Schneider Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock

Brewed by Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn
Style: Eisbock
Kelheim, Germany

11-JUL-2009. Bottle @home. My first eisbock. I was expecting something much more syrupy, but was surprised. I had the normal Aventinus not long ago, and this is not to far from it. Myddy brown with high beige head. I am a little surprised by that, becaus I thought high ABV would kill the head. but not in this case. Nice nose with lots of fruits and malt - banana is there but so is the alcohol. I coud live with half the ABV. Lots of weisse character with yeasty notes, and lots of carbonation. Good beer and not too expensive, but I am not really convinced. Is this really bottom fermented beer?

Bottle. High creamy and lasting off-white head. Hazy muddy dark brown body. Banana apple pear aroma with clear indications of alcohol. Alcohol dominated fruity flavor with caramel and nuts. Low carbonation. Long aftertaste. Alcohol is way too dominant.

I can’t believe the high rating of this beer, perhaps it has been better in the past, but I think people have been fooled by the power & maybe reputation. Quite simply this beer is horribly unbalanced. On the palate the alcohol shows through at all times, like an ugly wino in your doorway. This leads to an unpleasant & hot sensation that unless it’s ice cold, renders the beer undrinkable for me. Granted the nose is to die for, full malt, caramel & banana syrup, & these flavours do show up in the beer, but are constantly beaten with the hammer of that alcohol. It’s not that great beers cannot cope with 12%abv, this is just not one of them.

4 oz. taster at the Seattle IBF. Pours dark brown with a white head. Aroma of bread, vegetables, alcohol and sugar. Flavor is sweet and grainy with a load of dark fruit and a touch of alcohol. Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

12 oz bottle into snifter. Very dark yet clear (if held to the light) reddish purple with a weird off-white/khaki tan head that fizzes like a soda and fades very rapidly to absolutely nothing -- no ring, no film, no-thing. The aroma is very sweet. I am not one for sweet beers traditionally, but this stuff smells great. Belgian candi sugar, sweet dark fruits (red grapes, plums, cherries, etc), a but of tobacco, sherry,sweet malt, and more. The flavor is, in its essence, good, but this one is just a bit over the top for me. Nice sweet fruity cherry and Belgian candy character, which is offset by the very hot alcohol burn. The roastiness/tobacco malt quality doesn’t seem to mesh very will with the sweet fruitiness, but is unmistakably these nonetheless. Alcohol is NOT hidden well. A bit musty on the finish. Medium bodied with minimal carbonation. Overall: this is one of the more intriguing beers I have ever had. It has so much potential -- started off really well and just sort of fell apart in the flavor. Not horrible by any means, but much more enticing smell than flavor. This could be awesome if it were only 8% instead of 12 --> too much "eis"ing, but interesting nonetheless.

Smells of dates, alcohol, grapes, has a wine-ish smell. Pours translucent dark brown with no head. Huge chunks of sediment and yeast. Taste is surprisingly like a Trappist ale with some nice spice. It has something on the tail end that is different though, perhaps its that lager purity. Also, the fruitiness is sweeter than a Trappist ale. Very good, right up to the last drop.

Bottle (dated 2008). Did not like this one though I suspect it may have been damaged as it was a bottle from last year. Poured a nice dark brown but was put off by the overly sweet and somehow off taste. Ended up not being able to finish this. Oh well, maybe it’s just not for me.

dark brown, rocky head with cloud and particles. a - sweet cloying banana, caramel. t - bitter hop introduced, walnut, fig, sweet chocolate. good desert beer.