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.

JP 2009

Once each year, since 2007, Emersons Brewery have been releasing a Belgian style brew under the moniker 'JP'.
Like many Emersons beers, this name has some history. JP stands for 'Jean Pierre-Dufour', who was an Otago university professor who had a passion for the diversity of Belgian beer styles. Coming from Belgium, Jean Pierre did much to advance the New Zealand craft beer industry, but sadly passed away in 2007.

The late Jean Pierre-Dufour

Jean gave the Emersons brewery much advice and feedback about their beers, and to honour this great man, the JP annual release was born.

This years release is in the Belgian Dubbel style, but is given the Emersons signature by adding star anise spice to the brew.

JP 2009: A spiced Belgian Dubbel

The beer pours almost black, with ruby edges. The brown head is quite frothy, and dissipates quickly.
Fruity aromas are foremost, dark fruits/berries. The anise spice is also quite strong, Richard must love brewing with those spices. It smells similar to Taieri George, but fruitier.
However, the flavour is completely different to the George. Initially a mouth filling astringency overcomes, possibly the alcohol showing. Warming flavours of aniseed and dark berries, then followed by a faint roast malt. The finish is quite long, and astringent.
I’m not sure I like the big alcohol flavour in this one, it takes away from the drinkability quite a lot.

The yeast used in this years vintage is the same used in the 2007 brew (which I was lucky enough to try). This Chimay yeast relinquished some amazing flavours after about a year. So perhaps ageing this years vintage will yield a more drinkable beer. Good things take time...