Julius Echter Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel

Brewed by Würzburger Hofbräu (Schörghuber)
Style: Dunkelweizen
Würzburg, Unterfranken/Bayern, Germany

A refreshing beer. Definitely drinkable, but also not very distinct or memorable. Some tastes include yeast, citrus, some spice. Good flavors.

Mighty fine Dunkelweizen, very complex and soft I was surprised by how wonderful this wheat beer is. Vinous aroma with dark sweet fruits as well as a nice banana presence. Vanilla and lightly spiced scents come forward as the beer warms. Hazy reddish-copper, dark at the wide top of my glass and gradually lightens down toward the stem. Large creamy cap with stings of lacing. Moderate malt body, crisp with a drawn out smoothness. Delicate and tantalizing to the palate. Flavor is a wonderful marriage of fresh wheat and port. Banana, spicy cloves, and cherries are all rolled in there as well. This reminds me of a wheat based version of Unibroue’s Trois Pistoles. Nice layers of flavors, this is excellent.

Bottle 16oz. pours deep brown with a light brown, decent head. Taste of clove, pear, and cream. Aroma is clove. Palate is smooth and round with a nice sweet aftertaste. One of my first Dunkel’s, very tasty.

500- ml bottle poured a cloudy copper brown with a lasting amber head. Aromasa of carmel apples, wheat, yeast and light clove. Palate was light to medium bodied and smooth. Flavors of carmel, fruitiness, wheat and yeast with a smooth dry fruity finish.

Pours with a frothy, light tan colored, initially three finger thick head that sits on top of a dark, amber tinged, brown colored brew that shows a lightly hazy, rich, ruby hue when held up to the light. Quite fruity smelling with notes of raisins, green grapes, and Macintosh apples. Malt notes of toasted grain, browned bread crust and complex and rich malt notes are pretty noticeable if you dig a bit for them. More typical Hefe Weizen aromas of banana and clove come in as a sort of backdrop or supporting role. At times it almost smells a bit like vanilla poached apples.

Light, but chewy enough that it is not watery at all. The beer is lightly sweet with flavors of vanilla, raisins, tart apples and some spicy clove notes. The darker malt flavors really turn on in the finish were a nice toasted malt flavor is evident; lightly toasted whole grain bread, a hint of chocolate and browned / caramelized malt sugars. As my palate gets used to the flavors notes of banana and even some vanilla flavors start to come out. This has an appetizing tartness to it that really makes this beer quite drinkable as well as cutting through the malt to keep this quite drinkable. The yeast pour softens the beer a bit, it becomes rounder and loses a spicy sharpness that was there before.

Another interesting beer from this brewery, this could perhaps be a touch more focused on the Dunkel grain notes, but it does contribute. A refreshing, easy drinking version that really starts to open up once it becomes a bit warmer.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Tucson, AZ

12/26/07: Bottle.
Light tan body with a rocky almond colored head. Wheat nose. Fresh wheat flavor with notes of citrus. Clean and refreshing.

THOUGHTS: A very nice dunkleweizen, but I’ve had better. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a light to cloudy, medium orangey brown with a huge, slightly off-white head that mostly diminished but kepts a small sheet and left good lacing. The aroma was lightl caramel malt and very light milk chocolate some lemon and wheat and spices. The initial flavor was light to moderately sweet and acidic, while the finish was moderately sweet, lightly acidic and sour with a short to average finish. The flavor was wheat, slight chocolat and a little lemon too. The medium body had fizzy carbonation and a lightly astringent finish.

(Bottle) Pours a hazy brown color with a large beige head. Aroma of clove, wheat, and some light malt. Taste is similar, with a even spicy taste and full mouthfeel. Average carbonation. Better than their regular hefe in my opinion.