Staatsbraurei Weihenstephan ‘Vitus’ Weizenbock

Rating:

16195068_634690360048446_7792117375147705020_n“Our light-coloured, spicy single-bock, “Vitus” is saturated with fine yeast and a creamy foam. It is a specialty with a round character based on the extra long storage time. The fruity smell of dried apricots joins aromas of citrus, cloves and hints of banana. Full-bodied and sparkling with an effervescent mouthfeel. Thus, the Vitus does not taste like a typical Bock beer but more like a noble, fruity wheat beer. Perfect with red meat, strong cheese and also able to guide desserts. Brewed according to our centuries-old brewing tradition on the Weihenstephan hill.”

Served in a Weizen glass. Poured in true German tradition with a monstrous four finger head that takes an age to reduce down. It eventually settles to about a two finger overlay and weaves a healthy lace as we imbibe.
Very yeasty on the nose this one. All of those heady spice, fruit and super sweet Weizen notes are working over time here, our olfactory’s pick up the typical banana runts, clove/star anise, pepper, bubblegum, golden syrup, coriander, orange peel and honey. We aren’t the biggest fans of Weizen and Witbier but the nose on this is superb – fresh, spicy and fruity. Very traditional.
Incredibly smooth for a beer weighing in at 7.7% ABV. The texture is quite dense and creamy but it’s still surprisingly palate friendly. There’s some good lift from the Co2, really working to lighten up the overall weight.
The front palate sees a burst of yeasty banana, spice, bubblegum and candied oranges. A subtle salinity carries forward through a malty sweet middle. A little hop dryness is introduced as hints of banana bread, golden syrup, bubblegum and fresh pear completes this taste sensation.
Brilliant drop. For us, as heavy critics of wheat beer, to say this is top shelf should say a lot about the mastery of the brewers. Even as extreme hop heads we can still appreciate the complexity of this beer. Solid offering.