The style appeared at the same time as the traditional light weissbier, but proved to be less common and popular. Today, the love of Dunkelweizen is considered a sign of the “old school”. Due to the presence of Munich (sometimes Vienna) malt in the composition, it has more pronounced notes of barley malt, which are almost not felt in light wheat beer.
Like the light counterpart, the dark weissbier has a banana and clove flavor, the malt appears with toast and caramel tones. There may be subtle hints of vanilla and chewy gum. Hops give light floral and spicy nuances, the wheat component adds dough, grain, and bread tones to the aroma.
In the bouquet, malt can appear with rich notes of caramel, toast, bread crust, but this is not a mandatory style requirement. The fried taste is unacceptable. The hop profile is low, and may show up as a light spicy, floral or herbaceous aroma. The finish is mostly dry.
The color is light brown with a red tint, traditionally Dunkelweizen is not filtered, so the beer is cloudy, with a yeast suspension, in the glass it forms a dense creamy foam.
On the tongue, the drink feels round, light or medium-bodied, with a creamy texture. Dark Weissbier is always highly carbonated, to the point of pronounced sparkling.
It is made on the basis of dark and wheat malts, the mass fraction of the latter varies between 50-70%. It is also possible to use Munich or Vienna varieties, Pils.
Dunkelweizen is similar to regular Weissbier, but more malty. Banana and cloves are less pronounced.
Strength: 4.3-5.6%.
Density: initial 1.044-1.056, final 1.010-1.014.
Bitterness Index: 10-18 IBU.
Color: 14-23 SRM.