Millstream Brewing - Weizenbock

Tonight I'm drinking a freshly brewed batch of Weizenbock from Millstream Brewing in Amana, IA.  This is another brew I picked up while I was visiting the inlaws last weekend.  The "Brewmasters Collection" label on the four pack immediately caught my attention while I was sifting through Millstreams numerous other offerings.  Little did I know at the time that this was a brand new beer, just hitting the shelves a few days prior to my arrival.  A recent tweet of theirs said they were bottling this Weizenbock on November 8th.  Common knowledge of the style suggests the best way to drink a Weizenbock is straight from the bottling line.  The fresher the better.  Although, 15 days later ain't bad either.

The first thing that takes me back about this brew is the appearance.  The color is a murky, brownish hue.  Not something that I would have anticipated.  It is in line with the BJCP style guidelines for a Weizenbock, but I think this is a bit on the extreme side of cloudy.  The lack of foam retention is also a little disappointing.  However, you will quickly forget about these fallacies after you take your first sip.  The aromas are a nice combination of banana, clove, yeasty bread and a touch of caramel.  These aromas continue straight through to the flavors which are just as potent.  The "weizen" flavors of banana and clove are more bold in the flavor than the aroma.  A nice mild carbonation helps to keep this brew from being overly cloying since any hop bitterness that may have been added is nowhere to be found.  The 8.5% ABV is only noticeable as a slight tingling feeling on the tongue.

Overall - Once you get past the appearance, you will find a solid Weizenbock that is full of flavor.  All the normal suspects are present: banana, clove, bready caramel and yeast are all easily discernable.  While this may not stack up against a fresh Weizenbock from Germany, it certainly does the style justice.  And to find this quality of beer in the middle of the Midwest is certainly a luxury few have.  Unless, of course, you live in Iowa.  In which case you should be as happy as a pig in... well... you know what.

Victory Brewing - Moonglow Weizenbock

Tonight I'll be drinking Moonglow Weizenbock from Victory Brewing in Downington, PA.  Weizenbock is a style you don't see around that often, especially in the US craft beer market.  It's essentially a dunkel-weizen beer brewed to doppelbock strength....you could call it an imperial weizen.  Moonglow is brewed with imported German malts, german whole flower hops, and yeast that also originated in, you guessed it, Germany.  It registers 8.7% alcohol, and it's being served out of a 12oz bottle.

The beer is a muddy-dark reddish brown color with a massive layer of tan foam.  There's a bit of sediment floating around, but not as much as I expected.  The aroma is...huge.  Tons of bananas, other fruity esters, all carried on alcohol fumes.  Also some sweetness - combination of dark fruits and sweet caramel malts.  The first couple sips, I had a hard time tasting the beer, it was pretty overwhelming.  After getting acclimated, I notice plenty of wheat malts up front.  Peel that away and you get layers of unripened bananas, toasted malts, and some spices.  Some herbal hop bitterness comes in to help balance things out.  Alcohol breaks through towards the end, and it brings a nice burn to the finish.

Overall Rating:  I wasn't sure what to expect with this brew, but it turned out to be pretty good.  Big, bold, with lots of german funk.  As it warms, there is a slight medicinal taste that isn't great, definitely takes away from the experience.  But not bad.  B+