Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel has to be one of the most attractively packaged brews on the market. It easily stands out amongst the multitude of beers on the shelf of a favorite retailer of mine. The half liter bottle towers over its twelve-ounce counterparts. With its imposing black label and cap set against the brown glass of the bottle, Erdinger Weisbier Dunkel seems to say, “Buy me! I’m much more important than these other beers!”

Erdinger of Bavaria, Germany is the world’s largest brewer of wheat beers. They brew a full array of them, including an excellent weizen bock named Pikantus. The name of this beer (Weissbier Dunkel) is, literally, a contradiction in terms. “Dark White” beer would seem to be at odds with itself, except for the fact that Germans use the term “white” here to mean wheat beer. Despite its dark color, this is a very refreshing beer. Wheat imparts a much lighter body to beer than barley does, and in the process it makes the beer more quaffable. The alcohol content is still slightly higher than average at 5.6% however, so one must take care not to quaff too much.

The beer pours to a dark brown color with an immense head formation. I am using a traditional Bavarian wheat beer glass to pour my beer into, and I get three fingers of beer and a lot of creamy tan foam. Eventually the beer settles enough for me to pour some more in. This is a visually stunning brew. Darker than most dunkelweizens I have come across, it is nicely contrasted by the considerable head formation that sits atop it and follows the beer down the glass.

The nose here suggests vanilla, and a hint of smoke. The palate is slightly sweet with malt, hinting at molasses, subtly chocolaty, but also mellowed by the wheat. There’s a touch of smoke in the extremely quenching finish. You could easily drink a lot of this beer. The interesting aspect about Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel is what’s not here: the classic clove and banana flavors found in most Bavarian wheat beers. This does not prevent the beer from being refreshing and delicious, however.

Tonight it accompanied a Reuben sandwich, heavy on the sauerkraut.

Update: 5/3/2014: Just enjoyed a bottle of this wonderful beer on a perfect May evening. I just love the "Wurzig Aromatischer Weissbiergenuss" as the bottle label describes it. The beer has not changed much (except that it is listed on the label as 5.3% ABV now instead of 5.6%). My bottle has a best by date of July 2014. It still lacks the classic clove and banana but does have such a delightful dark, tart wheat maltiness with hints of smoke and chocolate that its hard to put it down. Make sure to rouse the yeast and decant into your glass for full effect. And at just $3.49 for a half liter bottle, it's a great bargain, too. No wonder Erdinger is the world's number one weizenbier, or so they say on the label.

Update 10/24/2016: German food calls for German beer, and today I washed down a lovely meal of sauerbraten, schweinebraten, rouladen, kassleripchen, kraut, rotkohl, kartofelnsalat, spatzel, salat and brot with an Erdinger Weissbier Dunkel vom fass at Bodensee German Restaurant in Helen, Georgia. A match made in heaven!



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