Weyerbacher Slam Dunkel

Brewed by Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Style: Dunkelweizen
Easton, Pennsylvania USA

Hazy dark umber color with a smallish, but stable bone colored head. Bananas, cocoa and wheat scents. Some bubblegum, circus peanuts and hint of smoke as well in the background. Initial flavors are quite favorable, with toasted malt and wheat, light cloves and fruit. This get very spicy in the middle to the finish with sharp spices, nearly a sharp ginger type nip. WIthout the strong finish this is a great brew. Perhaps the numbing effect of the alcohol are kicking in, but this does seem to mellow with time and warmth. Yet a weizen should not need to mellow with warmth, I digress. Some touches of butter and popcorn. I have to say I like it with some minor reservations.

Draught: Aroma of chocolate malts, banana, bubblegum, and a hint of spice. Poured a copper/brown color with a hint of amber, and a big, dense, foamy, creamy, head. Good lacing. Hazy. Sparkling. Flavor is a bit vinous. Tastes of bubblegum, wheat, spice, and alcohol. Medium body. Creamy texture. Average carbonation. Malty finish with some alcohol burn.

My Bottom Line:
Clovey yeast and caramelized cereals join to build a sweet and spicy icing for this rich, dessert Weizenbock.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A veil of foam tops the cloudy caramel.
-The large bubbling remains soft, increasing drinkability.
-The body is chewy and ample; a little bigger than the usual examples of the style.
-Soft tartness lightens the sugary profile.
-The overall flavor profile could be brighter for my tastes, but its intensity sure is pleasant.

Bottle.

Seriously turbid brown beer that fails to kick up much of a head - aroma of banana, clove, baked apples, chocolate, nutty character, wheat - creamy mouthfeel - pretty sweet up front, but the wheat beer tang comes through afterwards to attempt to dry it out - strong banana and clove - after it dried, th e clove becomes a lot stronger, and some cocoa and caramel flavors are noticeable - a bit of bubblegum - gets a little bitter in the finish, and an almost plastic-like flavor I notice in a lot of Weyerbacher beers becomes evident - I think that if it were not for the Weihenstephan yeast, this would not be nearly as tasty - one of the better Weyerbacher beers I’ve had in a while, but that isn’t saying much.

Bottle has a mighty pop and has a nice lively head. Aroma has plenty of bubblegum and banana. A bit of sulphur in the flavor along with plenty of hops. Grains are on the sweet side. Decent stuff.

(22oz bottle) Pours a cloudy brown body with a small beige head. Aroma of nuts, toasted grain, rye, and raisins. Flavor of toasted grain, rye, caramel malt, banana, and clove.

Pours a dark maroon color, with a medium, light tan frothy head. Smells of sweet dark fruits, toffee, caramel malt, banana, and candy sugar. the flavor was pretty fruity sweet, with good doses of th candy sugar coming through with just traces of the banana and wheat esters in the background. Seems like good carbonation, although maybe a touch too sweet for my tastes for this style. I would say just average.

Bottle (22oz). Shared by blankboy with me garthicus, jerc and mabel. Murky reddish-brown, average creamy tan head. Odd aroma - initially slightly boozy and choco-banana, as it warms it gets herbal and strangely rubbery. The taste is simple sweet herbal caramel malt, not as rubbery - decent, moderate alcohol. Astringent, pungent, somewhat alcoholic, weird aftertaste - I liked it, but odd.