Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel

Bottle, Cape Of Good Hope, Oxford. Brown, light tan head. Rustic dark bread aroma, chocolate, gentle banana and clove. Gentle spritzy carbonation that blends pleasantly with chocolate roast. A nice citrus quality. Touch of spice. First few sips seem a bit on the thin side, but it seems to fill in as the glass progresses.

Dark musty malt aroma. Cloudy amber color with a small off white head. Tangy malt start that finishes with not a lot of flavor. Tanginess comes back late in the finish. Mildish palate.

Pours a dark drown to almost black color. Much darker then typical dark wheat German beers. The smell is malty with hints of chocoalte. Traces of what I describe as soapy or almost chalk qualites. The smell was a little tame overall. The taste is more prominant. Reflections of coco and dark liquorish are noticeable. I also picked up on some nutmeg flavors which gives it a slight breadiness quality to it. The body was light and slightly water down and is a deterrent to the beer.

On tap at The Red in Santa Cruz. Pours an extremely dark brown, nearly opaque, with an off-white head of 1 finger. Aroma is half banana phenol, half sweet, caky malt. Taste is less malty than the aroma, almost indistinguishable from a regular hefeweizen. Not much clove character. Palate is, as expected in a wheat beer, exquisitely smooth and drinkable.

Bottle. A lovely dark pour and with a big white head. Plenty of wheat in the aroma. However the taste is bit of a let down no real flavours hit you.

I can’t believe I haven’t rated this yet. I used to drink this when I lived in NC 11 yrs ago. I didn’t have it again until last week. Nice rich malty dunkel with a respectable dry finish. Not too sweet like many other dark lagers.

Dark brown, oily-looking beer; frothy, dark tan-colored head. Aroma of bitter chocolate and nice welcoming malt with hints of piney hop. Smooth drinking, light to medium bodied with a slightly sweet finish amidst mild toastiness.

Bottle. Pours an opaque brown colour. Some roasted malts and liquorice on the nose - but to thin! Flavour is caramel with some sweetness. Some roasted notes. I don’t know...I’m not that impressed.