Beer of the Weekend #274: Julius Echter Hefe-Weiss-Dunkel

Remember way back in July when I reviewed Julius Echter Hefe-Weiss? Of course you do. Well, I had picked it up at the Binny’s Beverage Depot in Skokie. While there, I almost bought a bottle of Julius Echter Hefe-Weiss-Dunkel, but the best by date had passed. I was very bummed, so imagine my excitement when I found bottles at the Binny’s in Willowbrook that were still good. It was epic.

Needless to say, tonight’s beer is Julius Echter Hefe-Weiss-Dunkel, brewed by the Würzburger Hofbräu AG of Würzburg, Germany.


Serving type: One 500 ml bottle. The “BEST BEFORE END” date on the front label is “2012/02.”

Appearance: Poured into a weizen glass. The color is a very cloudy caramel/light brown. Three fingers of eggshell-colored head dissipated slowly to leave a billowy cap.

Smell: It is like a hefeweizen with a dark side. Which it is. Lots of fruit up front — banana, apple, a little strawberry, and also fruity bubblegum — which is balanced with caramel malts, chocolate pudding, yeast, and clove spice. The overall aroma is sweet — so much so it makes my cheeks tingle.

Taste: The mouthfeel is spot on — thick and bready — but the flavor is a little lacking. It is, however, very sweet. The fruits from the smell show up big time; banana, apple, strawberry, and bubblegum dominate. The caramel, chocolate pudding, bread, and clove spice are also present, but do not play an equal role as they do in the smell.

Drinkability: Good stuff, but I think it is a little on the sweet side.

Fun facts about JEH-W-D:

-Style: Dunkelweizen.

-Price: $2.49/bottle at the Binny’s Beverage Depot on Illinois Highway 83 in Willowbrook, Illinois.

-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.

-Alcohol content: 4.9 percent ABV.

-Food pairings: BA recommends curried and German cuisines, nutty cheeses (Asiago, Colby, Parmesan), “digestive,” and salmon.


The Quiet Man’s grade: B.

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