BJCP styles sorted by history: Wheat Beer - Weizenbock

Hello! Here we are for another beer review. This is our third chapter within the “Wheat Beer” category of the BJCP styles sorted by history. In this category, we have "Weissbier," "Dunkles Weissbier," "Weizenbock," "Witbier," and "American Wheat Beer." Today, we’re going to talk about "Weizenbock," thus concluding the characterization of the German styles in this category. To better understand what the term "bock" represents, we need to go back centuries. The "bock" family of beers refers to a type of beer produced since the 14th century in the city of Einbeck, located in what is now northern Germany. This city was part of the Hanseatic League, a kind of defensive/economic aliance that dominated northern Europe and the Baltic Sea between the 12th and 17th centuries. Within this league, this higher-alcohol beer became wildly popular, from Flanders to Scandinavia.

From there, different versions explain how the word "bock" came to life. One version, based on a German regionalism, suggests that people in Bavaria had a distinct accent, making "Einbeck" sound like "Ein bock." "Ein bock" translates to something like a billy goat, which is why some "bock" beer labels still feature goats. Another version claims that the beer was marketed as "Ainpökisch bier." After many failed attempts to reproduce it in Munich (southern Germany), they hired a brewmaster from Einbeck. They then began selling the beer under the distorted name "Oanpock bier," which was eventually shortened to "bock bier." Choose the version you prefer, but it’s a fact that many labels feature a goat. 🤷

However, there are various styles of "bock" (like "Helles Bock" and “Doppelbock”), and today we’ll focus on "Weizenbock." The "weizen" already hints at the use of the same yeast as "Weissbier" and "Dunkles Weissbier," bringing that very characteristic sensory component with notes of banana-like esters and the phenolic clove-like. However, this beer is brewed to have more body and a higher alcohol content. As a result, the yeast component cannot stand out alone and may have an intensity ranging from medium to low. "Weizenbock" can have both blond and dark interpretations, though the dark versions are more traditional, while the blond ones are more modern adaptations. For this review, we had one representative of each variation. Representing the dark side, we have the beer that originated the style, "Schneider Weisse Aventinus." On the pale side, we had it the "Weihenstephaner Vitus."

Starting with the "Aventinus," the aroma displayed a sweet and rich malt profile with medium-low intensity notes of caramel. Additionally, lighter notes of more roasted grains and dried fruits, such as walnuts, were present. In the background, with low intensity, fruity banana esters and the clove-like phenolic component from the yeast could be detected. The banana fruitiness blended with the malt sweetness, evoking also a hint of raisins. According to the BJCP guidelines, this style should exhibit malt richness, and for darker "Weizenbock," this translates to a more roasted richness with Maillard reaction products. Caramel notes and fruit esters like plum, red grapes, and raisins (especially with aging) are also acceptable. Thus, this sample featured many descriptors outlined in the BJCP style guide. For appearance, it should range from dark amber to dark ruby-brown, with a slightly tanned foam. The head should be tall, creamy, and have good retention. As seen in the photo, the color fits the description, somewhere between amber and brown. The head also had the formation and retention described for the style.

In flavor, the malt was rich and intense, offering caramel and toffee notes with the complexity of Maillard reactions. Similar to the aroma, the banana and clove-like yeast character developed in the background. The finish brought back the malt richness. BJCP guidelines align closely with these flavor characteristics, making this sample well-suited to the style. In terms of mouthfeel, it had a full body and high carbonation. This high carbonation provided a creamy sensation and a pleasant tingling on the tongue. A slight alcoholic warmth was also noticed. Again, all these characteristics align with the BJCP style guidelines. The overall impression of this sample was excellent, showcasing notable malt quantity and quality in aroma, flavor, color, and mouthfeel, while still incorporating the signature "weizen" yeast component.

Moving on to the "Weihenstephaner Vitus", the aroma also showed malt richness, emphasizing wheat with cereal and bread notes of medium intensity. The yeast component appeared with medium-high intensity, characterized by banana esters and clove-like phenols. A moderate alcoholic aroma was noticeable, almost solvent-like. As a blonde representative of the style, the BJCP guidelines suggest the malt richness should present more as cereal sweetness, bread, and some toasted malt richness. While no toasted malt notes were detected, the other descriptors align. The only concern was the alcoholic aroma, which bordered on solvent-like, a trait not fitting for this or most styles. Visually, the color should range from golden to amber with a white head and similar formation and retention characteristics as described previously. Some turbidity is expected due to wheat use and yeast properties. The beer indeed displayed a slightly hazy golden-yellow color. The head had medium formation and retention but was dense and creamy, as the style dictates.

In flavor, the yeast fruitiness took center stage, resembling nearly overripe bananas, with medium-high intensity. A cereal- and bread-like sweetness and clove-like phenols were noticeable in the background, with medium-low intensity. The balance leaned toward the yeast, with banana maintaining prominence in a slightly persistent finish. The BJCP describes malt richness for lighter versions as more akin to cereal, bread, and toasted malt richness. The yeast component should be medium to low in intensity, and the finish should be dry. In this regard, the sample showed some style deviations, which could be corrected by better fermentation temperature control and/or increased use of high-quality malts like Munich malt. Mouthfeel revealed a full body and high carbonation. Some creaminess was perceived, but there was no alcoholic warmth, which would be expected in this style.

The overall impression can still be considered very good, but the sample showed areas needing minor adjustments. The full body and creaminess elevated the experience, but the banana fruitiness overshadowed other important flavor characteristics. These banana esters express at specific temperatures, and reducing fermentation time at these temperatures might allow other traits, including alcohol perception, to emerge. The high sweetness reduced the alcoholic perception, which should appear in both flavor and aroma for this style (everyone who’s made a caipirinha knows this to be true 😜). This is a complex style, and unfortunately, the balance between malt richness, yeast complexity, and high alcohol content was not perfect in this sample. The two samples evaluated in this session are not directly comparable, as one is dark and the other is pale, but the first sample seems to fit better the style than the second.

This was the review of the "Weizenbock" style. To conclude the BJCP historical Wheat Beer category, only "Witbier" and "American Wheat Beer" remain. Since I likely won’t find a commercial example of "American Wheat Beer," we’ll wrap up this category in the next post with a review of a "Witbier" and a more theoretical discussion of "American Wheat." See you next time!