Max Pumpkin Dunkel Weizen
Max Lager's Wood-Fired Grill & Brewery

I was a bit shocked when this beer came out and looked like an Octoberfest. When I think of a dunkel weizen, I think dark and cloudy. The color of this beer is a clear dark amber with a thin head that quickly fades to a skim of white (it laces well for an amber ale). The nose is of malt and pumpkin spices - good nose. The taste is a little flatter than I would have expected but not bad. Possibly a little on the watery side as well. Maybe it’s the pumpkin flavors but this doesn't taste like a dunkel, more like an Octoberfest. It's still not bad, just average.

While reluctant to try this because I do not care for pumpkins I figured what the heck. I was pleasantly surprised at the taste, the pumpkin nor any other spice that might be in the brew didn't not overwhelm me. It had a nice orange color to it with a small head. The aroma was very pleasant to the nose. It wne t down very smooth and I would drink it again but not often and not more than 2 at a time.

This was about the same color as their Oktoberfest. Both were a medium dark stained-wood-like brown. The only difference was the the P.D.W. was lightly cloudy (cloudier than hazy, but not full-on opaque). The head was good but it could have been better. I had a full pint of this followed by a few sips off of my wife's sample glass and then the last third of her pint. The first time around I hardly noticed any pumpkin or spice at all. The last times I started picking up more spice and a little of the pumpkin. This is definitely a reserved pumpkin beer. I'd actually say it was a Dunkel Weizen first (it was nicely wheaty, with a good bit of clove as the main components of the flavor and aroma) with the pumpkin and spice just there as a subtle balanced addition to the beer. Very interesting and pretty tasty.