Hefeweissbier Dunkel
Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan

dunkel_weizen from Oregon

4.42/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Unkown age bottle poured into a pint glass. The color is a rich and thick burnt orange, with a really good cream white head and excellent crown and lacing. The nose is nutty, funky wheat, sweet cream, and cinnamon or rye bread. The flavor evolves from funky banana and bread up front, transitioning to the aforementioned nuts and spices, ending with a flourish of lingering sweet cream. The body is very rich, thick, and full, and the beer finishes neither wet nor dry.

This is a absolutley fantastic beer of my personal favorite style that I wish was more common. Beautiful!

Today at 02:49 AM

kevanb from Illinois

4.26/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle, no discernable date but "0040" stamped on the reverse label, poured into a stemless wine glass.

The beer pours a murky honey amber color, orange and copper hues with a foamy white head, about two fingers tall with modest retention and spots of lacing. The aroma is quite nice, lots of grain, a nice wheaty tang, lots of fruity yeast, clove and banana, a bit of citrus with some bubblegum as well. The flavors are nice, floral yeast with some light banana, a touch of orange peel, allspice and plenty of lingering wheat. The mouthfeel is good, super lively yet smooth medium body, coats well with an effortless finish.

Verdict: A very nice Dunkelweizen from Weihenstephaner. Simple, classic flavor profile that is so well balanced and well expressed that it's hard to go wrong. A surprisingly refreshing beer.

Wednesday at 10:41 PM

DanO1066 from Maryland

4.1/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Draught 750ml at The Brass Tap here in Baltimore while watching the DFB Pokal Final⚽️ - Alas no wurst!

Murky light brown w/a vanishing white head, leaving a ring, some lacing & wisps of a cap. Faint nose of banana & malt. More of both, and perhaps some caramel on the tongue. Medium body w/reasonable level of carbonation. Definitely, sessionable.

Jul 04, 2020

Mindcrime1000 from South Dakota

4.4/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bloody hell. Ok. Let me compose myself.

Pours a hazed but not cloudy medium amber with an outstanding three-fingered foamy head that lingers well.

Excellent aromas. Very mild banana. Slightly stronger bubblegum. A bit more clove. More general malt sweetness opens up as the brew warms.

The brew hits the tongue with. Everything. Malt sweetness, with just a hint of caramel on the tip of the tongue. After a simple beginning, the mid-palate is awash with a variety of flavors. Clove, banana bread, raisin, brown sugar, white grape, white pepper/yeast. Some understated but unmistakable pine-nut flavor lurks in the background. And then, tart wheat manifested in some green apple flavor arrives at the finish.

The brew is down the middle medium bodied. Lively but not overpowering carbonation. Finishes clean and crisp without drying. Just the right balance. A remarkably drinkable darker brew.

Is there a better wheat lager out there? Maybe. Am I going to go looking for it? No. If it falls in my lap, so be it. This is simply spectacular.

Jun 20, 2020

faraday326 from California

4.06/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a nice hazy nut brown. The smell is the yeasty/wheat with decent caramel sweetness and hints of the citrus. The flavor is a very smooth mix of the toasted malty-sweetness with the wheat and yeast typical of these kinds of beers. It fades into the light spice notes like cloves and coriander.

Jun 17, 2020

BJB13 from Maryland

4.21/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

500 ml bottle poured into a weizen glass.

Hazy. Deep-aged mahogany in color with a big four finger rocky head that is cream-white. The nose is slightly roasty, with aromas of bread crust, caramel and banana. Taste is much the same with added flavors of wheat toast and a touch of bitter-sweet chocolate. The body is smooth and medium weight with a bit of crisp edge to it. Very good.

My first Dunkelweizen. It’s interesting how flavors usually found in porters and stouts have a such a different value in wheat beer.

Jun 06, 2020

OK_Denise from Oklahoma

4.29/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

This is a really tasty Dunkelweizen bier. I can see why it is ranked #1 in the style. It has the right balance of malt, hops, and feel and really is top notch. I like it a lot, obviously. Try this bier, and you will like it!

May 17, 2020

Darkmagus82 from Texas

4.11/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a 500 ml bottle into a tulip glass
Appearance – The beer pours a murky orange brown color with a thick and persistent one finger head of off white foam. The head is incredible in retention, only fading after quite a few minutes, while leaving tons of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is very strong of a banana and clove smell mixed with a decent showing of a wheat bread and a bit of nutmeg. Along with these smells comes some sweeter smells of caramel and a bit of a harvest fruit smell as well as some hay and a bit of grass.
Taste – The taste begins with a nice dry lightly toasted wheat bread taste that is accompanied by a little bit of a caramel malt and a rather sizable showing of a banana flavor. There is a moderate sum of yeast, clove and nutmeg upfront as well, with this mix of beginning flavors remaining rather constant throughout. The only flavor exception is that of a caramel flavor, which gets replaced by some harvest fruit and almost grape like tastes as the taste advances. All the while a bit more graininess and some hay comes to the tongue and with the rest leaves one with a moderately dry, lightly wheat toasted and clean taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is slightly thinner with a carbonation level that is average. For the wheat bread and slightly darker nature of the brew I would have liked a little bit more body and a little less carbonation as I think the flavors would have been better accentuated. Overall, however the feel was OK.
Overall – A rather tasty Hefe Dunkel with a nice balance of roast, wheat, yeast and spice. Well crafted and rather well deserved of its high reputation!

May 08, 2020

rapayn01 from Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -18%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I like Munich Dunkel, but am less sold on this style. I bought a (500 ml?) bottle of this beer at World Market in mid-November 2019 and was a bit surprised at the amount of banana in the flavor. I prefer roasted coffee/chocolate flavors.

May 04, 2020

Thomas_Wikman from Texas

4.43/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Look: amber to light brown with a thick and fluffy slightly off-white head

Aroma: bananabread, some yeast

Taste: The flavor is sweet, banana bread, nuts, clove, maybe caramel too.

Body/Overall: medium body, it is quite delicious.

May 04, 2020

maltmaggot

4.25/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Dark caramel honey aspect and creamy white head

Scents of spices, toffee, bread, christmas pudding, bananas

Flavor is reminiscent of ripe banana, gingerbread, and stollen, caramelized sugar, apple pie

Texture is perfect for the style, medium elasticity and smooth bite

All in all, an interesting beer. A work of art. I could drink this all the time without wearing it out.

Mar 26, 2020

Roguer from Georgia

4.08/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Big, fluffy, cream-colored head; patchy and bubbly; great retention and production, and nice initial lacing. Body is a dark amber, far darker than a regular Hefe, but much lighter than a Dunkel lager.

Nose is light and delicate, with minor notes of clove, bread, and honey. Nothing is particularly dominant, but it's a pleasant aroma.

Sweeter and creamier on the palate. There's a bit of a caramel taffy flavor from the darker malt, and moderate notes of banana, clove, honey, and bread. The lightest touch of hops provide balance but no bitterness.

Smooth and creamy mouthfeel, just shy of chewy. Virtually no sting but lively enough; you can savor this on the palate, or gulp it - if that's your preference.

A tricky, interesting style, and while my personal preference would include more tones from roasted and/or toasted malt, the overall presentation is flawless. It's a delicious beer, and even in the big bottle format, it never grows tiresome. It's a joy to drink.

Mar 22, 2020

HorseheadsHophead from New York

4.57/5  rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Cloudy, translucent dark brown with a huge foamy white head. Great retention and lacing.

Smells like overripe banana, banana bread, clove, allspice, apple and toffee.

Tastes like ripe banana/banana bread, cooked sweet red apple/apple pie, pumpernickel bread, and clove.

Medium-light but fluffy and smooth mouthfeel.

Mar 17, 2020

Anders91 from California

4.37/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Look: a nice mahogany brown, with a medium white head

Smell: banana, wheat, toasted malt

Taste: follows the nose, make sure to allow the beer to warm enough to allow the banana to come through

Feel: smooth

Jan 30, 2020

Spellogue from Ohio

4.65/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Another great one in the Weihenstephaner line-up.

Fine hazy amber presentation with a big airy off-white head. Leaves a bit of spotty lacing on the glass.

Aromas are esthery, meaty, hints of banana and clove up front.

Flavor is, in my opinion, the most “banan nut bread”-like of all of Weihenstephaner’s beers. Quite bready, with straight up walnut, nutmeg, and clove tastes. Not the most complex wheat beer, but true to style with rich elegance on the palate.
Mouthfeel is creamy, velvety, yet clear. Coats the tongue with a slight saponin tone.
Aftertaste is all kinds of banana-nut with honeyed, deglet date highlights. Lingering.
Doesn’t have the depth of character the the Vitus or the Original have, but a solid and satisfying bier in a way few others are.

Jan 28, 2020

MNAle from Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Aroma is classic hefewiezen, banana, clove, somewhat sweet.

Brown, clear, plenty of carbonation beneath a slightly off-white-tanish, tall, thick head, receding slowly to a volcanic-dome shaped top surrounded by a wall of thick lacing.

Taste is very mild. As with the aroma, banana and clove. Solid sweetish malts.

Feel is thin toward moderate, with less carbonation on the tongue than expected given the visible bubbles.

Finish is dry tending toward sweet, with a good flavor lingering into the aftertaste.

Overall, this was a pleasant, enjoyable weizen, but not quite up to its #1 rank to my taste.

The date code indicates it was bottled on March 28, 2019, so about 8 months old. Perhaps it is past its prime.

Dec 02, 2019

laketang from Illinois

4.35/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I think rust brown best describes the look, and great foam head with good retention. Sweet malty smell, roasty, bread dough, yeasty,cinnamon aspect.
I like it's malty smoothness but low bitterness, roasty quality and overall great taste.

Oct 26, 2019

TreyIsWilson from Michigan

4.23/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A - Pours a lightly hazed amber with a large sturdy off white head. Nice amount of sticky lacing.

S - Aroma is banana, clove and caramel,

T - The taste is banana, figs, clove, caramel, brown bread and pale malts.

M - Medium body with medium carbonation. Creamy mouthfeel with a soft dry finish.

O - Classic dunkelweizen.

Oct 25, 2019

RayCannata from Louisiana

3.93/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Been a few weeks. And I'm not a real experienced with hefeweiss / dunkels. But this is my favorite German wheat beer. To my taste, very nicely balanced. Smooth but with alot of complex flavor.

Oct 05, 2019

Lanas from Greece

4.02/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

This beer has anything i want from one beer.. The taste is very heavy and has massive carbon inside.. Also after some seconds you feel some weird taste in your month.. Is like between bitter and sweat the taste and i find amazing the feeling..
Overall a very poweful beer to drink.. It is similar beer with "Paulaner", "Erdinger" ect.. But perhaps this one is the best of the kind..

Sep 14, 2019

GreesyFizeek from New York

4.61/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

On tap at Tap and Mallet in Rochester, NY.

This one pours a golden amber brown color, with a big fluffy and tight white head, and tons of lacing.

This smells like caramel, citrus, banana, baked bread, clove, wheat, and grassy hop bitterness.

This is absolutely wonderful, and a near perfect (if not actually perfect) example of this style. It tastes so crisp and clean, with an excellent and perfectly executed malt character - caramel, toasted and lightly spiced bread, with that clean and not-overwhelming spicy/clove and banana yeast character. There's just a slight touch of grassy and tea-like hops, as well.

This is full bodied, super drinkable, and really crisp, and just does down so easily.

It doesn't really get better than this absolute classic. If you don't like this - you don't like beer.

Sep 07, 2019

angrybabboon from Massachusetts

4.42/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Consumed 7/9/19

A: Dark copper from a distance, rich tones of burnt orange and caramel when held near night - lightly hazy - pours with a a gigantic light beige head, slowly fades to a medium cap and leaves walls of lacing

S: Ripe banana esters from the hefe yeast - caramel grains and straight-up caramel - roasty malts and some more caramelization, hints of molasses and toffee - some touches of spice - biscuits and banana bread - some notes of wheat - some lightly grassy hops

T: Delicately and expertly balanced - range of malty flavors, including caramel grain, pale malts, wheat, wheat bread, biscuits - range of lightly sweet notes, including caramel, molasses, and toffee - some clove - lots of banana, somewhat banana-bread like at points - light, mildly grassy bitterness - not too sweet overall, well-attenuated - finishes clean

M: Medium-light body, crisp but simultaneously a touch creamy, medium carbonation

O: Dunked!

I have been posting reviews on Beeradvocate since 2011, and this is somehow the first Dunkelweizen I have ever reviewed. Huh. I guess I picked a good place to start.

Jul 09, 2019

Beer_Right_Back from Arizona

3.68/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours how we expected: lighter than a dunkel, but darker than a hefeweizen/weissbier, and opaque. Huge carbonation. Flavor leans into the hefeweizen much harder than the dunkel, with very subtle malt flavor mainly in the aftertaste. But what a great hefeweizen flavor! Aroma is fantastic, typical banana/clove/yeast smell, all also present in the flavor.

Jun 30, 2019

Bluecrow from New York

4.16/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Mahogany bottle pour with 2 cm tan head and an aroma of sweet malt and allspice. The flavor is bready malt and caramel with woody hop notes. This is full-bodied and quite pleasant.

Jun 16, 2019

Dr_Gonzo from Kentucky

4.27/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a tall clear pint glass. Body has a deep caramel/mahogany color, a mixture of orange, red, and brown. Many bubbles, very thick creamy tan head with good retention and lacing.

Aroma has very noticeable sweet roasted malts. Notes of caramel, clove, banana, spices, toffee, yeast, and nuts. Grassy hops and sweet smelling. Also subtle cinnamon, banana bread, and maybe some peaches.

Roasted malts, nuts, and grassy hops go hand-in-hand together well. Not as sweet as the aroma may suggest, and is rather subdued, allowing a more traditional flavor to prosper. Body is medium. Overall, a full-feeling and tasting German lager.

Jun 16, 2019