Maximus
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

 

On tap at Rock Bottom KOP on 1/8/09. Served in an oversized mug.

Pours a deep unfiltered burnt orange, topped with a finger of solid off-white colored head. Retains with about a ¼ finger of creamy foam, leaving back of cascade of froth which quickly slides down the sides of the mug. The aroma is crisp in the nose with wheat flavor, while yeasty green banana esters really come out strong here, giving this a bit of a raw feel. Some very light spicy clove is present but definitely takes a back seat to the other flavors. Some floral character definitely freshens this up some.

The taste has a nice crisp bready snap to it from the wheat, while the yeast runs rampant with a good bit of banana flavor giving this a green and unripened feel. There is actually a touch of darker sweetness at work in this as well, with some firm hop bitterness helping balance things out. Spicy clove comes out more here than it did in the aroma, tingling the back of the palate and mixing with the yeasty flavors to impart a deep dryness to the finish of this. The mouthfeel is fuller bodied, with a big sharpness to it that matches the overall crispness of the flavor profile. I am getting some warmth on the tail end of this but for the most part that beefy alcohol presence is nicely hidden.

Not a bad take at all on a Weizenbock here. It could have used maybe a bit more of a ripened feel to that yeasty banana flavor it put out but the crispness and well hid ABV kept things on track.

Had a buddy buy me a growler of this for Christmas. Drank it the night I received it. Poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Orange, tea like color that is a bit lighter on the edges. Very cloudy. Big off-white head that lasted seemingly forever. Spotty lacing.

Smell: Some floral hops, toasted wheat, bread, grains, banana, clove. Lightly sweet.

Taste: Fruity with a lot of banana and clove. A brown sugar sweetness that expands and strengthens as the beer warms. Finishes sweet with a slight bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Low carbonation. Smooth but kind of grainy at the same time. Medium to full bodied.

Drinkability: Finished the growler, if that means anything to you. I think this years Maximus was 7.7% which might be the beers only limiting factor.

Appearance - Virtually opaque tea color with sustained foamy head. Camouflage lacing.

Nose - Noticeable spice, phenolics and grape flavored Tang. I loved grape Tang as a child.

Taste - Similar to nose with earth in the finish. Sort of a chocolate and caramel flavor intermingled with everything else.

Mouthfeel - Nice due to balance of carbonation and weight.

Drinkability - High

A: Thick, super cloudy orange color with some yellow on the edges with a small head and some nice lacing.

S: Clove and orange juice.

T: Wheaty, bready, earthy (almost hoppy), spicy (cloves mainly), and some citrus.

M: Full and almost chewy with a clean alcohol finish.

D: This is like drinking a wheat beer smoothie. It is heavy and almost refreshing. I think more than two would be pushing it for me.

On tap at KoP location.

Poured a deeper and muddy-cloudy amber color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of bananas, wheaties, cloves, and citrus. Tastes of lighter wheat compared to the aromas, bananas, cloves and other spiciness., and citrus. Ovearll a decent and enjoyable Weizenbock.

The final sample at the brewpub. The drink had a murky, amber appearance with patchy lacing on the head and sides. Aromas were very rich in spiced vanilla and malts. The taste was a solid punch to the mouth of very strong vanilla/malt flavors. Sadly, it might have been a little too overpowering, but still pretty good. Mouthfeel had a creamy aspect to its medium body. Relatively light, but solid texture. Overall, an awesome wallop of a drink at that brewpub.

Very flat looking with a thick head that vanished within moments. Peachy in color. Aroma was very subtle, some sugars came through. The brewer did a good job hiding the alchol in this beer. Well balanced with lots of Belgian sugars and an adequate hop addition. Yeast is present and provides a mandarin orange flavor. Very heavy mouthfeel. Very rich--drinkable but I would fatigue from this beer fairly fast.

Appearance: Hazy dark reddish brown with a small, off-white, foamy, mostly diminishing head and some sporadic lacing.

Smell: Strong banana and clove. Bready, grainy toasted wheat, a light molasses sweetness and a hint of floral hops.

Taste: Quite strong and fruity. Very ripe banana along with prune, cider, pear, moderate wheat flavors, alcohol and brown sugar. There’s a light hop bitterness, but the finish is sweet and long in duration. It gets even sweeter as it warms up.

Mouthfeel: Full body, slightly syrupy texture, low carbonation

Drinkability: Very nice. Spicy and big. Both times I stopped in there, I wished I wasn’t driving and could have a second. Definitely worth a try.

Actually described as a "Dunkel Weizenbock" but seems like just a Weizenbock to me. I also think the abv in '05 is 7.6%...
Appears a cloudy dark brown with red traces and a fluffy off white head with plenty of scattered lacing.
Smell is spicy, with dark fruit, apple cider, banana, clove, and citrus.
Taste is spicy with ripe fruit esters and slight alcohol sting with a pleasant banana finish.
Mouthfeel is smooth with a semi dry finish and an addictive cooked fruit linger that fades into the finish.
Drinkability is really nice. I should've gotten a pitcher. This one really surprised me.

Finger licking good.

Appearance – This one poured a rather boring light orange in color and was clear. The head was rather small as well.

Smell – The big coriander and white pepper jumped clean out of the glass. The yeast was light but very stable. You could get the aroma from just about any angle. A nice, very smooth nose.

Taste – This one lightened up a bit at the taste but still held onto those classic BSPA flavors. The yeast and spicing made it to the tongue and, as the nose suggested, blended together quite well.

Mouthfeel – This one was very light in the body. It had a good, fluffy mouthfeel and some righteous carbonation but could have used a bit more substance.

Drinkability – This was a nice, delicate BSPA. It was a bit light in the ass though, especially if it’s going to use the name, “Maximus.”

Pours a slightly hazy orange-amber, topped with a one finger frothy stark white head, leaves wide bands of lacing that over time dissipate into sparse webbing.
Yeasty, peppery aroma, sweet like candy, had a wit like quality to me - wheat/floral.
Malty, sweet taste not cloying but candyish, spicy, peach.
Medium bodied, and very dry. Dangerously drinkable for the ABV.

Went to battle at Carthage with this one on 8/2/2004. Ten-ounce pour at Rock Bottom, Boston location.

Touted as a “strong Belgian ale,” the hue was light straw to neon initially, crystal clear and quiet. Halo of head and a lazy remaining skein that laced slightly as I made my way to the bottom. What I would describe as a typical American Belgian nose of soapy malt, although this may have had more to do with Rock Bottom than any previous leanings I had prior to consuming this. Some mild clover and other sweet grasses were also vaguely represented in the bouquet. Sweet, honey-like initial flavor, followed by sticky malt and understated hop, but that could have just as easily have been the chill of the pour. On the whole, a fairly nice Belgian rendition, and a surprisingly good offering from Rock Bottom.

In previous years, I might not have even stopped in, but perhaps the brewers are being given more autonomy from the front office?

Sampled on tap at the Rock Bottom Boston location where it was listed as a "strong, Belgian style ale".

This ale poured a slightly hazy (almost clear), light amber color with white foam that settled but clung to the inside of the glass a little bit. The smell was sweet and lightly malty. The taste was sweet with some candy sugar, and with a vinous flavor. There was a tanginess with some bitterness in the finish (hops? phenols?), and a light touch of fruit. The mouthfeel was sweet up front but dry in the finish. The body was medium with low carbonation. It was slightly warming. This was a decent Belgian style strong ale, but it was served too cold, and had a touch more bitterness and phenolic character than I would have preferred.

A very good rendition of a Dunkel Weiss. Not much head to speak of but a nice brownish color which should be expected for this style. Nice and cloudy. An upfront smell of malt which is real nice. This beer is pretty smooth, but it is rich. It's a big beer. And the malt profile gives away sweetness at the end of it. Drinkable given the style and alcohol content.