Schneider Weisse Tap 6 Unser Aventinus

Brewed By: Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn in Kelheim, Germany

Purchased: 1 Pint .9oz bottle (500ml, 16.9oz...silly Germans) from Binny's in IL; 2012

Style/ABV: Weizen Bock, 8.2%

 

Today I'm doing the first authentic German Weizenbock on this blog. That's pretty cool...right? Weizenbocks are strong wheat beers, or more specifically, a more strong version of the Dunkelweizen (dark wheat beer). Typically, it is my understanding that Weizenbocks are supposed to be dark. Which makes me and Lagunitas quite deviant for their Bavarian Style Doppel-Weizen. At any rate, about Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn:

Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn have been challenging people with the pronunciation of their names since 1872. Their website is in German, but has an English translation button on the bottom of the site. I'm lazy, so I'm going off the Wikipedia article. The brewery began as a Bavarian brewery that acquired the Weisses Brauhaus/Microbrewery in Munich. The owners then expanded the brewery to Kelheim and Straubing. After Munich was destroyed in the 1944 bombing (World War II, folks), all production was moved to Kelheim. This is a family run brewery with lots of tradition, and is currently owned by Georg Schneider VI (source). 

I really do dislike the Schneider-Weisse website, with its looping links and unintuitive layout. So let's talk about Weizenbocks instead. According to the BJCP, Weizenbocks are dark beers, that feature a thick, long-lasting head; they feature bock-like melanoidins and bready malt aromas, combined with powerful dark fruit aromas and typical wheat beer aromas (bananas, clove, vanilla); they have a complex flavor that combines the richness of a bock with dark fruit, spicy clove, and wheat flavors. This is a medium-full to full-bodied beer, and features an ABV around 6.5-8.0%. This is not a bitter beer, and ranges around 15-30 IBUs.

This style of beer traces back to Aventinus (today's beer), which is the world's oldest top-fermented wheat doppelbock, created in 1907 at the Weisse Brauhaus in Munich using the ‘Méthode Champenoise’ with fresh yeast sediment on the bottom. This beer was Schneider’s response to bottom-fermenting doppelbocks. 

 

With all that said...let's get this into a glass! 

Schneider Weisse Tap 6 Unser Aventinus

 

The beer pours a murky purple/brown color beer, with some visible protein haze or sediment towards the bottom of the glass. I gave this a softer pour, and still ended up with 3-fingers worth of thick, cloudy, lightly-tanned head.When held to bright light, this is just a murky, brown-orange beer, with quite a bit of visible carbonation around the edges in the form of tiny bubbles. Head retention is great, with about a pinky's worth hanging around. The beer actually matches the purple on the bottle (and the color of the bottle itself), and it's just a sexy thing to pour...all around, really nice.

 

The aroma immediately reminds me of a Belgian Dubbel, with obvious dark fruits on this. Plums, grapes, dark cherries, and fruity aromas are all over the nose. There is some yeast fruitiness as well. As you dig further, you get some definite wheat aromas, along with some nice vanilla and clove, and some banana. There's a slight malty, breadiness going on too. Overall, one of the best noses you can find on a beer.

 

Damn! Really good stuff...especially for 8.2% ABV; like magic, the alcohol disappears. You get creamy head up front, with big wheat notes, some clove, some very subtle banana, and some delicious yeast. Then you get those big dark fruits: plums, grapes, raisins, figs. The Weizen ale yeast seems to provide some spice and fruitiness, akin to a Belgian Strong Ale. I'm getting some perfume-like fruitiness (dark fruits), along with a hint of spice (clove maybe?). 

 

The finish has a champagne-like dryness, and you do feel some slight alcohol on the back end, playing off the wheat, dark fruits, and drying. This warms you up. But this is oh so drinkable...dangerous really, as I could easily kill 2 or 3 of these. At 8.2% ABV, this drinks well, with a creamy body that is smooth up front, and dries up towards the back. This is medium-full, has lovely complexity, and lovely palate depth. Up front you get big yeast and wheat, dark fruits; this rolls into wheat, spice, lingering yeast, burgeoning dryness; the finish is dry, lingering dark fruits, pleasant alcohol warming.

Rating: Divine Brew

 

I'm confident calling this a Strong Divine Brew. This beer drinks magnificently, and packs some bold flavors to boot. It's a strong, dark, wheat beer...and the perfect beer to crack open on a cool Autumn night. I don't know if I'd reach for this in the winter per se, but you never know. As far as how, when, and where to drink this? This beer can definitely stand on its own, but would pair well with chicken, turkey, or duck. This beer would also go wonderfully with cheese...definitely strong cheese...but even something simple, like a quesadilla or pizza. All-in-all, this is excellent stuff...and at 3 or 4 bucks a bottle, you should definitely hunt this down and try it out.