Style: Wheat doppelbock
Brewery: Karmeliten Brauerei Karl Sturm
Origin: Germany
Size: 50cl
Alcohol: 8%
Price: 33kr
Systembolaget: 10741
When putting together the selection for this tasting, I knew I needed a large variety of products. It would have been very easy to fall into the trap of buying lots of dark lagers, which seem to be the most common style of Christmas beer. As Swedish Christmas food can contain a lot of fish, I wanted a beer that would pair nicely with that and so I started looking for a wheat beer with a lot of character. After a short search, I discovered this and thought it would be a great fit to the line-up.
This was golden amber with an unfiltered look to it and a big, fluffy head forming and hanging round for a fair while. The aroma was a pleasant blend of white bread, wheat, banana, apricot, orange and honey. It had the usual wheat beer body and filled the mouth when sipped with lovely notes of banana, spices, wheat, toffee malt and a herbal edge that could be coriander. Even at 8%, it was very easy to drink and the bottle didn’t last long. The refreshing aftertaste left the mouth invigorated, and the high carbonation was extremely refreshing.
With a bit more bite than a lot of wheat beers, this weizen doppelbock was an excellent addition to the tasting. Lovely spicy banana notes coupled with the slightly darker malts to produce an splendid beer that would be perfect for the Christmas table.