Plank Hefeweizen

Brewed by Brauerei Plank Laaber
Style: German Hefeweizen
Laaber, Germany

Serve in Weizen

Plank is another of the small, family owned traditional weissbier breweries that has finally made its way to U.S. shores from its small town home in Bavaria. Located just west of Regensburg in Laaber, this 16th generation brewery has won gold at the past 4 World Beer Cups and was awarded "Small Brewer of the Year" in 2006. Their weissbier is a little darker than the macro versions that many Americans are used to, but the additional body holds up well during import. The head is soft and fluffy and the taste is balanced, with hints of the traditional banana/clove without being overwhelming. The mouthfeel is full, soft and slightly fruity. This is an outstanding traditional weissbier! Serving type: bottle

UPDATED: APR 8, 2008 Sampled form 16.9 oz brown bottle this beer poured a dark golden color with a huge yellow-white head. The aroma was sweet and yeasty with moderate notes of citrus and a hint of banana. The flavor was sweet, yeasty and a bit musty with noted of citrus, banana and bubblegum. The finish was long, sweet and yeasty. Excellent!

50 cl. bottle on 3/14/08. Massive white frothy head burst forth from a hazy gold pour, maintaining a notable presence for quite a while. Aroma is dominated by yeast, and the fruit esters are more subtle here than other more assertive examples. Spicy notes are quite subdued as well. Smooth, medium body and lively effervescence match up well to produce a satisfying, yet clean mouthfeel. Honey and light fruit flavors balance well with a very soft and gentle bitterness. An undercurrent of light sourness adds another dimension, and helps with a dry finish. A very well balanced and understated hefe, beautifully crafted.easily drinkable, and refreshing.

16.9 oz bottle poured into a weizen glass. A classic example of the style. Aroma and taste is fantastic banana clove, wheat and mild hops. What makes this stand out is the slightly more malt they use. It creates a darker color and the malt gives it a bit more body. This won two gold medals ( 2006 and 2008) for a reason. I dream of the day I can get this on tap. FANTASTIC hefe.

50cL bottle guzzled on 8/24/07. Pours a deep cloudy almost copper color with some of the sexiest head I’ve ever seen on a Hefe, quite a few chunks though. Nice and banana-y with noticeable bitterness in the finish. Damn refreshing for those 90F days with 85% humidity.

Looks good enough with a fluffy white head. Aroma is plenty banana. Creamy smooth palate with a nice touch of spicy hops. This shit is really good. I lie the fact that its not too sweet.

2007 (assumed) bottle from Downeast Beverages, drunk on 8/4/07
Big, creamy, white head is rocky and leaves moderate lacing. Pale golden color has hay and maize tints, with tiny bubbles and plentiful sediment on the bottom. Clarity is medium to medium-high (I dont mix the sediment in). Strong retention.
Lovely crisp, hoppy, light nose is full of vivacious herbs and spices, with strong wheat character and only minimal bubble gum. It seems like a light take on the style, but that’s fine and all the more enjoyable because the light aroma notes (soft spices/herbs, light esters and clean water) are all abundant. Very minimal vanilla, and mostly a light, somewhat grainy barley character to the base malts, with moderate sweetness. No alcohol or flaws.
Highly effervescent carbonation for the style, especially being that it’s bottled, though manageably tight, really helps sap the sweetness and highlights a flavorful mineral element to the beer, with succulent spices emanating from the hops (lemongrass, starfruit, wildflowers, lilacs) and a surprising lack of wheat blandness/chewiness/heaviness (whatever you want to call it). The malts are fresh and grainy, adding to the crisp, dry, drinkable nature of the beer. With warming, honey-cream sweetness emerges, in moderation, to give a bit more substance/body to the beer, as the carbonation simultaneously subsides. Clove and banana are present but modest. Terrific yeast! Much like Weihenstephaner’s. Can’t wait to try the others from Plank!

Bottle. Deep golden in color with a nice fluffy white head. Fruity banana clove bready aroma. Malty earthy caramel notes. Banana and spicy clove flavor. Medium bodied. Finish is spicy. Smooth tasting. Very drinkable.