Plank Heller Weizenbock

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

50 cL bottle, courtesy of renffisch. Pours hazy dark orang with a diminished white head. Aroma is yeasty and mild spiced with a light malty note and clearly presence of alcohol. Lingering yeasty finish.

Date: 05/10/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

opaque dark yellow, thin white head, touch of lace, nice sweet banana aroma, creamy but thin body, nice banana flavor, only a hint of clove,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4
-------- /> Date: 10/13/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting

opaque yellow, fine white head, sweet candy malt aroma with a lot of fruity banana character, creamy body, rich malt flavor, lots of banana character is heightened by the malty sweetness,

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 15/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: **4

(50cl bottle) Hazy straw body topped by medium pillowy head. Aroma is moderately sweet, banana, orange, bubblegum, some clove. Taste is medium sweet, orange/lemon, light bubblegum, banana, alcohol, apple. Creamy medium body, light effervescence.

(Bottle) Pours a cloudy orange body with a tall yellowish off-white head. Aroma of rye, clove, wheat, banana, clove, and bubble gum. Flavor of strong banana, clove, biscuit, and some lemon.

16.9oz bottle-pours a thin white head and gold color. Aroma is somewhat sweet medium malt, fruity-apricot, musty, bready, spice hops, clove-yeast. Taste is sour lemon/apricot, bready, spice hops, malt/wheat, clove-yeast. Taste was a bit different from aroma. Lots of effervescence. Occasional.

Hazy, very bubbly pale yellow offering. Constantly fed white head is initially growing, but as the saturation settles down, it resumes to a fair cover. Quite citrusy on the nose, perhaps more toward orange than lemon. The soft tartness that there is also appears to be more citric than originating from the wheat. A sweeter Plank beer. Strong banana notions, a bit of cloves as well. Certainly not agressive in its complexity. Subtle notes of white almond, vanilla sweetness. No spiciness. Gentle apple notes. Medium bodied at best. Strong, but rather fading carbonation. This is a good ale, but I must say I was not as seduced as I hoped by Plank. Fruity and subtle yeast strain, but never feeling very fresh, nor vibrant.

500ml bottle sampled in mid-May ’06: Pours a pale cloudy golden with a big airy white head with nice lacing. Mildly earthy, musty, lightly citric wheaty clove aroma. Body starts with a lightly toasty, bready and sweet biscuity malty body. Has a good amount of lemony citrus and spicy clove with a drier finish. Very smooth, nicely-balanced and drinkable. A good weizenbock, but not quite as complex as Aventinus. Vielen dank auf meiner freund Michael!

Bottle… Cloudy yellow ale with a huge, wispy, white head. Typical hefe notes of clove, banana, bubblegum and light smoke with a whisper of cinnamon. Well-balanced flavor. Very sweet up front; followed by adequate bitterness. Oddly enough, a little boozy. Medium-bodied and astringent with spritzy carbonation. Spicy, bone-dry finish. Strange, but excellent for the style.