Brauerei Fahr Hopfendunkel Dunkelweizen at 5.3% ABV (C$3.99 at Okotoks Co-Op, 500 ml, no packaging date or best before, acquired 25-Sep-2018, reviewed 25-Sep-2018)
Appearance: slightly muddy brown with a massive creamy light beige head, excellent retention and heavy soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: banana bread, chocolate, grassy weeds. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate carbonation, off-dry medium duration slightly spicy finish. (4/5)
I think this is my first “Hopfendunkel”. Clearly it’s a riff on the “Hopfenweisse” style, so I was pretty much expecting a hoppy Dunkel. And, yeah, it sort of is, but only in context – as in, you have to remember that Fahr is super traditional German. His Fahr-Fetched Hefe, for example, was a similarly mild variation on the Hefe theme – certainly nowhere near as aggressively hopped as other Hopfenweisse’s I’ve had – and this pretty much keeps with that theme. Yes, there’s a slight Noble Hop spiciness in the finish, but other than that it’s a fairly straightforward Dunkel, dominated by banana bread and chocolate – which aren’t bad things by any means. (15/20)
7.5/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
