Edelweiss Dunkel Weissbier - Hofbräu Kaltenhausen (Brau Union)

pbrian

Connecticut

4.85/5  rDev +22.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Very pronounced weissbier aromas/flavors (bannana, clove, bubblegum) delivered via one of the smoothest, tastiest beers I've had in a long time. Seek it out, this one stands up tall.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2001 10:09:58 | More by pbrian

jaredmachine

Germany

4.88/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

One of my favorites, and for good reason.

This beer is a little more red in color than other dark weizens. It's unfiltered, the carbonation isn't very obvious, and it has a big, cream-colored head that stays for a majority of the beer's life span. When you pour it and see the obviously full body, you know you're about to deal with texture along the lines of a Stout.

The smell is subtle: rich but not strong, with a hint of vanilla, banana, and spices.

The taste is unlike any other weizen I've tried. The standard wheat flavor you're normally greeted with is replaced by an initial taste of freshly baked (and buttered, oddly enough) banana bread and the tangy citrus bite common in lighter weizens has been replaced with a subtle clove/vanilla/banana combination that really carries through on the aftertaste, which lingers for quite a while thanks to the full body of the beer. It's rich and buttery at first, then slightly sweet and buttery - if you like Stouts and Porters and want to try something that works well as a dessert beer, look no further.

The mouthfeel seems like an attempt to bring the Dunkelweizen into new territory, and that's why I give it a 5. It's much thicker than, say, Weihenstephaner (currently the highest-scoring DunkelW on BA), and it coats your mouth in the way a hearty beer should. That coating effect allows the aftertaste to stay in your mouth considerably longer than other Dunkelweizens, which is, in the case of Edelweiss, a blessing rather than a curse.

It's MY kind of drinkable, which means it's a thick, indulgent half-liter that should probably count as a meal. It also goes well with everything I've paired it with so far.

While some weizen connoisseurs might find the unusual taste and mouthfeel offputting, I think it would be well-received by fans of rich beers.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2011 01:24:27 | More by jaredmachine

Brent

Kentucky

5/5  rDev +26.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A great example of the style. Dark and chewy with a well rounded malt. Dark fruit in the background.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2001 00:14:28 | More by Brent