Stowe Style - Dunkelweizen
von Trapp Brewing

A: appears opaque and very dark brown, but if held to the light, it's crystal clear with mahogany highlight; a 1 finger finely pored light tan head that receded to a skim cap with a moderate tight collar; nice lacing;

S: pumpernickel bread first, then banana and clove;

T: bittersweet chocolate and moderately roasted grain; slightly acrid; nicely balanced; mild bitterness at the end;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; dry finish;

O: a great food beer;

 

 

Rich dark mahogany highlights compliment the clear, dark brown beer (SRM 35-37). A two inch, khaki head forms a tight foam that lasts several minutes. The head slowly fades to a thick blanket, leaving patchy lace on a Weihenstephan weizen glass.

Roasted malt opens with a light presence followed by toasted pumpernickel.

The flavor has light clove and no banana. Bitterness and sweetness are both mild. Pumpernickel and Hazelnuts form the primary middle ground. The finish is long and mild.

It has a medium body and the texture of soft Jersey cotton. Carbonation is light, while the alcohol is as labeled.

This made for a pleasant afternoon beer. The can states "Best By 14 July 2024". This was, nevertheless, not the Dunkelweizen I had expected.

Poured from the can into a pokal style glass.

Chestnut brown, with touches of dark burnt red hues along the edges. Lovely pinhead sized rising carbonation that is just mocha dark enough that you can see it cutting through the body. Creamed topped head, rich and lush to dig a spoon in at three easy fingers. Manages a somewhat island puck as well while settling with some ring like lacing to match with the lightest khaki color. Real impressive looker.

Great nose. Crispy whaffer chocolate and a walloping banana ester that is massive. Dry and exceptionally clean smelling with shaved chocolate pieces that just come from all over. Hints of almost smoke like malt and pine burnt needless as well, making for a real impressive experience.

Good solid palate, not great. Light bodied but decent backbone of malt even if hinting wet. Clean sensing with almost a mineral touch but does push more milk chocolate angles with lighter banana flavor. Doesn't quite get into rich density feeling or sensations of bready and dark classic flavors. Sticks mostly to basics and gets it done.

Comes with a slightly letdown quality after the looks and aroma, but it's still solid for what it is.

It's very pretty, a coppery garnet color when held up to the light. The head is big and fluffy, slow to fade to lumpy lace.

I smell bananas, brown bread, some cocoa, and maybe a hint of maple. That last could be the power of suggestion though.

This tastes as the smell suggests it should, with the maple coming on a bit stronger. It isn't my favorite example of the style but I wish I had more. Fresh, high quality dunkelweizen is way too hard to find.

Appearance - chestnut brown body with tan head

Smell - caramel, maple, baked banana bread, clove

Taste - Clove, caramel, hint of maple, baked banana bread

Mouthfeel - medium bodied, medium carbonation, slight sweetness from the caramel, spiciness from the clove lingers on the back end

Overall - I like this, a style that isn't being done a ton by American brewers and this one here is more than respectable. Worth a shot for fans of the style.

Price Point - $13.99/ 4 pack 16 oz cans

 

 

This one's pretty looking and pretty tasty. Smells great, but no real maple in the aroma. Similarly with the flavor, no maple detected after having this on a clean palate on separate occasions. That's a shame as a touch of sweet and the flavor of maple would make this one a banger. Overall, good as-is tho.

Can BB: 07/14/24

L: The beer pours a medium to deep amber color with good clarity. The pour gives three fingers of khaki head with excellent retention leaving a mass of foam on the glass as the beer goes down. This is a beautiful beer.

S: Banana, light notes of clove, a touch of brown sugar, and a rich malty character.

T: Banana, roasted wheat, a touch of malty sweetness, a note of black tea, and earthy clove mixing with a hint of maple syrup on the backend and finish. On whole this one has a refreshing bitterness. As the beer opens up I begin to detect delicate impressions of dark fruit and a subtle yeast character.

F: Medium body with medium plus carbonation. The mouthfeel is smooth, but sticky with the beer coating and permeating the palate after quaffing a bit less than half the glass.

O: I am admittedly not into weizenbiers, but this one won me over as the normally off putting banana character mixes well here with the rich roasty malt character, earthy clove, black tea, and subtle maple syrup. This one does have a touch of malty sweetness, but this is cut nicely by the more bitter aspects achieving a nice light bitterness. The maple syrup is present but not sweet. Is this a world class beer? I am going to say that yes it is. It's two amazing breweries at the top of their game innovating and producing a truly original beer. Highly recommended!

Pours a nut brown color with a thin layer of head. The nose has light notes of crusty rye bread. There is a mild roasted malt quality to the flavor profile. I'm not getting any hints of maple in the nose or the flavor. The finish is slightly and oddly sour and the body is light even for this style.

This brew checked all the boxes for me. It’s right there with Weihenstephaner who in my humble opinion sets the standard.

Stowe Style: Dunkelweizen - from von Trapp. 16 fl oz can purchased from Franklin Beer Co, Franklin, PA, 24/04/24, $ 3.00 (Including tax), $ 0.188/fl oz. Reviewed 05/05/24 (Review 3270). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped across the bottom rim “BEST07/15??”. Stored in reefer at the distributor, 34 degrees at home. Served at 45.1 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 50.3 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), clear.
Body – Ruby Brown (SRM 24), opaque. Under direct light. When rear-lite, translucent ruby.
Head – Large (Maximum 6.1 cm, aggressive center pour), beige, high density, average retention, leaving a 0.6 – 1.5 cm crown and rocky cap.
Lacing – Fair. Butte of tiny bubbles.
Aroma – 4.25 – Banana! No yeast, no hops, no alcohol (5.5 % ABV as marked on the label).
Flavor – 4.25 – Banana with a bit of roasted/toasted malt and hints of clove. Weak smokiness. Disappointingly no maple. No yeast, no hops, no alcohol. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Medium; creamy; lively carbonation.
Final Impression and summation: 4.25 Tasty! A very good dunkelweizen.

Overall… superb. Exceptionally sessionable. Light, roasty, caramelly, wheaty, lovely maple, faint whispers of dark fruit, malt and yeast and spice.

Enjoying this spring ‘24. Excited at the prospect of this as an autumn beer. A dark maple wheat beer like this round a bonfire with good company during harvest will just about cure whatever ails ya.

Cheers.

 

(16 oz can, best (by?) 07/14/24; purchased single off shelf at Total Wine today... poured into my Human Robot Tubinger mug)

L: tight, cratered, rouge-tanned foam atop a relatively clear, dark ruby-garnet colored liquid... broken cap remains, swole collar, but little lace

S: toasty, over-roasty nutty banana bread for days... just fantastic in all ways... flourishes of dry-roasted meats and earthy whole-cone noble hops

T: roasted edge of the grain hits first, then the banana-rama, but with the herbal, grainy robustitudes revving up in the finish; over-baked and browned banana bread crust in the aftertaste with an earthy bitter bite buzzing away... not getting much maple arguably outside of leafy, woody phenolics... tastes like a dunkel lager / dunkelweizen hybrid of sorts, mostly due to the extra oompf of the bready (not doughy) overtones of the malt (4.375)

F: more or less on point, a little thin, a little fuzzy, dry but gummy in the finish... drier as the palate rests in between sips, but a subtle smoky agitation simmers on the roof of the mouth, curling around to the back of the nostrils, just hanging

O: BA tally #2300 (though two recent reviews did not register)... didn't pick this up on my recent trip to VT, but this review is commemorating that visit (during which I did go to von Trapp)... this is a good example of this style, however, it lacks the overarching, underlying doughy dominance I anticipate; this has more of a pumpernickel-ous, brown bread crusty bun thing that begs for greasy pale meat pairings... I'll buy it again though for sure (2302)

Poured into a Ritzenhoff Hefeweizen glass. Pours a deep amber with a dense foamy head. Hefeweizen aroma perfectly married with a dark roasted malt aroma with a hint of maple syrup. Slightly bitter but sweet flavor. Tannic mouthfeel with delicate carbonation. Overall. I think von Trapp and Tröegs nailed it with this one!