 ClarkVV (3547), Allston, Massachusetts, USA
Nov 8, 2007
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.
FlacoAlto (2029), Tucson, Arizona, USA
Jul 18, 2008 Aromas of bananas and clove greet my nose as I pour this beer. A soft pour produces a three-finger thick, dingy, light tan colored head that just crests the lip of my 25cl tulip glass. The beer s a hazy, dark plum color that shows lots of haze and a amber, plum color when held up to the light. The aroma is quite wholesome somehow and is incredibly appetizing. Fruity, wheat driven notes of plums, concentrated apple, some tamarind and perhaps a touch of raisin are accented by sweet clove notes and a touch of appetizing tartness. The spiciness here is just not cloves, but also takes on edges of allspice and a woody almost pepper note; really the combination of rich fruit notes and sweet spice aromas remind me of a rich, German spiced, sweet bread. Nicely complex, definitely characteristic of a traditional Weizen and it has an appetizing richness that is requisite for a Bock.
Nicely carbonated with a zesty carbonic texture. This is not quite as sweet as I was expecting and it has a full wheat tartness to it that is quite nice. Eminently quaffable, yet still has a richness when compared to a typical Hefeweizen. This has a soft creaminess to it that is just balanced by the carbonation; actually even on the light side for a Bock, but this works for something labeled a Weizenbock. The tartness accentuates flavors of plums and some apple notes. The finish is quite smooth with only a slight hop bitterness, instead what it really has is a rich, maltiness to it that is not sweet, perhaps a depth from a decoction mash. Malt driven flavors (without the typical sweetness) of browned bread, Maillard rich caramelized bread crust and grain-driven wheat flavors.
This is way too quaffable for a beer of this strength. If I was to complain I would say that it is lacking a richness and a malt sweetness that one expects in something labeled a Bock. On the other hand I do like how drinkable this is and how nice the dry, yet rich malt character is.
waolsen (918), Littleton, Colorado, USA
Jul 13, 2008 bottle. chestnut pour. thin bubbled head. nice yeast, banana, baked bread and roasted malt. tastes much the same. very fresh. awesome.
gueuze_is_god (88), Graham, North Carolina, USA
Jul 5, 2008 .5l bottle, chesnut brown, light heading fades to a thin bead, minimal lacing. Smells chocolatey, some banana liquer, light spice. First sip has a carbonation bite, dry hoppiness dominates what I had expected to be a fuller malt body. Flavors are amalgamated. Good beer for sure, I expected more. Second fiddle to Aventinus.
xibalba89 (77), New York, New York, USA
Jun 25, 2008 Pours a reddish-brown with a tan head. Aroma is nice and yeasty, with plenty of light fruits. The flavor has tons of malt and hints of darker fruits as it warms up. Lots of caramel notes in there, too. Great product from Germany, true to the region, but kind of like a lighter version of Aventinus, so I’ll be sticking to that for the time being. Still a great beer, though, and maybe preferable for those who don’t want to drink something as heavy as Aventinus in the summer.
ElGaucho (1720), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Jun 17, 2008 Bottle from Cellars Roseville (lex/larp). Definite banana esters in the nose. Pours a humongous light tan head that is going to take awhile to subside. I like it already. Dark, reddish brown body with a torrent of activity brewing within. Furious carbonation emanates from yeast particles that have attached to the bottom side of the glass. No wonder this head wont go down; there’s so much carbonation pushing to the top, more is being produces than can erode. I can’t recall whether it was JK or badgerben who turned me on to this brew, stating that it was better than the outstanding Samuel Adams Longshot Weizenbock. Not so sure. This one appears less full bodied and a little metallic, salty and sour in the finish. Just how JK likes it! A Gold medal winner at the 2004 World Beer Cup, I can see why; it certainly has a lot going for it. The price had been reduced on the bottle I bought (from $5.29 to $3.47). I’m wondering if it had been on the shelves for awhile and may not be at it’s prime. I would imagine that, unpasteurized and fresh out of the keg, this would be a real treat. I prefer the Longshot.
|
