This Is My Blood: Aventinus

To the dismay of all those poor souls (pour souls?) still reading, I am working my way through the beer styles list I compiled HERE, and it continues below.

Weizenbock / Weizen Doppelbock
(#51)
Exemplified by Aventinus

This beer style is the opposite of yesterday's Baltic porter. The Baltic was the same or similar flavors as its ale brethren, but it was a lager. Weizenbocks are the same as bocks/doppelbocks, which are lagers, except that a weizenbock is an ale. The porter is made with all barley, but the weizenbock is made with about 60% wheat, creating a smoother texture. There's also the small matter of the Baltic porter being mediocre, and the weizenbock confirming that the whole bock family is my favorite beer style ever (or, at least, the beer style I fell in love with most during this year).

This particular weizenbock seems to be the original, or one of them at least. Schneider is so fundamental of a brand that it gets a shoutout in Tasting Beer's section on weizenbocks. Aventinus is also listed at #1 for weizenbocks on Beer Advocate. This is no forgotten local brew.

Like other bocks, weizenbock is notable for its deep and complex caramel flavor. It's not as sweet as eating actual caramel, but the caramel flavors blend effortlessly with the slight fruitiness, slight maltiness, and high carbonation (the foam head was ridiculous). Far from a dessert beer but an absolute treat all the same. Get on this shit, gang.

NOTES

BEER: Aventinus

STYLE: German Weizen Doppelbock

ABV: 8.2%

BREWED BY: Weisses Bräuhaus G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH

LOCATION: Kelheim, Germany

PURCHASED AT: Iron Abbey in Horsham (somewhat drunkenly and randomly)

PAIRED WITH: cheddar cheese and crackers and a beautiful afternoon on the back deck

GRADE: 4.5 pukes out of 5

BEER COUNT: 244