This is a bit of unique style, an "Eisbock". Read HERE for a bit of an explanation. In not so technical terms, it's basically a ramped up doppelbock, but not because they add a ton of extra ingredients to it, but the extraction of the water through freezing essentially just makes it more concentrated. This gives it high malt levels, high levels of sweetness and booziness, and some of the highest ABVs of any style (this one is 12%). I'm not 100% sure if all eisbocks are made with wheat malt like this one, but this one is a wheat doppelbock that's made in the traditional "eisbock" style. I don't know what the experts say, but I'd say that some of these styles could be considered extreme beers just because of the tedious brewing process and the higher than normal abv levels.
Moving on......
This was an 11.2 oz. bottle poured into a little half chalice/half snifter looking thing. Like I said, this is 12% abv and it was 4.99 for the bottle which I got at Friar Tucks in O'Fallon, MO. There's a good little story on the back about how they started making the beer as if it was some sort of accident....who knows.
Pours an extremely dark, opaque, brown. A touch of head, maybe a finger of tan foam that dissipates quickly to just a few bubbles. I guess that's typical for something this thick and syrupy. Smells very sweet, very syrupy. You get the typical malt-sweetness that gives you hints of banana, along with a weird touch of smokiness. That I may be wrong about, but it's there. There is also some of that "christmasy" spice type of sweetness as well, ...figs raisins, and definitely the cloves that you would expect in a lot of wheat beers. I don't get much booze on the nose, maybe because it's still a bit cold, but it's not too clear, even though it's obviously a super high alcohol beer.
Taste is very sweet, dark-syrupy sweet, although not as heavy on the tongue as you'd think. There's a bit of booze in the middle, but not too overpowering right now like I was afraid of. Dark fruits, figs, candy-sugar, with the cloves and a bit of bubble come are what comes at the end. Definitely a full, and heavy beer, but not as heavy on the tongue as you'd think. Even though the alcohol becomes more present with the warmth, it's not killing you, which is kind of cool considering this is 12% abv. Overall I'd call it a "good" not great taste. It's really sweet, and really syrupy. But I guess that's the point of this style. Hop bitterness is really nowhere to be had.
This is a pretty good beer, and it's fun to try every once in a while as a sipper on a cold night. But if I had my choice, I'd stick with the Aventinus Weizen-bock, which is what I believe this beer starts as before they take it through the freezing process. I couldn't see myself drinking more than 1 or 2 small bottles of this. The alcohol isn't too overpowering in the taste but you can still certainly feel it after only half a bottle.
Verdict: 7/10
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