Schneider Aventinus

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

1999 Paper-Wrapped Vintage:
Dark brown coloured body with violet and crimson hues toward the bottom. Frothy off-white head that dies down quickly, but you have to expect that with a 5 year old bottle. Aroma of roasted malt, raisins, figs and some light spices. Medium-bodied; Mild taste of pit fruits, nuts, a twang of coffee and a decent amount of spices, but much less than a normal (fresh) bottle. Aftertaste lingers, but fades off unusually quickly. Overall, this beer is a great doppelbock, but after 5 years, lost its touch...I wouldn’t give this bottle so long next time. I sampled this 50 cL paper-wrapepd bottle, from 1999 purchased at Premier Gourmet in Buffalo, New York on 10-December-2004.

Pours a hazy ruby-brown with a big, creamy off-white head that retreats fairly quickly. Dark, rich aroma of malt, banana, spice and toasted raisin bread. Creamy mouthfeel, and flavours of caramel, malt, banana, clove and a hint of chocolate. A definate favourite of mine, and I'm glad the supply in Ontario is cheap and plentiful!

Pours brown at the top tapering down to ruby towards the bottom of the glass and cloudy. Amazing thick offwhite head. Aroma first was orange citrus then a prevailing clove aroma struck my notrils. I swirled and sniffed the top of the glass for a good 5 minutes before I realized it was clove I was smelling. The flavor is very complex. Many fruity notes malt wheat yeast and citrus all come out in this beer. The palate is amazingly light for a beer of this color. The palate starts off with sweet then moves to citrus and the clove flavor leaves you wanting more it is very smooth. A tasty brew. I’m glad I gave this style a try. Very nice.

Re-rate 10/20/02: Changed some numbers, still same rating. explosive nose, rich taste. Almost like drinking a nutcake. If you consider the price when drinking beers, I'd dare say this is the best on the planet. Re-rate 4/24/02: Very strong alcohol aroma that knocked this down. Although I should be using a better glass. First ratings: If I lived in Germany, I would only drink this. Well, I'd drink Celebrator too...(12/13/01) I just gave this beer another point. I have a 100 beers in my cellar and I can't stop thinking about this beer that I CAN'T BUY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE!!! Aarrgghhh! 12-31-01: This beer is really good! It's aroma is enchanting.

500ml bottle. Pours a cloudy light brown colored body under a large fizzy and foamy beige head with excellent retention. Aroma is just bursting with banana and clove esters. Hefty earthy wheat base with lots of yeast, light coffee, and a touch of alcohol. Flavor is very fruity with lots of banana, cloves, yeast, some chocolate, light alcohol, and a touch of coffee. Extremely full flavored. Mouthfeel is thick and full bodied with soft natural carbonation that cuts through the heavy malt and wheat nicely without being distracting. Clearly the benchmark for the style. Stll the best after all these years.

500mL bottle, 2003 vintage. Pours a beautiful, clear honey-amber color; fluffy white head with great retention and web-like lacing. Dense, dried fruit and candy sugar aroma; hints of a creamy vanilla note. Lively carbonation; fluffy texture. Full, wheaty mouthfeel: dense toffee and dried red fruits; very chewy, very satisfying weizen bock; nicely textured with a dense malt core; hints of alcohol poking through. Medium, dried fruit and sugar finish.

Cloudy deep red to brown color. Very fruity smelling, notes of ripe plum, a bit of banana, and some definite clove in the aroma. Well carbonated, pours with a rousing head. Tastes sharp from the carbonation. There is some definite banana flavor in the finish. This beer is lightly sweet, has a light bit of astringency in the finish. the dark malt adds a richness to this beer, in combination with the yeast, it gives the beer dark fruit type flavors. This is like a richer, more chewy, fruitier older brother of a great Hefe-Weizen. All of the characteristics are here, just more so. My only complaint is that I wish it had finished with a slightly higher final gravity, a little more thickness & sweetness would have been ideal.

A beer that truly grabs you and doesn’t let go, this one is NOT for the casual beer drinker. Don’t let the ’low’ ABV fool you; this one packs a bit of a punch. Should be mandatory for all serious beer drinkers. A biting molasses sweetness is evident from the get go, followed by a mellow alcohol/chocolate mixture that lingers long after the sip is over. Rounds out nicely with a blunt clove finish. Mouthfeel is slick and coating.