Plank Dunkler Weizenbock

Brewed by Brauerei Plank Laaber
Style: Weizen Bock
Laaber, Oberpfalz/Bayern, Germany

Bottled. An unclear dark brown beer with a thin beige head. The aroma is sweet wheaty with notes of banana and caramel. The flavor is sweet malty with notes of carraway seeds, wheat, banana, and caramel.

Bottle, imported a couple months ago, drunk on 10/19/07
Large, blossoming, dark-beige head settles out and slowly recedes to cover, leaving light lacing. Clarity is high, leaving the sediment behind. Body is a deep chestnut with darker chocolate notes.
Sweet and malty in the nose, with notes of raisins and bananas that give way to a light roastiness, dotted with pepper-like phenols. The poignant fruity notes up front (the raisins, some plums and such) really improve the complexity and balance well the sweeter caramel-toffee malts. Some doughy/bready yeast on the end cuts the aroma short somewhat, only leaving sparse roast and bananas to linger. No alcohol is noted, nor any flaws. Medium-high strength of aroma.
Sweet, but tapering off quickly, is the maltiness, with breadiness asserting itself over the soft toffee/caramel sweetness. Add in the moderate to light amounts of roast and it comes out lightly chocolatey. Carbonation is medium in strength, and not quite as tight as I would like, leaving a little looseness on the palate. Creamy banana notes are smooth and not overdone, thanks to this fine yeast that must be culled from weihenstephaner stock. With warming, plums and raisins add light vinousness, which is tremendously complementary to the sweet toffee and chocolate notes. More like a hefe weizen in body and texture (though obviously somewhat sweeter), but it improves drinkability. No flaws or alcohol noted.

Cloudy amber colour with an off white head. Malty, sweet aroma with banana fruity notes and hints of yeast. Caramel and banana fruity sweet flavor with a light yeasty citric note.

Bottled. A hazy dark brown beer with a big but not persistent light brown head. Very inviting. The aroma is very nice too, with strong notes of toasted malt, plus wheaty, spicy (cloves),fruity notes (light banana) and chocolate. The flavour is sweet with chocolate in evidence but also all the other usual characteristics of German wheat beers. And so you can feel banana and cloves. Medium to full body, average to lively carbonation,some acidity, and a long sweetish finale. with a decent bitterness. The alcohol is well hidden. A truly excellent beer, maybe slightly better than Schneider Aventinus and surely my favourite wheat beer so far together with the Schlenkerla one. A bit underrated.

Deep clear copper pour from a 25 oz. bottle. Massive head of stable beige creamy foam that rewards careful pouring. Spicy caramel aroma with hints of yeast, nuts, and even some dark fruit. Medium/full body with surprisingly soft carbonation and a wonderfully smooth and rich mouthfeel. Caramel sweetness up front, with balance provided at the finish by some soft bittering. The second of the Plank brews that I’ve had, and I remain very impressed by this brewer who is keeping a great Bavarian brewing tradition alive.

20071013 1pt 9oz bottle undated. Hazy caramel colored brew with endlessly lasting, rocky, stickily sheeting off-white head. Aroma is lush with big dark caramelized fruit bread notes, dark caramel, plum, stewed prunes, mild nuttiness. Very pleasant. Body is soft, creamy, not quite rich, smooth feeling with cushy eff complimenting the moderate sweetness and rich banana bread flavors which mirror the aroma. Light spice emerges mostly toward the finish. This is an easy to drink big beer that, for a lower price (this was $4.79) I might keep on hand for the occasional weizen bock fix...but it’s no Aventinus. Hints of age appear with temp, light oxidation as slight cardboard flavors come into play; also light retronasal alcohol appears. Still nice.

Poured brown with creamy light tan head. Aroma of bread and some fruit. Solid bread flavor with some light fruit hints. Very drinkable for 7.5%.

Bottled. Beer is mostly clear, warm dark-brown colored. Head is initially large, off-white, frothy. Diminishes mostly but ultimately lasts.<P>The aroma is plush with cushy malts and bready yeast notes. Moderate notes of rich shortbread, toasted grain, toasted bread crust, toasted nut; Hoppy with a lightly herbal note; Yeasty with a clean light note of banana/clove, trace of half-baked bread; Trace miscellaneous note of stone fruit/plum, banana/clove, spicy wood.<P>The flavor is moderately sweet, lightly/moderately acidic, lightly bitter with a long, lightly bitter, lightly sweet, lightly acidic finish. Warm bready rets.<P>The body is medium, the texture is watery and the carbonation is lively.<P>Well done.