Tasting - Ayinger Ur-Weisse

Appearance:

Huge white, frothy head that sticks around for awhile. Hazy dark brown color, not as dark as I would expect from a dunkel weizen.

Aroma:

Fruity bubblegum smell is apparent right away, the bready smell of yeast is also strong. The banana smell is there as well but I think the fruity bubblegum is stronger in this beer. No hop bouquet.

Taste:

Low to moderate carbonation. Light to medium bodied. First taste is of bananas. Not sure if that is just my nose tricking my taste buds as Charlie Papazian says, but I definitely think I taste bananas. Its a sweet beer without much bitterness, but the sweetness doesn't overpower. I expected more of a chocolate flavor considering it is a dunkel weizen but that doesn't come out. Instead it tastes more like a typical bavarian weiss bier. The aftertaste is sort of astringent, and a little unpleasant.

Overall Impressions:

This is a good beer. Relatively smooth and the sweetness isn't overpowering. I could see myself drinking a few of these on a hot summer day. However, it isn't the best German hefewiezen that I've had and I was expecting a different beer when I saw that it is a dunkel weizen.

Tasting - Dogfish Head Chicory Stout

Appearance:

Opaque black, very little cream colored head. But the small amount of head sticks around.

Aroma:

Chocolate and coffee aromas. makes sense because theres coffee added to the beer. the coffee also gives the beer a noticeable roasty smell. Cant pick up any hop bouquet which seems to be true to the stout style.

Taste:

Full bodied with some carbonation but not overpowering. I definitely notice the roasty flavor right off the bat, which offsets the sweetness of the malt really well. after that its a very complex beer. I can taste some fruits in the background, sort of a fig flavor. the coffee flavor comes out as well. amazingly clean aftertaste, no astringency at all, just a smooth finish with a malty coffee taste.

Overall impressions:

Very smooth beer. Really well balanced. I feel like I'm drinking a creamy cup of coffee without overpowering sweetness. Also this beer seems to fit in very well with the style. Overall a great beer.