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.

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel: A Real Mouthful

Good evening,

I was wandering through a local LCBO (Ontario liquor store), and I found a couple new brews from the oldest brewery in the world: Weihenstaphan. What did I find? The Weihenstephaner Hefeweissebier Dunkel and Weihenstephaner Vitus Weizenbock. I've never had a Weizenbock before, so I'm pretty excited about it. Unfortunately, I won't be having it tonight. Tonight is all about the Hefeweissbier Dunkel.

First of all, the beer pours beautifully. This beer is a nice, light brown colour. Very cloudy with a white, rocky head, a characteristic of a Bavarian style Hefeweissbier, and comes from the wheat malt used in the brew. The cloudiness comes from the yeast (or 'hefe' in German). Part of the brewing process is to filter out the yeast, which stops (or slows) fermentation, and adds clarity to the beer. In the case of a Hefeweissbier, the yeast is not completely filtered out. This also creates a phenomenon called "bottle conditioning", which is the process of further fermentation in the bottle. This helps create a higher alcohol content in the beer, and leaves it cloudy. This beer rings in at 5.3% ABV, but since it is not fresh off the shelf, it may actually be higher due to bottle conditioning.

The stereotypical Weissbier has a nose consisting primarily of banana, bubblegum and cloves, and this brew definitely stays in character. As it is a Dunkel, however, there is also a hint of burnt sugar (caramel), and some dried apricot added to the mix. Darker beers use darker malt, which translates into more of a caramel, sometimes toasty essence. In this case there is definitely some caramel on the nose. I also smell buckwheat honey and a boozy aroma. The actual yeast, or biscuit smell rounds things out. Overall the scent is quite intoxicating. Get it?

Tasting this beer, I get a full repeat of the nose. The banana and bubblegum are predominant, while the caramel, apricot and honey follow closely. The finish is largely boozy, with some banana and biscuit as well. This beer is quite enjoyable. I would say it's a good beer to help somebody transition from the hot weather (where a good Hefeweissbier will never go amiss), and prepare for a the cold weather, where darker brews with higher alcohol reign supreme... in my mind at least.

This beer would pair well with some nice aged cheese and chutney. Speaking of chutney, I found a nice pork roast in the fridge, coated with my girlfriend's home made chutney. This was an amazing pair with this Dunkel. As there are also some darker characteristics in this beer, some nice brazed ribs would also pair well.

Alas, my pint is finished, so I guess I should be calling it a night. Until next time, if you see the glass as half empty, fill it up!

S.B.