Iron Hops: Dovetail Brewery - Dunkelweizen Hefeweizen

Dovetail Brewery Dunkelweizen Hefeweizen (5.1% ABV)

Dovetail Hefeweizen, Dunkelweizen, and Ur-Weiss

Pour: 22 oz. into a weizen glass

Appearance: This is dark. It won’t quite be mistaken for a stout but it’s a stark contrast to Dovetail’s standard Hefeweizen (and most others I’ve seen, for that matter) which looks like a normal, slightly orange wheat beer. It has thick head with a bit of lacing.

Aroma: The wheat, no surprise, is the dominant trait here. Though it does have a bit of a roasted, spicy smell typical of fall and winter seasonals.

Taste: A hint of banana hits right away. It’s even a little tart at first before giving way to a roasted, almost smokey, chocolate taste. You’re left with a subtle nutty after taste with a bit of clove.

Mouthfeel: Smooth and clean. Not overly carbonated.

This is my first experience with Dovetail Brewery, and I’m in. It’s been getting some buzz around Chicago in the past year or two, so it’s been on my list for a while. It’s also only a half mile from my apartment, inconspicuously tucked away behind some train tracks at the southern end of what has been dubbed “Malt Row.” The two-mile stretch of Ravenswood Avenue is home to six breweries and a distillery, all of which are solid at the very least. Add to that the fact that this is a German brewery at the southeastern edge of the most German part of Chicago and Dovetail’s steadily growing reputation is even more impressive.

Dovetail’s Hefeweizen is one of their flagship brews. The Dunkelweizen is the fall and winter seasonal version. As I mentioned at the top, this is a surprisingly dark beer. But it feels and tastes pretty light. It’s not very thick and it doesn’t have an overpowering taste. At 5.1% ABV it’s not going to knock you on your ass, either.

This is a good beer for a cold, rainy day. It’s smooth and warm and comforting. It’ll probably be in my regular rotation this winter.

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