After writing last week about the great German breweries and their late summer to early fall beers, I got a craving for one of those traditional dunkelweizen. I hit up my local craft beer shop to see what was available. Even with several traditional options to choose from, there was really ever only going to be one selection. The Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel (dark) is an amazing, world class beer, there is no doubt. A luscious blend of spicy clove and nutty notes covered in semi-sweet chocolate and raisin malt. Wow. Delicious.
Options of dark wheat beer basically fall to the originals. You will have to go with the Germans on this style; there just really aren’t any solid American examples out there. The supposed American dunkelweissbiers tend toward a newer category known as dark wheat ale. Much like Oberon, a pale wheat ale, is more similar to an American pale ale than a German hefeweizen, the New Belgium Lips of Faith and Great Divide respective Dunkel Weiss offerings are more akin to a cross between an American brown and a wheat ale.
No matter, the Germans are legendary for their wheat beers, and their dark wheats are no exception. Dunkelweizen, the southern German styled wheat beer is the perfect choice for a wheat beer drinker who needs more color, flavor, and kick, and a bit more alcohol by volume (ABV).
Touted as the oldest existing brewery in the world, and claiming a birth year of 1040, Weihenstephaner is steeped in history and tradition. Located in the German town of Freising, it was originally the monastery brewery of the Benedictine monks before becoming the Royal Bavarian State Brewery. Along with a double bock, a pilsner, an Oktoberfest marzen beer, a dark lager, and a bright lager, Brauerei Weihenstephaner boasts an impressive line-up of wheat beers: a standard hefeweissbier, a light yeast beer, a kristallweissbier (basically a filtered version of a wheat beer with more subtle flavors and a clear presentation), and even an alcohol-free hefe. However, winner of the group is the hefeweissbier dunkel, or dark wheat beer.
I purchased the 16.9 fl. oz. bottle, which gave me nearly two pints of this outstanding beer. Once in the glass, the hefe-dunkel showed a dark orange/red color, quite nice, with a huge top of creamy, off-white foam. The beer leaves virtually no lace on the glass, and once the head finally dissipates, a thin layer never leaves the liquid. Aromas of sweet wheat, clove, honey and a touch of pepper cross the nose.
The taste of this beer is all malt, creamy and slightly sweet, with a hint of smoke and pepper in the aftertaste. Just the slightest tight hop essence can be discerned on the inner cheeks, but it’s not nearly as fruity as normal hefeweiss beers, with minimal tastes of apricot or grape, although these tastes are vaguely more prominent as the beer warms. The mouthfeel is near perfect, a slight fizz on the tongue but almost no carbonation in the back of the mouth, perfect for the creamy texture of the brew. This beer succeeds as an easy drinker, almost light, and can be enjoyed in summer, but has more taste and body. This is an ideal choice beer-wise toward the cooler weather and the wonderful fall and Oktober selections to come. Enjoy the brews … Cheers.
Gene’s Haufbrau has at more than 200 beers in bottles or on tap. While they don’t have every beer the Beer Snob writes about, they probably have most. Gene’s is located at 817 Savannah Hwy. 225-GENE. E-mail the Beer Snob at publisher@westof.net.