The Triangle

Issue date: 10/17/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Karl Kuchs

Each week, I'll be ranking different beers from my own personal scale: the Suds-o-Meter. Rankings will take into account looks, tastes, smells, inebriation levels, and all that other stuff that makes beer so good (or so bad). But enough of this formality crap; let's talk brewski.

Before jumping straight into a review, something needs to be stated. Although I am generally not a fan of darker, thicker beers, one cannot judge a beer by its color. Color is just a characteristic of a beer's look-not necessarily its taste. It does have some impact on the taste, yet there are so many other factors that will determine the flavors of a beer. Furthermore, since there are millions of varieties and styles of beer, it is unfair to make any assumptions or prejudgments based solely on the color. In simple terms: don't categorize beer as just being dark or light. Now, back to the review.

This week, I experienced a beer that falls under a unique and generally unknown style to Americans: Weizenbock. Weizenbock is a German style that translates to being a darker wheat beer. This style is generally categorized to be a hybrid between two other German styles, Hefeweizen and Dopplebock. Hefeweizen is another German wheat ale that is known to have the banana, clove, and apple flavors. These beers are often served with slices of orange and are similar to Belgian style beers due to the fact that they both contain heavy amounts of wheat. Dopplebock is a dark German lager that contains an overload of malt. These beers are known to have chocolate and roasted tastes. In the end, all you really need to know about Weizenbock beer is that it has a ton of different essences and can range in all of its characteristics.

The Weizenbock that I experimented with this week was Aventinus. At first glance, it is definitely hard to tell what it will taste like since the ale has the exact tone of apple cider. The head is extremely uniform, sticking together to create a thin but consistent layer on the surface. Also, since the ale is similar to a Belgian-style beer, it has to be noted that there is a coat of yeast on the bottom as well as very tiny chunks floating around in the liquid-something typical for Belgian ales. In other words, this beer develops flavors as it ferments in the bottle. The smell is delicious and has an array of flavors-this is a very complex drink. A starchy plantain scent is identifiable, but everything else is as hazy as the color of the beer.

Continued...

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