Baron Uber-Weisse

Brewed by Baron Brewing & Lunar Brewing
Style: Weizen Bock
Seattle, Washington USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Stein, Weizen

A fairly solid pour into my 25cl tulip glass yields an almost three-finger thick, lightly browned, dark tan colored head. The beer is quite dark, almost black with perhaps a touch of purple / brown to it; when held up to the light the beer shows a lightly hazy, dark plum-purple color. As I pour this the characteristic Weizen notes of banana and clove are noticed, but are wrapped up in a rich, sweet, caramelized malt character. A more focused look at the aroma does not seem quite as decadent and produces scents of toasted / roasted grain, a touch of raisin, some acidic burnt grain notes, a touch of Dr. Pepper and some light prune. The aroma is a bit less rich than I had hoped, but is still pretty decent.

Lightly tart up front, but then gets even more tart through the finish as an acid character from the roast malt kicks in. The beer is quite dry with almost zero sweetness and the body is even pretty darn light; this drinks like a beer that is far lower in alcohol. The roast malt plays a pretty big role here with notes of cold black coffee, well toasted grain, a touch of burnt chocolate and some bitter roast grain. At times flavors of banana are noticeable in almost a phantom like way; it comes and goes and seems to be more induced by the aroma than the flavor. There is actually some sweetness here that is accentuated by flavors of prune / plum, clove and banana, but it gets so quickly overwhelmed by the acidic, roast grain character that it is too fleeting to be really enjoyed.

I don’t think this is infected (being so dry and tart one might think that), as it does not really have any off flavors. It is quite an interesting interpretation of the style though, one that just doesn’t quite work for me. I would really like to see more rich malt / grain character here, a bit of sweetness (though not too much) would also help to balance the roast character that comes off as a bit too harsh here. In a word, unbalanced. Not horrible though, as all the right flavors seem to be here, just not at the right level / intensity.

Purchased: Liquid Solutions

Bottle from Liquid Solutions in Portland. Dark brown color with a decent multifinger light tan head. Aroma is acetic honey? Medium body with creamy carbonation. It’s tart. Dark roasted grain, a bit chalky. Banana now & then. Finishes dry and clean. Dark chocolate notes. Seeems to be spicy hop as well, or perhaps light clove.

Wheat toast, roast malt maple aromas. A managed sourness with notes of chocollate & green apple. Opaque dark brown with dark tan head thin but lingering

pours a dark brown with a ruby head when held to the light, thin tan head.
smell of molasses, cocoa, wheat, hint of caramel.
taste is thick, dark fruit, caramel, chocolate, bread dough, finishes dry with a just a little touch of bitterness.

Bottle. Pours dark brown with thin head. Aroma is chocolate and malt, taste is slightly fruity and spicy. Not a fan.

Date: 06/21/2008
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

Appearance: dark brown, wispy tan head,
Aroma: rich chocolate aroma with dark caramel kept dry lots of earthyness,
Flavor: rich malt flavor, dark caramel is as dry in the flavor as the aroma due the the big earthy character, light tartness, hint of banana adds the only hope for sweetness, light bitter and earthy finish,

Aroma: 5/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 5/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 10/20
Rating: 2.6/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: *4

Appearance: Pours a clear, dark brown body with a thinning -- aww, it’s gone! -- off-white head. Smell: Chocolately nose, though mild, with notes of malted wheat, bananas, coriander. Taste: Wheat malt coated in a dusty shell of chocolate. Restrained sweetness overall. A small taste of both coriander and banana. Slight tart fruitiness. Light hop bitterness. Finishes a bit thin. Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: "Eh" really sums it up. A modest start, though nothing that cannot be improved upon.

Bottle thanks to 5000: Pours a hazy dark copper mahogany with a thin-lacing spotty off-white head. Aroma of sweet biscuity dark caramel malts and peppery clove character with good German yeastiness. Body starts fairly full and caramely sweet with a buttery lightly tart character before the toasty finish. Somewhat true to style, but needs some refinement.