Wheat Wows.

Sometimes I wonder what the state of craft beer would be in NZ without the influence of Emerson's Brewery.
Their innovation and willingness to put a great variety of styles on the market have stimulated competition and imagination of brewers nationwide.
Recently Emerson's Brewery made the decision to make their Wheat beer a seasonal affair. Starting with the Weissbier in summer, moving to Dunkelweiss in autumn/winter and then Weizenbock in late winter. Who feels like a light Weissbier on a cold winters night anyway? Even Green Man Brewery have followed suit with similar timing of their wheat beers.

Speaking of which. Recently I've been hearing that Emerson's wheat beers haven't always been something to rave about. I've heard from some older beer aficionados that before a certain brewer joined the Emersons team the Wheat section was quite mediocre.
Chris O'Leary was the founding brewer of the excellent Limburg Brewery. Before they went out of business, I managed to taste a few of their beers - including the Witbier - which were all impressive.
With Limburg's demise, Chris made his way to Emersons, and miraculously following Chris's employment Emerson's Wheat beers took a huge step up in quality.

Since then they've introduced two new wheat beers to the Emerson's family: Dunkelweiss and (as of Monday) Weizenbock.


Tonight I have a bottle of each.

Emerson's Dunkelweiss (6.3%) was released for the first time in 2008, when I fell in love with dark wheat beers. This years release is just as impressive.
It boasts a big fluffy wheat beer head, and a cloudy brown colour. I took this bottle out of the fridge about an hour or so before opening - so it warmed to around 10 degrees.
Yeah, I had to pour a wheat beer into a nonic. I really need an Emerson's Weizen.


Aromas are strong here. Mainly banana and bubblegum, some chocolate poking through with a spicy hint of alcohol.
The flavour is full of banana, with a chocolaty roast malt background. This is a completely different beer at 10-12°C than what it is colder. The flavours all intensify and balance perfectly. The body is malty and full and the finish is lengthy.
Seriously, drink this warmer.

Now the new kid on the block, Weizenbock. Although it's not really new. It was brewed in 2007 and 2008 as Brewers Reserves, 7% ABV in 2007 and 8% in 2008. Pity this years isn't 9% then eh?

It was pointed out to me at Regionals that the bottle uses the same colours as another famous Weizenbock: Schneider Aventinus. Conspiracy!

But this beer is a bit different. Emerson's Weizenbock (8%) seems to have been toned down a bit in the bottle compared to the tap last year.
No prizes for what branded glass this is.

This crazy horse (I've decided it's a horse?) pours cloudy red/brown colour with a bubbly tan head which dissipates. Not as sexy looking as Dunkelweiss was.
Aromas here are a bit more enticing. This stallion's got big banana aromas again, but tempered with a raisin fruitcake and alcohol aroma.
The flavour is fast out of the gate with big banana, but slows down quickly when hit by a dry alcohol bitterness. But coming out of it, a fruitcake fruitiness whips it briskly to finish just behind the Dunkelweiss.
Again, I drank this one quite warm which accentuated the fruity flavours.

I'd recommend these two wheat beers to anyone who has tried the usual white German/Belgian offering and found it not to their liking.

Now I'm going to go find my head, it floated away somewhere after the Weizenbock.