Dunkel

There once was a time when I was crazy about German beer. Sure, there were styles I wasn't crazy about, but nothing could compare to a Weissbier back then. That was a while ago, I've expanded my horizons and had a lot of interesting beers that no German would ever brew (insert Reinheitsgebot knock here). I can't say I never looked back though, it's actually a lot of fun to look back and compare old favorites to the new flavor of the month. Tonight I dug a bottle of Weltenburger Barock Dunkel out of the fridge. I haven't had this beer before but I've had hundreds of Dunkels before, it's a style I know well and I really enjoy. It's been a while since I've revisited the non-Weizen Dunkel style beers and I'm looking forward to it.

I have a special place in my heart for Hefeweizens. There is just something about the combination of flavors that I find absolutely delicious. Wheat beers in general and usually pretty great but they like the flavor of a nice sour Hefeweizen. In my opinion, Brauerei Weihenstephan makes one of the best Hefeweizens out there. Even better than that they make a filtered version, the Kristall Weiss, which has the same great flavor but a super crisp and bubbly texture. I like the Kristall Weiss so much I decide to try the Weissbier Dunkel to see how else Weihenstephaner is trying to improve on the Hefeweizen. I must say that the Dunkel wasn't as much of a departure from the base Hefeweizen as I was expecting, and I'm glad. The Dunkel is darker, as the name would imply, but still retains the same basic flavor profile. This beer is a little sour, a little spicy and very reminiscent of a Hefeweizen.