Der Kommissar
Einhorn Beer Company

Der KommissarDer Kommissar
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From:
Einhorn Beer Company
 
California, United States
Style:
Weizenbock
ABV:
7.9%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.97 | pDev: 13.6%
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
14
Status:
Active
Rated:
May 08, 2015
Added:
Oct 27, 2009
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by UGADawgGuy:
Photo of UGADawgGuy
Reviewed by UGADawgGuy from Georgia

4.28/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Thanks to BA einhorn for the samples of this and his brewery's unique doppelbock, Unikator.

As noted in my review of that beer, American breweries producing traditional German-style beers are relatively rare in the United States, especially out west, so it's a real treat to try U.S.-brewed, German-style brews like these. Einhorn gives me hope for the preservation of Germany's all-time classics here in the States!

Appearance: A weizen pour into a half-liter weizen glass yields an expectedly hazy liquid, strikingly amber-orange with hints of golden straw. It must be noted that Der Kommissar is in the Weihenstephaner Vitus/Ayinger Weisse-Bock (or "imperial hefeweizen") category, and not the Schneider Aventinus/Weyerbacher Slam Dunkel ("dunkelweizenbock") family. Still, its deep, rich color is unique, in my weizenbock experience. Very interesting!

Smell: Ah, yes. "Imperial hefeweizen," indeed. Der Kommissar delivers prominent aromas of clove, fermented banana, and a strong wheaty twang. With that twang comes a hint of something vaguely metallic; this should be familiar to all who have experienced a variety of wheat beers. Although I would be hard-pressed to explain why, that wheaty funk is appetizing to me (and other weizen fans), so a nice whiff of this stuff makes me anxious to taste it.

Taste: This is where it becomes apparent that Der Kommissar might be something truly special. While I stand by my earlier comparison to Vitus, this beer actually comes on much stronger than Weihenstephaner's offering. In fact, I'd put Der Kommissar right on the border between "imperial hefeweizen" and wheatwine, flavor-wise. That wheaty funk is the star of this show, with strong supporting performances by clove and banana. The yeast itself is powdery, bordering on an inexplicably pleasant chalkiness I've otherwise experienced only with fresh wheatwines (Terrapin Gamma Ray, in particular). Probably Der Kommissar's closest relative, at least in my experience, is Southern Tier Heavy Weizen -- if you've had that and liked it, you'll love this stuff.

Mouthfeel: Another strength. Der Kommissar manages to walk the fine line between the enjoyable effervescence of a classic hefeweizen and the chalky density of many wheatwines. Either of those features can be off-putting, if too dominant; in this case, though, they work in perfect harmony. The hefty richness of that powdery German weizen yeast is highlighted in Der Kommissar, to great effect. Nice work.

Drinkability: Honestly, I'm on the fence about this rating. Do I give it a 4.5 simply due to its excellent flavor and mouthfeel? Or a 3.5 due to its 7.9% ABV and relatively large serving size? Mine came in a bomber, which was truthfully a bit much for me to finish in one sitting. Compounding that, weizenbocks really should be enjoyed pretty cold, and this one's no exception. As with other wheaty brews, as the beer warms, that signature wheaty "funk" can turn into something less pleasant. Still, the beer tastes so good out of the bottle, I'd be remiss to punish it that much for my own slow drinking habits. As such, Der Kommissar earns a strong 4.0 here.

For anyone who likes Vitus, Heavy Weizen, and/or wheatwines like New Holland Pilgrim's Dole and Founders Nemesis 2009, Der Kommissar is HIGHLY recommended. I'd like to try it side-by-side with Heavy Weizen, as long as there's somebody there to help me drink both bombers -- I'm inclined to believe that Der Kommissar would come out on top, which is high praise indeed. Truly a unique and well-crafted wheat beer, worthy of my long-delayed 50th review.
Aug 30, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by MisterKilderkin from California

May 08, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by t0rin0 from California

Sep 26, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by EinWeizenbitte from California

Nov 16, 2011
Photo of Zorro
Reviewed by Zorro from California

3.67/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Cloudy amber ale with a small white colored head.

Smells strongly of bruised banana and cloves in corn syrup. Smells mostly like an Eisenbock. Intense and strong weissbier scents.

Starts out sweet and smoky with faint banana flavor. Not as sweet as feared from the smell, mellow mostly banana taste. Flavor doesn't develop much, smoky banana that's what it tastes like.

Mouthfeel is syrupy.

Tasty strong wheat beer, worth a try.
Aug 21, 2011
Photo of brokensail
Reviewed by brokensail from California

2.51/5  rDev -36.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
A: Pours golden amber in color with a sizable white head with fairly poor retention.

S: Really a strange aroma for a weizenbock. Big time apple cider to it and very sweet, maybe some honey, but very little malt aroma. Decent enough banana and a very mild spice note, but not off to a good start.

T: More of that apple cider smell. Slightly spiced (clove and nutmeg), a hint of of banana, and almost no malt. Not any bread or wheat to it at all. The more I drink, the more this reminds me of soda.

M: Light to medium in body with a moderate level of carbonation.

O: Nothing like any Weizenbock I've ever had. Not something I plan on having again.
Mar 24, 2011
Photo of BucBasil
Reviewed by BucBasil from Rwanda

4.37/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Poured on tap at Blue Palms Brewhouse in Hollywood.

A: Dark cloudy rusty-orange with a 2.5 finger head that dissipates somewhat quickly.

S: Spicy - cloves and yeast with spiced apples and some citrus sweetness. Typical at first, but then tons of malt comes on strong - caramel and biscuit notes.

T: The first thing this reminded me of was sucking on a butterscotch candy. Malty sweetness dominant but also some fruit underneath - apple and citrus cut through a little bit, and then some vanilla and classic banana. Finishes yeasty.

M: Awesomely smooth.

D: Very nice, and a dangerous one. Gotta be careful with the higher ABV but this one is so tasty and smooth.
Feb 07, 2011
Photo of flannelman808
Reviewed by flannelman808 from California

3.96/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
A: A cloudy orange color... rather opaque. White head tops it off but dissipates rather quickly. No lacing to speak of.

S: Nice aroma to this beer... lots of fruity notes, orange and grape come to mind. Just a hint of spice lingers in the background.

T: Spicy clove its upfront followed by hints of orange and citrus and some banana. Its perhaps a little short finishing overall but the flavors are good nonetheless.

M: Overall I find it a little flabby in this area for the style.

D: Quite high
Jan 19, 2011
Photo of pokesbeerdude
Reviewed by pokesbeerdude from Colorado

4.12/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Big thanks to EinWeizenbitte for this. 22oz bottle into a SA Perfect Pint.

A: Nice gold/amber in color with a white head about half an inch that didn't stick around at all. Slightly cloudy. A little more head would be nice and would help out a lot more.

S: Lots of banana, huge banana nose and a bit of cloves, all the smells of an enormous hefeweizen. Surprisingly non booze for a beer weighing in at almost 8%.

T: Bananas and lots of German wheat beer esters, and a noticeable amount of honey too. Fairly sweet wheat malt that verges on a bit tart. Overall put together quite nicely.

M: Slightly thick, medium bubbly carbonation, creamy and just a bit warming. Very nice.

D: Pretty damn easy to drink for the size of the beer. Not incredibly complex but still quite flavorful. This is a very nicely put together beer. Glad to try it!
Nov 06, 2010
Photo of billab914
Reviewed by billab914 from Virginia

4.07/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 22oz bottle into my Sam Adams pint glass. Poured a murky light amber/orange color with a thin white head covering the top of the beer. The head faded to a thin ring around the edge of the glass after a few minutes.

The aroma has a sweet wheat flavor to it with banana coming through and a hint of citrus as well. I really like the wheat flavors and how well they come through.

The taste shows a lot of the wheat flavor with banana and clove coming through along with a bit of citrus as well. The wheat gives it a very nice sweet and smooth flavor. I really like the way it showcases the wheat flavors. Very good tasting wheat beer overall.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied and carbonation is moderate. Drinkability is very good for me, I love the wheat flavors it has. Very smooth and flavorful and a very good beer overall.
Jul 19, 2010
Photo of Hophead101
Reviewed by Hophead101 from Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
drank on 5.17.10.

thanks to EinWeizenbitte for sending me this in our trade. I love trying and sampling good local beers that I would never have the opportunity to taste.

pours a hazy brownish orange. small amount of off white head that dissipated rather quickly. however it left a nice light bubbly film on top of the beer and a circle of bubbles around the edge of the glass. decent amount of lacing as the beer was consumed that fell kinda fast but was pleasant to the eye.

aroma was a nice light and refreshing smell. first pop was banana - very dominant to the nose but not in an overpowering fashion. citrus and yeast smell complimented the banana. some faint vanilla and some spice- but couldn't pinpoint the spice.

taste follows the smell for the most part. but tasted a bit watery. the flavor hits up front as a good combo of the citrus, banana and yeast. decent flavor - crisp mouthfeel - but was a bit disappointed with the watery-ness. however, once my mouth was acclimated to the taste, it got better as I drank more of it. this contributed to the nice drinkability of this beer.

overall nice beer.
May 18, 2010
Photo of Andy1618
Reviewed by Andy1618 from California

4.29/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
A - Cloudy dark gold. Leaves a fairly small head, but it sticks around and leaves plenty of lacing.

S - Lots of banana and clove, with a slight vanilla finish.

T - A good wheat bite mellowed by the fruity yeast flavors. Very tasty.

M - Wonderfully creamy and smooth all the way down.

D - If it wasn't printed on the label, I would not believe this was 7.9% ABV. Goes down easy, and very refreshing. I could drink this all day.
Apr 02, 2010
Photo of barleywinefiend
Reviewed by barleywinefiend from Washington

4.2/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks for donating this Doug.

Poured cloudy, golden and very nice with a white head. Nose is banana, cloves, belgian yeast strain. Tastes is banana, cloves and wheat. Drinkability was very good mainly because it was just refreshing and tasteful, I could drink this all day but it packed a punch. I could not taste the alcohol at all. Another good beer from Einhorn.
////Sampled again at Creekside Brewing and wow. This beer seemed to get a bit creamier and more robust than it did a month ago.
Dec 20, 2009
Photo of nerow
Reviewed by nerow from California

3.82/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a golden color with a big head, slightly cloudy, nice lacing. Smells of Bananas and Cloves, very pleasant, sweet aroma. Tastes slightly spicy with some tropical fruits and a slightly bitter aftertaste. Mouthfeel was a bit watery, but quite refreshing. Drinkability was quite high for a beverage which the brewer said was 8.2% ABV. I could not taste the alcohol at all. This beer could be dangerous in the wrong hands.
Nov 12, 2009
Der Kommissar from Einhorn Beer Company
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 14 ratings