Samuel Adams Dunkelweizen

Samuel Adams Dunkelweizen

December 14, 2010 · by · in reviews

Samuel Adams Dunkelweizen

Enjoyable

  • Ripe tropical fruit
  • Complex, but mild; malty
  • Clean, malty, slightly bitter

Available only the Harvest Collection; not sold in six-packs

Samuel Adams included Dunkelweizen in their Harvest Collection, as I noted when I reviewed the Harvest Pumpkin Ale. Dunkelweizens, literally “dark wheat” in German, are complex, strong beers that are made with yeasts that impart some really strange flavors and aromas. The Sam Adams Dunkelweizen, for instance, has a noticeable scent of ripe papaya. It’s described as banana on a lot of sites and on Sam Adams own verbiage, but I ain’t drinking no banana beer, so subjectively I’m calling it papaya or—hey—even guava.

Samuel Adams Dunkelweizen poured into a Samuel Adams glass next to the bottle. The beer is the same color as honey in the background.

**Samuel Adams** *Dunkelweizen*. Note that the *Dunkelweizen* is the same color as the wildflower honey behind the glass.

I enjoy dunkels, but it takes me a long time to finish a six-pack, because the flavors are unique enough that I don’t even think of drinking one when I just feel like a beer. I treat dunkelweizens like sherries or brandies—a bottle of a dunkel is a nice way to relax and is better before or after a meal.

The Sam Adams Dunkelweizen, beyond the tropical fruit aroma, is fairly mild. It’s not overly bitter, and not as strong as other dunkels, including alcohol content. It has a nice malty flavor, which gives it bonus points in my book, along with some spicy notes. It’s a fine addition in the Harvest Collection, and I look forward to a couple of them next fall.

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