Ganstaller Brau: Weizenator (Germany: Weizenbock: 8.1% ABV)
Visual: Pale yellow. Slightly hazy body. Good inch of whitish head.
Nose: Muggy apricot. Fresh apples. Smoked cheese. Wood smoke.
Body: Creamy body. Apple. Odd hop burn like feel deep down. Smoked cheese. Slight banana custard.
Finish: Creamy. Smoke. Charring. Smoked cheese. Muggy apricot. Banana.
Conclusion: I want to like this, I really do. It does so many interesting things. It just doesn’t hang together at all.
The interesting elements vary from an unusually fruity hop character, both in that it is unusual for using the fruitier character in a weizenbock, and that it comes across in a murky, thicker way on the apricot side, and then a very unusual fresh cut apple character after that. So both murkier and fresher than traditional hop flavours tend to come across.
The body has thick, creamy character, nothing I’d expect from previous experience with a weizenbock – it has a slightly smoked character which gives a kind of smoked cheese note, albeit without the depth of character and flavor I would expect from that descriptor.
Lots of good, interesting notes, but slightly let down by what feels like a kind of hop burn but not exactly rough. Just slight acrid weight. While that isn’t my favorite bit, it is a small element and not what makes me not enjoy this.
What is the problem is all the interesting notes clash. The creamy character doesn’t work well with the slight hop burn feel, making it stick. Similarly the fruit gets sticky and the flavours hang around too long. Lots of fun elements which, when combined, collapse into a mess.
It is such a pity. The fresh apple is such a great element. A smoke touched weizenbock – hell yeah! Creamy texture, not my first choice but sure, interesting. Together? Nope. Creamy makes smoke last too long, apple notes hit hop burn badly. So many good ides, just not a good implementation. Sorry.
Background: Ooh, new German brewery (ok, new to me. Its been going best part of a decade, which I guess is kind of new for a German brewery. Most of them have history that could be measured in ice ages) . A weizenbock as well which is one of my favourite, under exposed beer styles. Mainly because of the influence of Aventinus, which is still one of my favorite beers of all time. Which is why I broke the Aventinus glass out, despite being a 500ML glass and this being a 330ml beer. I just don’t get the opportunity to break it out often. Went with IDLES: “Joy As An Act Of Resistance” again for music. Such an epic mix of anger and compassion. Probably my favorite album of the past year.
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