Beer of the Weekend #181: Weihenstephaner Korbinian

The beer of the weekend is Weihenstephaner Korbinian, brewed by the Brauerei Weihenstephan of Freising, Germany.


Serving type: Two 500 ml bottles. There is a batch code on the back label, but nothing resembling a freshness date.

Appearance: Poured into a half liter weizen glass. The color is a dark mahogany brown with caramel undertones at the edges. Two fingers of tan head developed and dissipated to leave a bubbly lacing and ring around the edge.

Smell: My first impression was of Twizzlers. At first I thought it was black licorice, but the fruitiness reminded me of the red packets of strawberry flavored twists my dad always had. However, the fruit aroma is much darker then that of Twizzlers; there is a lot of plum action. Other smells are raisin, toffee, vanilla, and caramel. It is very candy-like and enticing to my sweet tooth in that sense.

Taste: Almost mirrors the aroma, and is not as sweet as the smell leads on; it (thankfully?) does not mimic Twizzlers in the taste. Up front is the dark fruit plum and it is followed by slightly toasted toffee and caramel malts, raisins, and vanilla. The alcohol is completely hidden.

Drinkability: An excellent and very well crafted brew. I think it is the definition of smooth; the flavor complexity emerges slowly and clearly.

Fun facts about Korbinian:

-Style: BA classifies it as a Doppelbock:

Bocks — you know, those beers with goats on the label — are relatively strong German lagers. Doppelbocks — as the name might suggest — are typically even stronger and contain enough malty goodness that they’ve been considered a meal in a glass for centuries. Generally they have a very full-bodied flavor and are darker than their little Bock brothers and sisters and a higher level of alcohol too. They range in color from dark amber to nearly black, and dark versions often have slight chocolate or roasted characters.

-Price: $3.49/bottle at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.

-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.

-Alcohol content: 7.4 percent ABV.

-Food pairings: The vagueness experts at BA recommend German cuisine, buttery cheeses (Brie, Gouda, Havar, Swiss), earthy cheeses (Camembert, Fontina), chocolate, and game meat.


The Quiet Man’s grade: A-.

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