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Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers

Wheat Beers

The Hazy Heroes of Summer

Weizen Dunkel

These dark wheat beers derive their character from the use of darker malts in the non-wheat ingredients, so that a richer, darker-colored beer can be achieved, along with fuller malt flavors. Dunkel weizens still display the floral, estery qualities of a pale weizen. Dark weizens are produced with or without a secondary fermentation in the bottle, with the corollary that these styles can be yeast sedimented or unsedimented depending upon the preference of the brewer.

Interpreting the 100-point Scale

Consumers can translate the point score to the following quality bands:

Point Range Quality Band
96-100 points Platinum
90-95 points Gold
85-90 points Silver
80-84 points Bronze
Less than 80 Not Recommended
Legend
  • = Brewpub
  • ABV = Alcohol by volume
  • Date denotes the date on which the beer was tasted

92 Ayinger Ur-Weisse, Privatbrauerei Aying (Germany). 5.8% ABV (7/11)
Cloudy deep amber color with a gray cast. Earthy aromas and flavors of dusty ripe banana bunch, baked yams, and spicy pudding with a vibrant supple fruity-yet-dry medium-full body and a long, harmonious Asian pear, honeyed fig, and nut-accented finish. Delicious and stately.

90 Leavenworth Biers Boulder Bend Dunkelweizen, Fish Brewing Co. (WA). 4.7% ABV (7/10)
Deep mahogany color. Aromas of chocolate covered espresso beans and dark toasted banana nut bread follow through on a round, buoyant entry to a dry-yet-fruity medium body with very good depth and harmony of flavors. Finishes with a long, zesty peach marmalade, praline, and grassy hop-accented fade. A delicious, crowd pleasing dunkel weiss.

89 Julius Echter Hefe-Weiss Dunkel, Wurzburger Hofbrau (Germany). 5.5% ABV (7/10)
Hazy copper chestnut color with taupe blanket. Phenolic aromas of pewter, pumpernickel rye, dried banana muffin have a hint of singed rayon. A supple entry leads to a dryish medium body of toasted banana nut bread, molasses, and wafer. Finishes with a soft, melon rind, oily nut, and turned earth accented fade. Somewhat odd nose holds this back a bit, but otherwise a very nice beer.

89 Dunkel Weizen, Sprecher Brewing Co. (WI). 4.65% ABV (7/10)
Clear deep copper mahogany color. Aromas of toasted spice cake and sassafras follow through on a round, supple entry to a dry-yet-fruity medium body with good depth and a tangy citrus marmalade and herb bread-accented finish. Very tasty and refreshing.

88 Dunkel Weizen, John Harvard’s Brew House, Framingham (MA). 5.7% ABV (7/10)
Dark reddish mahogany color. Aromas of toffeed nuts, sarsaparilla, and banana cake follow through on a round entry to a dryish medium-to-full body with good depth and smoothness. Finishes with a tangy, roasted Brazil nut, white peach, Meyer lemon zest, and wheat berry-accented fade. A nicely framed, very serious and dry dunkel weiss that carves out its own distinctive niche of flavor.

86 Shiner Holiday Cheer Dunkelweizen, Spoetzl Brewery (TX). 5.4% ABV (11/10)
Deep reddish mahogany color. Rich peach pie and soda, and chocolate covered nut aromas with a round, frothy, fruity medium-to-full body and a pecan brittle and grassy earth-accented finish. Tasty and fun.

86 Samuel Adams Dunkelweizen, The Boston Beer Co. (MA). 5.3% ABV (7/11)
Clear copper color. Aromas of chocolate covered graham cracker and banana-maple-almond fudge with a supple, frothy fruity-yet-dry medium-to-full body and a crisp kiwi, licorice, leek and praline finish. A tasty, easy drinking dunkel with pair with food.

83 Dunkelweizen, Bastone Brewery (MI). 5.2% ABV (7/09)
Deep brown color. Fruity caramel fudge aromas follow through on a round entry to a fruity-yet-dry medium body with dark caramel apple and banana soufflé note. Finishes with a tangy apple nut granola and tilled earth fade. Nice roasted character.

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