Magic Hat Batch 371 (Dunkelweizen)

Excellent flavor! Great beer. Another fine creation by Magic Hat. Hope they stick with it.

Very enjoyable. Thick, rich, extremely wheaty and hearty with gobs of malt and a well-hidden 6% abv. What’s not to love. Enjoyed at NYC’s BrewTopia fest.

This is a great beer. The appearance int he head is good, the color, a brownish shade, nice. It has a nice aroma and great taste. The after taste is also not too shabby.

draft... On draft at American Flatbread. According to Brewmaster, Todd Haire, this will also be the Fall released Saint Gootz. Appears a dark caramel toned cloudy brown with a lush white head and solid, sticky white lacing. Smells of dark apple, banana, and rich caramel with a hint of spice. I believe the Brauerei Weihenstephan yeast is used for this and it comes through. Taste is of well blended dark wheat with banana, and a hint of spiced apples mixed with a nice breadiness that is superb. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with sweetness and a touch of tartness and hoppy bitterness coming through. Slight fizz on the front of the tongue slides throughout the palate into a mild hoppy bitterness and an even slight sourness that is similar to a sour dough. Drinkability is great. Have one on draft and you’ll want a pitcher for yourself. A well done and authentic Dunkel! bottle... Appears a murky caramel brown with a decent 3 finger tan head that lasts for a minute or so. Tiny bits of lacing slide into the little tan collar. I’m not sure if this is bottle conditioned or if the yeast just fell out of suspension in the bottle. Smell is of caramel, banana bread, clove, and a hint of spiced apple dipped in chocolate. Again, I can detect the Weihenstephaner yeast that jumps this up a notch just for an American brewery being able to pull it off somewhat in a bottle. Taste is of the same smells that seem to hold together nicely. The breadiness that I remember having on draft seems to have mellowed out considerably in the bottle but there is still a nice spiciness and caramel and creme sweetness to this brew. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with a decent amount of carbonation. There could be a slight bit more but overall it seems to do a decent job of complimenting these kick ass German flavors jumping out of a bottle live and direct from the Green Mountains’ pride and joy. Drinkability is good. I enjoyed this much more on draft, as expected but this baby didn’t really let me down in the bottle either. This style is not an easy one to put in a bottle, especially from an American brewery. Todd was unsure how this would turn out in the bottles but I think that this is a definite "rave" and not "grave" beer. Sure, it could use slight adjustments, especially in the carbonation department but think of how many American breweries are cranking out this style and making it actually taste good. The only one I’ve had better in a bottle is New Glarus’ version of the same style but this isn’t too far behind...and it’s made in the good ol’ U.S. of A!

This beer was once only found in a Magic Hat variety pack, but is now a year round beer called St. Gootz. A dunkle weizen by style, this beer is a decent domestic example of the style. Pours to a hazy, deep caramel color, with a tall, thick, rocky, white head, and a vibrant carbonation. The nose on this beer is nice with aromas of sweet malt, carmel, and esters of banana and clove. The plate is firm, with good sweet malt and caramel flavors, paired with some tart wheat malt flavor, and esters of plum. This beer finishes with more good wheat malt and caramel flavor up front, then ends with some spicy clove that lingers. Tasty dunkle hefe. A nice beer to have with a hearty meal, and a nice after work beer, or aperitif beer before a meal.