A local store in honor of beer week brought in a few special brews, including a 2009 vintage of Aventinus Weizenstarkbier that had been cellar-aged at the brewery. Each year, Private Weissbierbrauerei Georg Schneider & Sohn of Kelheim Germany holds back 240 cases of a beer that is already legendary in its style, (and as a beer in general) for this special cellaring program. I picked up a bottle in order to experience what effect the cellaring has on a beer that when fresh, is one of my all time favorites.

Weizenstarkbier, or “strong wheat beer,” is a high-ABV dark beer, commonly called a wheat doppelbock. The beer pours with a dark maroon color, with a medium-thick white head. The nose is a classic wheat, with a strong clove presence. The taste backs up the smell with a fruity spiciness reminiscent of banana and raisin, followed by a note of chocolate due to the use of crystal and dark malts. The cellaring of this beer softens the chocolate, and has flavors that suggest port and sherry.

Aventinus is a top-fermented beer (as is required by Reinheitsgebot, or “German Beer Purity Law”). It is unfiltered, unpasteurized, and bottle-conditioned. These qualities, paired with the dark color and relatively high 8.2% ABV make it an excellent candidate for cellaring. The brewery suggests a minimum cellaring of three years, and now that I am aware of how well this ages, I’m considering picking up several bottles of this year’s vintage to try to age a few myself.

If you have never had the pleasure of this beer (aged or not) you need to seek it out. It is amazingly approachable, and despite its relatively high ABV, the alcohol flavor is well-hidden. If you’re trying to ease into the beer world, or you have a friend who you’re trying to introduce to beer, this is a great candidate. What do you think? Let us know in the comments!