Plank Heller Weizenbock

Brewed by Brauerei Plank Laaber
Style: Weizen Bock
Laaber, Oberpfalz/Bayern, Germany

Bottle (gusher!). Head is initially large, frothy, off-white, mostly lasting. Body is hazy dark yellow, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (toasted bread, cookie), lightly to moderately yeasty (cobwebs, cobwebs, cobwebs!), with notes of clove, banana, Juicy Fruit gum, mint, lemon pie, old wood. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, watery/velvety texture, lively carbonation, lightly alcoholic. A beautiful golden alternative to the dunkler weizenbock. I’m not gonna type as much about this one, but rest assured the things that I loved about the Dunkler are here as well (they’re very very similar other than a few obvious aspects in the aroma). Highly carbonated sample (it’s bottle conditioned after all) but some swirling took care of that. So clean and balanced and...all right, all right. Just read the other weizenbock rating if you really care. I can’t wait to try the Hefeweizen.

20081229 .5l bottle from Spirits on Sunset. I am glad they had some of this because I was bummed once I drank all of the stock from the RB Spirits and it never was replenished. Hopefully these Plank beers get another round of distribution. They were all quite good and a nice change of pace. Opaque golden with lofty white head of medium foam. Lovely, even aromas of banana and spice with hints of bubblegum and lemon. Eff is a bit aggressive, but not overly foamy or fizzy as with an acetaldehyde problem, more like it was in fact intentional and keen to break up the normally staunch, sticky body of a big wheat beer. Mint notes - winterberry - and subtle doughy sourness delight. Lovely balance of flavors with predominant themes that would lead you to believe this was little more than a hefeweizen, but, oh, what a nice and well incorporated kick of warming alcohol. I’m going camping this week and in fact have a bunch of these lined up to help take off the chill out in the woods. Excellent stuff, really excellent.

Sampled from a 16.9 oz brown bottle this beer poured a bright golden color with a huge yellow-white head. The aroma was sweet, tangy and peppery with a light lemony undertone. The flavor was tangy, sweet, lemony and wheaty with a hint of pepper towards the finish. The beer is crisp and flavorful and very nice. I will be coming back to this one again.

Pours a cloudy pale golden color with a thick three finger high head that settles slowly to a solid cap. The resulting lace is a bit tattered, but sticks nicely, leaving a broken webbing behind. Smell; lots of strong bananas and cloves with a big wheat backing. After this warms up a bit, a little lemon peel and some sweet malts come through, as well as a touch of bubblegum. A bit more weizen than weizenbock in the aroma, but still very good. Taste; the bananas, cloves and wheat are just as prevalent in the flavor as they were in the aroma. Bubblegum and a zesty lemon fill out the middle, and then a sweet maltiness, and a bit of a tartness, come through in the finish. Mouthfeel is full bodied, with a very creamy smooth carbonation, and just an incredible drinkability. This one goes down so smoothy. If this was available anywhere near me I would keep some on hand all of the time. I picked mine up in Grand Rapids, MI.

Bought a single bottle of this at The Beer Depot of Ann Arbor. It was wonderful. A refreshing and delicious dark-toned wheat with a nice head and a great finish.

Bottle from Canal’s in Burlington. They got a huge shipment of these. Sweet with banana and wheat. Wonderfully balanced. One of my favorite beers.

Opaque golden yellow. Loosely packed white froth is well retained but lacks creaminess. Gorgeous banana pudding and clove-infused honeydew melon aromas. Vibrant scent of bubblegum, baked apples, lemon, and mint. Touch of plastic beneath it all. Fluffy carbonation immediately expands upon palate impact. Highly effervescent. Tart bite of acidity gives way too snappy plasticy phenols and lush notes of bubblegum. Clove generates serious amounts of heat, which accentuates the invigorating dryness. Wheat yields a nutty sweetness that coincides with a clean doughy richness which buttresses the body. Lemony esters harmonize with the doughy wheat to create a lemon-cake effect. Restrained yet brilliantly utilized floral hops deepen the tartness. Dessert apples provide a slightly flabby quality to offset the plastic notes. Caramelized malt contributes gentle but well-defined sweetness to the doughy wheat and crackery accents, before finishing appetizingly dry with near perfect attenuation. Bubblegum perpetually lingers. The plasticy phenols – which are sure to rapidly grow and intensify with more age – are merely a minor blemish to the otherwise resounding brightness and serious craftsmanship. Plank continues to impress!

Slightly hazy gold color with a large head. Nice aroma of oranges and wheat. The alcohol really comes through in the flavor. Lots of sweet malt, a bubblegum-like yeastiness and plenty of wheat. A bit of citrus lingering around.