Plank-Bier Hefeweizen

 

Review Date 7/17/2020 By John Staradumsky

Beer story! Beer story coming up! I don’t know about you, but I just love beer stories, and I have a good one for you today. I’ve been a craft beer enthusiast for nigh onto four decades now, drinking good beer since 1982. Not to brag, but there are few things in the beer world these days that I haven’t seen or tasted.  There is, however, one thing that still gets me most excited, and that is German beer, especially a “new” German beer (new to me you see).

I love German beer. If I had to choose beers from one country to drink exclusively for the rest of my life, it would be German beer. If I had to choose one style to drink exclusively for the rest of my life, it would be doppelbock (a German style). In the earliest days of my beer geekdom, much of the beer I drank was German. Beck’s and St. Pauli Girl were the easiest to come by, but I also drank Spaten and Paulaner and Pinkus Muller and Wurzburger and…you get the idea.

Anyway, the other day while shopping for beer on craftshack.com I spied Plank-Bier Hefeweizen for $4.49 a can. Interestingly enough, I had enjoyed their Heller Doppelbock before. I picked that up here in Georgia 12 years ago and never saw it sold again. That beer was excellent, so the hefeweizen went right into the cart.

Unsere bernsteinfarbene Weißbier spezialität zeichnet sich durch ihren unverwechselbaren und einzigartigen Geschmack aus. Ein Weißbier, frisch und fruchtig im Antrunk, überzeugt es im Abgang mit einem weichen und vollmundigen Körper.

Which means in English:

Our amber white specialty beer is characterized by its unmistakable and unique taste. A Weißbier, fresh and fruity in the palate, affirms it in the finish with a soft and full body.

Plank-Bier Hefeweizen has an alcohol content of 5.2% by volume with 13 IBUs. I mentioned what I paid for my can, which is not all that much more than the $15.99 a 4-pack that Total Wine sells this for (but not in Georgia). Interestingly, Brauerei Plank sends this beer over in full tanks and then cans it in Connecticut. My can therefore went from Germany to Connecticut in a tank, was canned and sent to California, and then shipped to me here in Georgia. We may not be able to travel in these days of Covid, but our beer still can.

Plank-Bier Hefeweizen pours to a pale golden color with a thick fizzy head of foam that faded as quickly as it forms. I swirled the last third of the can vigorously before decanting and was rewarded with thick chunks of yeast and a cloudy river that muddied the beer already in my glass. The nose is rich with banana notes and spicy clove, but wait until you get to the palate. It’s like a crisp wheaty triscuit topped with a clove studded banana. The clove and banana are very robust indeed here, and a hint of vanilla peeks through as well along with bubblegum notes. The beer finishes tart wheaty and refreshing.

This is just an amazing Bavarian Weiss, bursting with yeasty phenols and esters. It should not be missed, and I know that if I see it here in Georgia, I will definitely be buying more.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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