Beer of the Weekend #297: Millstream Weizenbock
This is my 40th post of the month — a new Quiet Man record. Granted, most of the posts have been about beer, football, or basketball, but they count the same nonetheless. And, fittingly, I will toast it with a brew. (Also, I am toasting the Big Ten’s victory in the annual men’s basketball challenge with the ACC. It is the Big Ten’s third in a row. Woo hoo!)
The beer tonight is Weizenbock, brewed by the Millstream Brewing Company of Amana, Iowa.
Weizenbock, which I believe was released last month, is the latest edition of Millstream’s Brewmaster’s Extreme Series. I think the last time I had one was in June (BotW #242: Big Honey Hefe). According to Mervgotti, the series as a whole is not selling well. For the most part, the big draw is the higher alcohol content. Iowa breweries were unable to distribute beer with an ABV higher than 6.25 percent until last year, so Millstream is obviously trying to cash in on the novelty of high proof indigenous beer. However, they are pretty pricy, on the boozy side (duh!), and will probably not draw many repeat customers (people who will buy it more than once). I, for one, have been disappointed by the crafting; they taste more like alcoholic bombs than good beer. Millstream can do better, so I am keeping an open mind, as always. I will have to say, though, that the label design for Weizenbock is a big improvement.
Serving type: Twelve-ounce bottle. The notch for the born-on date along the side of the label is between the “O” for October and “N” for November.
Appearance: Poured into a 300 ml weizen glass. The color is spot-on weizenbock: cloudy, dark caramel brown. One finger of thin, fizzling head (much like pop) dissipated quickly to leave a thin, galaxy-esque film, a ring around the edge, and trails of foam on the glass. There was a ton of yeast caking the bottom of the bottle, and it remained even after a couple swirls. I do not think I have ever seen that much yeast sediment.
Smell: Boozy like a weizenbock, but it also features fruit sweetness: almost ripe banana (turning yellow, but still a bit green) and green apple. There is also a nice clove bite along with a little pepper spice. Caramel sneaks in, as does lemon citrus and a thick, yeasty, fresh-from-the-oven bread quality. After a while, a touch of bubblegum emerges.
Taste: B-double O-Z-E, booze! It is very noticeable upon first sip, but gradually hides behind the other flavors. It was still there, stinging my taste buds, and is still prominent, like the really tall guy in the team photo, but it does allow the other flavors to emerge as the beer warms. Banana, green apple, clove and pepper spice, yeast, bubblegum, lemon citrus, and caramel make an appearance, and even balance the alcohol toward the middle of the glass.
Drinkability: Though boozy at first, it turns into a solid weizenbock. I have to agree with the other reviewers that this is, so far, my favorite of the Extreme Series.
Fun facts about Weizenbock:
-Style: Millstream obviously considers it a weizenbock, as does BA.
-Price: $8.99 per four-pack at the New Pioneer Co-op on Van Buren Street in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 8.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: The generic pairings from BA are German cuisine, chocolate, and grilled meat.
-Speaking of German cuisine, while driving Bobblehead home from the game last night, he asked me: “If Hannibal Lecter visited Hamburg, do you think he would kill someone and then cook and eat them like a hamburger?” I have no clue why that came up, but I then asked: “If Hannibal Lecter were visiting Frankfurt, would he murder someone and make them into frankfurts?”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
The beer tonight is Weizenbock, brewed by the Millstream Brewing Company of Amana, Iowa.
Weizenbock, which I believe was released last month, is the latest edition of Millstream’s Brewmaster’s Extreme Series. I think the last time I had one was in June (BotW #242: Big Honey Hefe). According to Mervgotti, the series as a whole is not selling well. For the most part, the big draw is the higher alcohol content. Iowa breweries were unable to distribute beer with an ABV higher than 6.25 percent until last year, so Millstream is obviously trying to cash in on the novelty of high proof indigenous beer. However, they are pretty pricy, on the boozy side (duh!), and will probably not draw many repeat customers (people who will buy it more than once). I, for one, have been disappointed by the crafting; they taste more like alcoholic bombs than good beer. Millstream can do better, so I am keeping an open mind, as always. I will have to say, though, that the label design for Weizenbock is a big improvement.
Serving type: Twelve-ounce bottle. The notch for the born-on date along the side of the label is between the “O” for October and “N” for November.
Appearance: Poured into a 300 ml weizen glass. The color is spot-on weizenbock: cloudy, dark caramel brown. One finger of thin, fizzling head (much like pop) dissipated quickly to leave a thin, galaxy-esque film, a ring around the edge, and trails of foam on the glass. There was a ton of yeast caking the bottom of the bottle, and it remained even after a couple swirls. I do not think I have ever seen that much yeast sediment.
Smell: Boozy like a weizenbock, but it also features fruit sweetness: almost ripe banana (turning yellow, but still a bit green) and green apple. There is also a nice clove bite along with a little pepper spice. Caramel sneaks in, as does lemon citrus and a thick, yeasty, fresh-from-the-oven bread quality. After a while, a touch of bubblegum emerges.
Taste: B-double O-Z-E, booze! It is very noticeable upon first sip, but gradually hides behind the other flavors. It was still there, stinging my taste buds, and is still prominent, like the really tall guy in the team photo, but it does allow the other flavors to emerge as the beer warms. Banana, green apple, clove and pepper spice, yeast, bubblegum, lemon citrus, and caramel make an appearance, and even balance the alcohol toward the middle of the glass.
Drinkability: Though boozy at first, it turns into a solid weizenbock. I have to agree with the other reviewers that this is, so far, my favorite of the Extreme Series.
Fun facts about Weizenbock:
-Style: Millstream obviously considers it a weizenbock, as does BA.
-Price: $8.99 per four-pack at the New Pioneer Co-op on Van Buren Street in Iowa City.
-Serving temperature: 45-50ºF.
-Alcohol content: 8.5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: The generic pairings from BA are German cuisine, chocolate, and grilled meat.
-Speaking of German cuisine, while driving Bobblehead home from the game last night, he asked me: “If Hannibal Lecter visited Hamburg, do you think he would kill someone and then cook and eat them like a hamburger?” I have no clue why that came up, but I then asked: “If Hannibal Lecter were visiting Frankfurt, would he murder someone and make them into frankfurts?”
The Quiet Man’s grade: B+.
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