Andechser Dunkles Weissbier - Klosterbrauerei Andechs

falloutsnow

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle from World Wide Spirits
Best by 04.10.12
Poured into a Weihenstephaner weizen glass

Kloster Andechs' dunkelweizen is a solidly constructed beer, built upon noticeable toasted wheat and roasted malt. These ingredients yield a true-to-form dunkelweizen that has a unique, though subtle, nutty and roasted component that other dunkels choose not to feature. A high quality dunkel that should stand alongside Ayinger and Weihenstephaner (just wish it were available in the US).

Pours a huge, tan-brown head of small and medium-sized bubbles, takes ages for this to recede, leaving about a centimeter cap atop the beer and some good lacing. Body is chocolate brown, with lighter brown around the edges; in light, it has a faint orange tint as well. Totally opaque from yeast sediment, as it should be, but carbonation is still readily visible along the sides of the glass.

Aroma of classic weizens: yeast, bananas, sliced apples, wheat bread, a bit of roasted malt character, spicy phenols. All components are fairly well balanced with each other, so this smells good, but I think the aroma could be a bit stronger and still benefit.

The taste opens with modest wheat and barley malt sweetness joined to some soft roasted malt yielding very subdued nut and chocolate flavors. Sliding down to mid-palate, there's a relative explosion of sweet and delicious flavors: tart wheat malt twang, yeast, bananas, sliced apples, and mild phenols. Back of palate continues with the fruity esters from the yeast and wheat malt, adding a bit more tartness. Lingering aftertaste of toasted bread and nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts).

Body is medium to medium-light, with just a bit of wateriness around the edges. Carbonation is present, but light and effervescent, allowing the beer to feel fairly crisp, and yet foam up a bit on the palate as it travels along. Finish is dry. Generally very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2012 16:24:07 | More by falloutsnow

IchLiebeBier

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Dark chestnut; big cream-colored head

Aroma: Roasted malt; cloves

Taste: Excellent flavor; malty, smooth, and well balanced with roasted malt, spices and bananas; fizzy bite

Remarks: Bought at Kloster Andechs as a mixed 6 pack.

Did not score A, T, S, M at that time; disregard those scores

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 02:05:09 | More by IchLiebeBier

Sunnanek

Sweden

3.95/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A: Murky brown color under a massive compact pale brown head. Really slow dissipation leaves rich lacings.

S: A mild metallic smell hits the nose at first, then the ripe bananas and the roasted malt appears. Citric notes along sides with cloves. Some yeast. But a bit milder smell than I was hoping for.

T: Ripe bananas, sweet. Malt is roasted, but balanced. Lots of cloves. Some bitterness. Creamy. Faint strong black coffee.

M: Quite long bitter aftertaste. Body is smooth and a bit thicker than most in this style. Lots of small bubbles.

O: A bit uneven, nice though. The best part is the mix between barley and wheat - very smooth and well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2013 19:36:52 | More by Sunnanek

mjtierney2

Germany

3/5  rDev -22.9%

05-25-2013 19:54:12 | More by mjtierney2

tootsMcGee

Oregon

4/5  rDev +2.8%

05-13-2013 01:00:55 | More by tootsMcGee

DoubleJ

California

3.68/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Andechs appearently has a dark side with its wiezen and lager, and it's time to check out both. This dunkelweizen was served on-tap at Andechser am Dom in Munich. On to the beer:

This is brown with an orange hues and cloudiness. The head on top is solid as a rock, in terms of size and retention. The aroma is modest in intensity, but the notes of cinnamon and cider are to be expected per style. Taste....get some toasted grain, then apples, then comes a touch of cinnamon and brown sugar. Its carbonation is low to go with the medium body.

Pleasant dunkelweizen, however I lean towards the brighter weizen of this brand.

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2013 16:49:12 | More by DoubleJ

BeardOfZeus

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +9.3%

03-06-2013 17:31:33 | More by BeardOfZeus

Liquoric3

Germany

3.75/5  rDev -3.6%

02-14-2013 06:51:40 | More by Liquoric3

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to my friends Jack and Kristin for bringing this back from Germany.

Very small fizzy head fades quickly, super murky brownish nutty molasses colored beer

Nose true German weiss wheat beer, with wheat, hints of darker malt like with touch of caramel, and some toasty nutty malts, light caramel toasted popcorn, lots of darkish wheat, hint if spices, caramelized banana.

Taste starts lighter, fluffy malts, lots of wheat again with some light bananas foster, hint of weiss like spices, even touch of citrus. Then darker malts, light caramel and toffee, nutty, and again that light toasted fresh unseasoned popcorn. Hint of yeast fruit, etc. however slightly lighter overall character. finish is light and dry, long lingering wheat flavor with hint of bitterness, caramel bananas, and toffee.

Mouth is lighter bodied, a bit too light, decent carb though.

Overall nice but a bit thin, nice malts, interesting almost steinbier flavors, fairly tasty and very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 12:32:29 | More by jlindros

Gregwa

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +28.5%

12-15-2011 08:13:38 | More by Gregwa

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +28.5%

12-01-2011 15:49:23 | More by Rochefort10nh

cpinto6

Georgia

4/5  rDev +2.8%

11-17-2011 21:08:11 | More by cpinto6

thierrynantes

France

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

Beer bottle (50 cl.), purchased in Bières & Chopes and tasted in 2011.

Appearance : brown color, with huge tan foamy head (w lacing).
Smell : wheaty and yeasty aromas.
Taste and mouthfeel :wheaty flavours, with notes of caramel and dark fruits.
Drinkability : a good beer in the style Dunkel weizen.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2011 16:58:50 | More by thierrynantes

eric5bellies

Australia

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

Drank from my Erdinger weizen glass.

A - Pours a hazy amber colour with an off white two fingered head that reduces to a film.

S - Hints of caramel malt and banana and a little sweetness.

T - Nice caramel flavours up front with a srong spiceyness follwing before some clove and banaa kick in. A little hoopy and crisp on the finish.

M - Medium body and carbonation.

Drinkability is also very good. I finished my glass quickly and could have a few more.

O - Well worth a shot

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2011 06:54:52 | More by eric5bellies

Daredevil

Switzerland

3.2/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

smell is quite rich, with a malty dominance (roasted notes) ...
taste however is not very rich, rather watery, with hints of smoked sausage and caramel, a tip bitterness in the aftertaste ...

this is not a typical Weissbier, in a blind tasting I perhaps would rather have thought of a Rauchbier (although not as rich as Schlenkerla) ... interesting, but not necessarily something I would buy regularly

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2011 23:55:43 | More by Daredevil

kjc51478

Germany

3.85/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a opaque dark brown color with medium, off-white head. Aroma is wheat, cereals, spice and yeast. Taste is banana, wheat, some slight clove and spice with a roast grains balancing it out. Doughy yeast is also evident. Medium body with a good mouthfeel. Aftertaste is sweet.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2011 21:48:23 | More by kjc51478

soulgrowl

United Kingdom (England)

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

An even mahogany, translucently opaque with a solid ivory head. Huge molasses aroma dominates the smell, with pumpernickel bread on the side and heaping helpings of licorice, raisins, and rum without the burn. Sweetish taste, like a dry, drinkable cinnamon roll, sublimated with nuances of basil, anise, clove, root beer, and some faint banana bread. The carbonation is slightly too sharp, and the body slightly too thin, to carry all these wonderful flavors, but nonetheless this is delicious.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2010 00:58:05 | More by soulgrowl

ecoastman

Ontario (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap while in Germany at the Wiesbaden Rathaus. Based on the low scores from bottle reviews, I'd say you definitely need to try this fresh from the tap - pretty good stuff really.

A nice dark weizen with banana bread and clove aroma with some malty dark fruits.

The taste was much the same and the mouthfeel was very smooth and creamy. Very drinkable.

I wish I could have tried all the Andechser beers at this place but unfortunately could only get through three. Next time...

Serving type: on-tap

10-17-2010 01:17:13 | More by ecoastman

glid02

Georgia

4.18/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared by Joe - much obliged!

Pours a hazy light brown color with a 1.5-finger tan head. The head recedes slowly into a thin layer on top leaving thick lacing.

Smells of caramel malts overloaded with bruised banana and various spices. As the beer warms the sweetness in the aroma subsides just a bit.

Tastes similar to how it smells. Smooth caramel malt flavors kick things off and are almost immediately overtaken by strong spices - clove mostly with hints of nutmeg and brown sugar. Midway through the sip hints of banana flavors work their way into things before they fade out into mildly earthy hops. The hop, malt, and spices carry through to a crisp and mildly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is very good. It's got a smooth thickness with grainy carbonation.

Drinkability is also very good. I finished my glass quickly and could have a few more.

Overall neither the aroma nor the flavors blew me away with this beer although both were very solid. Everything else was solidly above average making this beer well worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 01:12:47 | More by glid02

Mora2000

Texas

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to blutt59 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours an amber color with a white head. The aroma is dark fruit, yeast and caramel. The flavor is similar with dark fruit, caramel, toffee, yeast, bananas and cloves. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A very good dunkelweizen from a very good brewery.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2010 02:52:44 | More by Mora2000

FreshHawk

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Very dark chestnut brown with some ruby hues. About average sized rocky, foamy, light beige head. Disappears fairly fast with no lacing left, but a lot of bubbles.

S - A lot of banana and caramel malt. Very much like a banana bread. Fair amount of bubblegum as well. Some clove and citrus along with a touch of other fruitiness. Nice typical dunkelweizen aroma.

T - Similar to the nose. Strong banana and caramel flavor with some nutty flavor. Similar to a banana bread. Some clove taste as well. Some fruit apart from the banana gives it a bit of a fruitcake taste as well. The flavors are a bit on the thin side, but they are enjoyable.

M - Medium to light body, with it being a bit more on the light side, with a bit above average carbonation. Pretty fizzy feel.

D - Really easy to drink beer. With pretty typical dunkelweizen flavors. None of the flavors are too strong or overpower the palate, but it has a good amount of flavor.

Notes: Best before 29/09/10. Overall a nice dunkelweizen. WEll balanced and flavorful, all though it was a bit thin. It didn't blow me away, but was a solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2010 00:27:33 | More by FreshHawk

dgilks

Australia

4.53/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Great looking red-brown with a bit of haze. Lots of visible effervescence. Good head which could be bigger but is big enough. Decent retention. Pale tan and quite dense.

Great aroma with strong banana, moderate clove and low vanilla. Good, low levels of wheat. Tasty and well balanced yeast characters.

Strong banana with a dose of clove to balance but it isn't that prominent. Moderate vanilla flavour. Nice caramel. Fairly rich beer but the yeast is always in the forefront. No hop flavour but there is sufficient yet very low bitterness. Dry finish. Well rounded and reasonably complex. This is a great drop.

Medium body aided in terms of mouthfeel by the wheat. High carbonation. Good.

A great combination of yeast esters, wheat and darker malts. This really comes across as a typical example of the style with al the great flavours I want. A great summer quaffer.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2009 08:32:44 | More by dgilks

czfreeman

Michigan

3.93/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Purchased at the Brewery to try at home,as they don't serve this brew on tap at the Kloster for some odd reason.
Pours out a deep mahagony deep tan brown color. The head is really a beauty to behold, thick, lightly tan, creamy, slowly thinning into a foamy cap leaving nice amounts of lacing.
A spiced red-wine poached fig comes to mind, pepper, dark bread, gluhwine, suprisingly spicy given the relativley low ABV. Sweet dark fruits, raisins, molasses, and a mustiness akin to oak adds a light hint of vanilla. The ever-present banana aroma in a Dunkle-Weisse is there, but subdued, allowing a spiced fruit/bread/spiced wine aromatic profile to come through. This already is begging to be served with game.
Flavor is not nearly as sweet as expected. The mouthfeel is light, highly carbonated, and finishes spicy. Spiced plums, dark bread, vanilla, gluhwine, vollkornroggenbrot(dark rye sourdough), dry merlot like character. The finish is spicy, lingering on the palate with pepper, fig, hint of vanilla, smoky molasses, and tobacco.
Dunkle Weizens sometime become too sweet over the course of time for my taste, although I love the style. Sometimes too dominated by a sweet bread/banana flavor that really hides the complexity of the spiced profile of these beers. I find this one to be a stellar example of a more rustic, spicy, warming version of the Stellar Weizen. I have to admit, after reading the previous reviews, I was a bit worried about this beer falling flat.
It doesn't approach the practically-perfect Weihenstephan Dunkleweizen, but a clean, well balanced brew.
Once again, Venison with a port wine sauce, or Duck, as the spiciness of this brew would clean the palate nicely with a rich meat. Well done

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2009 19:10:24 | More by czfreeman

Domingo

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is one of the bottles I brought back from my last trip. I've seen this beer available on tap at the Am Dom restaurant, but not at the monastery.
Pours a very deep brown color. Where most dunkel weisses are lighter brown, this one is dark like a dunkel or doppelbock. Not much light makes it through because it's unfiltered, and dark. Head's pretty rocky, too.
The overwhelming flavor notes are of banana bread, hints of cocoa, and a little nutmeg spice. Much of the fruity notes in the normal Andechser weissbier are muted, but the bready flavor is still good.
Goes down really easily on a summer evening. Drinking several would be no problem at all.
Overall, it's good, but compared to what other beers Andechs has, it's only the middle of the pack.
For the style, it's a little above average, but somewhat mild. It's insanely drinkable...but if you're at Andechs, so is everything. As a trade or bottle, it's nothing special.
I think for a DW to truly be great, it should stand out like the Wiehenstephan example.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2009 01:43:55 | More by Domingo

brc

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +10%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Served in a slender weissbier glass in Kloster Andechs, Nurnberg.

Dark brown / chestnut color with a frothy tan head. There are lots of rising bubbles, in long streams.

Smells of dried fruits. Really a gloriously rich smell; makes you forget you're in a bar instead of at the brewery with your head stuck in a barrel.

Taste biscuts, roasted malt, brown sugar. Some wheat character, and hints of caramel and cocoa. At first it's generally a light taste for such a dark aromatic beer. As it warms the caramel and cocoa flavors become more present.

A bit light in the mouthfeel, a touch watery.

Tasty brew, quite drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2009 13:47:55 | More by brc