Weihenstephaner VITUS: The World's Oldest Brewery Does it Again.

Good Evening,

Weihenstephaner VITUS

Well, another day of work is done, so it is time to kick back with a tasty brew. Tonight I have decided to open my first Weihenstephaner VITUS. I have been waiting to try out this Weizenbock (pronounced "veye-tssen-bock" - according to the German Beer Institute's page on Weizenbock, you should not pronounce it "Wisenbock". Not my rules!) for some time now, so, needless to say, I am very excited. Weihenstephaner has been working its way up on my list of favourite beers over the past couple of years, and it definitely takes another step in the right direction with this brew.

Sometimes I find it funny that the majority of mainstream beers are quite bright, ie: completely translucent and very light in colour. This beer, on the other hand, is quite cloudy. It is not fully opaque, but definitely not bright by any means. This beer has a pale yellow colour, and as I mentioned previously, is very cloudy. As with other Weizen beers, the head was white and quite rocky. Foolishly, I did not take a picture of the beer immediately after pouring, so I cannot illustrate the beauty.

This is a seriously cloudy beer.

On the nose, this beer has the regular Hefe Weizen characteristics - notes of banana, bubble gum, yeast, and clove - as well as some sweet notes of toffee-esque burnt sugar. This is also a pretty boozy number, coming in at 7.7% ABV, and the alcohol is definitely noticeable on the nose, once the beer warms up. Those are some characteristics of a Bock.

To taste, this is a great beer. It has a medium-full body, and is quite smooth and refreshing in the mouth. For a boozy beer, alcohol is not really a huge flavour component, although it tastes boozier than it smells. As far as flavour goes, there is pretty much a repeat of the nose. The Weizen characteristics are more predominant, leaving the Bock flavour elements as undertones. The finish on this beer is mainly boozy, and has tasty banana and bubble gum notes. This finish is also medium-short in length, as well. This is a mix between Bock (short finish) and Weizen (medium-long finish).

Well, the beer is finished, and it was quite tasty.
I think that this Weizenbock would go well with a pad thai dish, or even with some spicy barbecue, maybe some medium-spicy wings or ribs. I must say that I'm glad I waited to taste this beer, and I hope there are more in the local liquor stores! I would (and do) highly recommend this beer to anyone, not just beer connoisseurs. With that said, you should probably head out and try to find a bottle of this beer while I head off to bed.

Until next time!

S.B.