Winding up our armchair brew tour of Europe and looking forward to getting home to celebrate Canada Day. But before we do, we have one more Euro brew to do. And it’s no surprise to anyone that we would end up in Munich Germany, Oktoberfest central, with a brewer who was brewing long before the first fest. * Paulaner has been at it since 1634 so one can only hope they’ve got a handle on it by now.
This is the oxymoron of the brewer’s trade, the yin yang, the ebony and ivory. Yes, it’s the internally conflicted, seldom selected and certainly unpredictable Euro closer, the Dunkel Weissbier. The dark white knight rides tonight. Not our first Paulaner, their zero percenter garnered a rating not much higher than the ABV, but their Munich Helles was sweet redemption. Interestingly enough, to me but probably no one else, this isn’t our first Dunkel Weiss either. Erdinger rang up a super suds score with their contrary craft contribution.
A great looking pour, middlin’ brown with a dense full head, a pro pour for sure. It has a nutty malty cocoa aroma to it. First quaff is a bit fizzy, with cocoa wheat and a very slight banana. It’s cocoa forward, a definitely dominant dark side. And quite tasty. Smooth mouthfeel with a very slight bitter aftertaste on the tongue. The dark lager gives way to a bit of the old wheat Bananarama but subtle enough to make for a tasty combo.
A unique brew that may confuse dark lager lovers and alienate wheat beer quaffers but for craft connoisseurs it’s an interesting departure from the everyday.
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