The first official record of Paulaner is not your traditional story about its rise to grace but instead is a letter, more specifically a complaint to the Munich town council in 1634. Paulaner did not start off life as a brewery but as a way of life, helping Monks at the ‘Neudeck ob deb Au Monastery’ get through their period of Lent. The beer that they brewed went straight to the poor of the city of the monasteries tavern. The breweries in the area were complaining about Paulaner supplying free beer to the local citizens, therefore putting dents in private breweries profits. An instantly recognisable brand and a loyal following ensures its position as a big six brewer in Munich and with the largest brewery of the six at that.
The main difference between the Dunkel and the flagship Hefeweiss are the malts used in the brewing process. It has a much higher malt content and it uses dark malts to offer an immersive experience. It has a thick head and on the nose; light chocolate, cocoa and exotic fruit are all present with the darker malts on display in the muscular aroma. It is unfiltered, nutty and strong with caramel notes, all whilst being smooth to taste. The chestnut brown colour is as complex as the taste and it has an ideal serving temperature of 7 degrees celsius as well as being a natural source of vitamins and minerals. It can be paired wonderfully with full-flavoured or richer dishes such as strong game, mature cheese or just perfectly on its own.
Richard Martin –
An excellent dunkel. Very little fizz, as you would expect, but also a smoothness to the taste. Has body and strength without being too full on. Great foam as well during the pour.
Stujago –
A great dunkelweizen. Very smooth, rich with cola-like flavour!
Steven Allen –
Very floral with a bitter hoppy/coffee finish. A creamy rather than the usual soapy texture. A pretty good wheat beer. One of the wheat beer conisour.
Simon Hickson –
As a big fan of Dunkels this is currently my favourite. Deep rich but smooth taste. Nice strength without being too much. Very enjoyable drop
Eric Akrill –
A winner, this! It pours with a very nice looking, creamy head which gives off notes of banana and caramel, but doesn’t hold. On first taste of the head, those notes are re-inforced with the addition of a nutty/spicy flavour with hints of chocolate. The colour is a hazy, mid-brown and the after taste is a combination of floral hints with a bitter, yet creamy, finish. Delicious! A decent price and a not-too -strong brew add to this being a highly recommended Dunkel.
Kristin –
Nice malty flavour with some bitterness
MARK BAINTON –
Amazing Dunkel its wheaty cocoa bean hints yes banana fruit flavour a little nutty spice added you have one then want another.
Kul –
Has a thick off white head with a gentle chocolate aromatic nose. With a hazy dark colour, unfiltered, slightly nutty but with a weak body.
A pleasant beer but not my favourite.
James Murray –
I do like a good Weissbier dunkel, and this doesn’t disappoint. Very malty and chocolate notes on the aroma and palate. A hint of banana and cloves as you’d expect from a weissbier but this is beautifully balanced with the dark maltiness . Only 5.3% so very drinkable.
tony branscombe –
simply one of the best dunkel hefe weissbier’s out there
Paul C –
A really enjoyable Dunkel.
Pours with a thick creamy head leaving a deep brown colour.
It is well balanced combining the classic weissbeer hint of banana with maltiness and a nutty spice.
Smooth with a slightly sweet aftertaste.
Steve Bruce –
Not sure why i only give this 4 stars really, its an excellent beer but maybe i need to try more dunkel style beers to appreciate it more. Not as malty as i thought it might be but i am pretty new to this type of beer.
Paul Harris –
Beautifully thick lovely mouth feel. Brilliant beer. If you love a weissbier, especially a paulaner, you’ll love this
Vlad –
This is malty, there is some chocolate and banana. A good beer
Lee Davies –
Cheeky dark beer – cracking