Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel

Quality German dunkelweizen. For once I had exactly the right glassware because the nice bloke at Camperdown Cellars chucked in a free Franziskaner half-litre stein when he realised I was serious about beer. This presented beautifully: muddy brown with a lavish caffe latte head and great retention. Lots of yeast in the aroma, plus cocoa powder and some hefe bubblegum and banana. Medium bodied at the front of the mouth but slimming in the swallow. Generally smooth but perhaps a bit spritzy for the style. Very quenching. Restrained flavour mix with wheat malt dominating. There’s chocolate and banana, followed by pepper and very pronounced clove finish. Very easy drinking and very sessionable, I’d wager. (500ml bottle from Camperdown Cellars, Darlinghurst. Best before Feb 07)

Sampled today (on draught) at Mecklenburg Gardens in Cincinnati... Cloudy dark brown color with a large, dense ivory head. Aroma is roasty malt (caramel) and a bit of orange citrus. Flavor is caramelized wheat with a little orangy banana and clove in the background. The carbonation is a bit more reserved in the Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel than it is in the regular Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier. Mouthfeel is quite smooth. This is a very satisfying beer and an excellent mix between a wonderful German Hefe and a rich, malty dark lager.

Nice dark brown but you can tell it does not have the heft of a porter or stout. A nice twist on a wheat beer. The malts add some great flavor but it still retains the hefe refershingness.

Draft at Ludwig’s Garten in Philly. Solid beer. Tasted what it should be.

Bottle. Mostly banana throughout, but there’s also a nice progression through a whole bunch of spicy malty flavours.

Pours a murky brown colour with a longlasting off-white head. Roasted malty aroma with some hints of bananas and yeast. The wheat flavor is abundant without being overpowering.

Nice dark color with a rich, persistant head. Malty/wheaty flavors with lower levels of all the esters(banana and clove) of the original. Nice D-Weiz.

Poured a medium orange color. Good strong thick head with good head retention. Aroma was a bit of a rusty wheat smell . The flavor was spicy with a hint of fruit. A good dark(dunkel) wheat(weiss) beer.