarrog

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.76/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A new arrival at the local LCBO...

A - Pours a murky cola colour finger of off-white head with some retention and no real lacing.

S - Scent is a tad mild but offers up some musty grains, hints of cloves and bananas with a bready caramel finish.

T - Candied sugar, hints of cloves and spiced apple cider, hints of raisins and toasted grains with a burnt apple flavour that lingers alongside a touch of ABV sweetness.

M - Lighter bodied ale that fills the mouth, goes down smooth and finishes wet.

O - A tasty weizenbock with a decent flavour profile. Nothing overpowering and certainly a sessionable version of the style. These guys know how to brew solid, yet easy drinking, brews. A pleasant addition to the local selection.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 21:25:38 | More by andrenaline

RedAleMan

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -2.8%

02-19-2013 05:22:42 | More by RedAleMan

dmorgan310

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%

02-18-2013 19:53:12 | More by dmorgan310

ThinkAgain

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%

02-15-2013 04:04:37 | More by ThinkAgain

alugeris

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%

02-12-2013 15:56:22 | More by alugeris

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Chestnut brown colour, hazy with 2 finger of off white head, good amount of lace as well. Smell is of dark breads, hefty malt bill, cocoa, a bit of dark fruit with a subtle amount of banana and clove as well. Taste is malty, banana bread up front with more dark bread, some mid palate spice, fruit, cocoa and light banana in the finish. Medium carbonation, medium body and even a bit creamy at points as well. Overall this is a decent drink however I would have to say this is more bock than weizen, regardless this was fairly good and relatively inexpensive so this could be something I revisit while it is still on shelves in these parts.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 21:38:39 | More by peensteen

gwydno

Spain

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%

02-06-2013 18:52:47 | More by gwydno

SmashPants

Australia

2.83/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Bottle: standard 500mL brown bottle, standard German wheat beer macro label.

Appearance: dark amber-brown in colour with a fluffy tan head that drops to one-finger with good retention and lacing.

Aroma: quite a pungent aroma, plenty of yeast, some dark fruits and spices.

Taste: a very interesting combination of flavours - tastes kind of like a strong banana abd clove wheat beer with chocolate and brown sugar poured on top. Definitely not my thing.

Aftertaste: aftertaste is similar with a slight hop bitterness along for the ride.

Mouth feel: a heavy body with moderate fine carbonation. Seems well considered for the style.

Overall: considering some of the great reviews I have heard about this beer I am certain that I am not yet used to this style, but it tastes to me like a thick, strong wheat beer with chocolate and caramel syrup poured into it. Add to that a price tag of AU$70 a case of 12 x 500mL, and this is a no go for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 09:58:39 | More by SmashPants

matjack85

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -9.3%

02-02-2013 15:54:53 | More by matjack85

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml Bottle from the Ottawa LCBO for 3.45$

Appearance - Hazy brown colour with a large size fizzy beige coloured head. I can't make out the level of carbonation showing and there is some faint lacing. The head lasted for over 5 minutes.

Smell - Malts, dark fruits, banana, wheat

Taste & Mouth - There is an above average amount of carbonation and I can taste malts mixed with dark fruits and wheat. There is also a bit of butterscotch/caramel and some banana. It ends with a fruity and sweet aftertaste.

Overall – I really enjoyed this one. Lots of great flavours that work really well together. The carbonation is a little out of control but other than that this is a winner for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 01:05:27 | More by spinrsx

Stocean1

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +3.6%

01-30-2013 01:41:13 | More by Stocean1

wattoclone

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +29.5%

01-24-2013 23:30:32 | More by wattoclone

bismarksays

Iowa

4.25/5  rDev +10.1%

01-18-2013 06:16:03 | More by bismarksays