Shiner Dunkelweizen Review

Some craft brews are easier to find than others and there are many craft brewing products that have made themselves known all over this great land of ours. Samuel Adams is one beer that immediately comes to mind. Another is Sierra Nevada. Another brand that is quickly becoming a household word is Shiner and one of its several products is Shiner Dunkelweizen, a dark wheat beer.

Beer Commentary:

Shiner Dunkelweizen pours to a reddish- brown hue with an aroma that is bread- like and sweet, with some metallic notes. This dark brew produces a pretty good head of foam and it holds itself together long after the initial pour.

This beer offers the taste of wheat, biscuits, and a touch of raisin. There are some roasted notes, a touch of chocolate at the beginning, apple- like esters in the middle, and the slight taste of molasses near the end. The beer starts and finishes sweet, with a body that it is a little lighter than average.

Shiner Dunkelweizen is a wheat- enhanced beer with some good complexity and good overall taste. One interesting quality with this beer is that its body is a little weaker than average, but yet it still leaves a sweet, molasses- like coating in the mouth as you consume. It isn't cloying by any means, but the sweet malt does leave a residue that causes one to work up excess saliva. The coating is most evident on the roof of the mouth and while it certainly doesn't make me gag, it does get a little bit distracting.

This dark German wheat beer has a taste that will be acceptable to most people. In many respects, it is brewed in much the same way as other Shiner products: Acceptable, but not commendable. I sampled the beer from two bottles and I could not find anything bad to say about Shiner Dunkelweizen. On the other hand, I cannot think of anything incredible about it either. The coating on the roof of the mouth continues to haunt me, but I enjoy the biscuit- like malts combined with the raisin flavor.

Bottom Line Viewpoint:

Overall, Shiner Dunkelweizen is a good- tasting beer that makes a good choice for introducing individuals to craft beer. It isn't overdone, and its sweet, biscuit- like wheat taste will be acceptable to most anyone who samples it. Shiner Dunkelweizen ranks as one of my favorite beers in the Shiner family, even though its taste is less than exceptional.