Dunkelwald
HammerHeart Brewing Company

 

16oz can. No dating information found.
Dark brown colored body. Pours with some good volume of light tan colored head, and this settles back to a full cap and higher ring. Leaves behind elaborate lacing webs, and the foam cap follows all the way to the bottom of the glass.
Aroma of smoked barley malt, banana, cloves, and caramel.
Taste is tangy wheat malt, smoked barley malts that bring flavors of chocolate and caramel. Other flavors of banana and spice. The smoke comes in mid-point, building up to a definite char note but this fades in the aftertaste. Good balance of sweetness, tanginess, and bitterness.
More than medium mouthfeel. Coats the mouth and tongue. Dry finish. Excellent carbonation.
The smoke is nuanced and only adds to the overall depth of the profile; the smoke is not a distraction.

16 oz can into a tall Weiss glass.
L: Pours very dark brown with a deep tobacco base color, lighter at base, fine steady carbo, a 1/2" light khaki head that has very good retention, medium-light lacing with some loose banding.
S: Smoky grains, toffee, wheat, tobacco.
T: Taste follows aroma plus a touch of yeast, light char, it is kind of pale, a hint of tobacco again, distant dark fruit notes of plum, date, a touch of brown bread with sticky sweet moist crust.
F: Smooth & clean medium bodied mouthfeel with a medium length finish that is delicate.
O: An easy drinking smooth and gently Smoky brew. Kind of lighter in body actually. It has a lovely texture and a masterful blend and balance of tastes. It's Weiss-style nature is on the receiving side. It is excellent in its style.

From a 16oz can. No date on the can.

This beer looks pretty much pitch black in the glass. I can't see any light shining through when I hold it to light. The head is 2 fingers in size. The head retention is quite good, and there's some pretty damn good lacing on the glass.
The smoke, wow. The nose has a malty smoky aroma. The smoke has a hint of sweetness to it. It remands me of a nice smelling bonfire.
Taste - Smooth biscuit malt up front. The middle is where the smoke comes into play. This smoke is a nice hint of sweetness to it. The smoke does fade slightly for a moment, and when it does, a hint of banana comes into play. The smoke does build again on the finish and has a hint of the banana sweetness to it with some chocolate notes.
The body is smooth and has a nice fullness to it. The feeling of the smoke does linger in my throat.
Wow, I am just in awe of this beer. The malts and smoke just work together so damn well.

i am almost positive i have not seen a smoked dunkel before, but i dont know why not, it makes perfect sense, i wish i thought of that. the execution here is great, and its nice that its a little stronger than is traditional in the style, it supports and balances the smoke better. great malt base to this, a little roast and toast, some nuts and bananas too, a little earthy clove type spice, some cool dried fruitiness as well, the grain and yeast coming together well. i think even without this smoke this would be a great brew, but the smoke takes it to the next level, at times giving it a burnt bitterness, at other times a more elegant bruleed sort of caramelized element thats so nice with the grain, and finally a little earthiness to balance the fruit tones from the yeast, its brilliant. subtle plantain, cognac, tobacco, and bananas foster. copper and minerals late too, lots of body, and a little sweet warmth at the end. a more mild smoke complexion than they have been known for, but i think it flatters this very unique brew. i love these guys!

At the brewery...looks like it is 7.2% not 8.2. Little to no head or lacing but beautiful dark brown black color. The smoke is moderate on this one and complements the flavors beautifully. Starts out with smoke and woody notes, then warm bread and toasted grain, a faint hint of chocolate, and some dry banana that lingers...all of this complemented with some light earthy yeast notes...everything works together perfectly. Excellent beer.

 

 

One of the best craft breweries in Minnesota. Can lump all of their brews in one category...GREAT! The Dunkelwald is one of my favorites. I will leave all of the "Beer Lingo" to the experts out there. All I know is it tastes really good.

 

 

750 ml mini growler from the brewery. Poured into a Hammerheart tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours midnight black with a moderate amount of bubbles. Slight finger of light tan head which settles into a thin creamy layer.

Smell: A smokey and toasty malt driven aroma with a scent of smoke, biscuit, and dried fruit. Upfront scent of smoked malt with some oak. Wheat with hints of grains, biscuit, toast, cracker, and chocolate with yeast. Good hints of dried banana and some slight apple. Some clove spicing. Subtle earthy hops. A very nice aroma.

Taste: Like the nose gives off, a smokey and toasty malt forward taste with notes of smoke, biscuit, and dried fruit. Good presence of smoke along with some oak. Wheat with notes of biscuit, grains, toast, chocolate, and cracker with some yeast. Dried fruit tones of banana and apple. Spice notes of clove. Light earthy hops. A pretty good taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Creamy, silky, and smooth.

Overall: A very good smokey Dunkelweizen. Nice blend of smoke and oak with the subtle dried fruit and clove flavor.

 

Pig n Fiddle, pours bright dark brown. The brewer uses a lighter hand with the smoke achieving nice balance between the hefeweizen phenolics and esters and the smoke with the darker malts providing a little seasoning.

Appearance: Black, good head.

Smell: Smoky ash, hint of spice.

Taste: Starts with a mild sweetness, then smoky like a smoldering bed of leaves. Smoke rolls in and lingers in the finish. I can't really distinguish weizen flavors in it.

Overall: Took home a 750mL mini-growler for review. This is another well-made smoky beer from Hammerheart. I heard this had an even larger portion of smoked malts than usual but other than the smoky finish being longer I couldn't tell a huge difference. Good stuff.