Erdinger Dark Hefeweizen

If there is one great thing about beer recipes it’s the fact that they’re relatively ageless. Erdinger Weissbräu dates back to 1886 when the construction of their first brewery in Erding was written in the books. This Bayerisch (Bavarian) beer is your classy wheat style, bottom fermented brews with a thick dark body and malty taste.

Unlike many popular wheat beers (Weißbier) Erdinger Dark is, in fact, very dark. I was surprised as I held the glass up to the light to see a nearly black beverage with only a hint of dark red–not quite stout but very close in color.

Erdinger Weissbier ‘dark’ is a rich and smooth wheat beer specialty from Erdinger Weissbräu. It owes its full-bodied flavor to the fine hops and dark malt used in its production.

The dark beer specialty is brewed according to an age-old recipe. Its spicy flavor also results from the increased proportion (about 13%) of original wort. Nonetheless, at 5.6%, it doesn’t contain much more alcohol than Erdinger Weissbier ‘with fine yeast’.

Like all Erdinger wheat beers, this dark variety also acquires its typical flavor from maturing in the bottle. Years of brewing experience coupled with state-of-the-art technology guarantee its excellent quality. (erdinger.com)

Although it’s dark (dunkel), this Erdinger is your typical wheat bear with a malty aftertaste. You’ll find it a bit more carbonated than some wheat style recipes, if you can find the bubbles in this black beer–let it roll on your tongue for a few seconds and you’ll be tickled to death by little carbonated bubbles. The head is tall and off-white white with very little lacing on the edge of the glass but the recipe simply tastes old, like something you’d imagine in an old European bar in the early days.

I’d have a hard time not recommending this timeless classic and would highly suggest you give the dark style a try instead of the typical white wheat beers, it’s like a hybrid of a brown ale meets a wheat married in a symphony of tastes.