Ramstein Winter Wheat

I’m not a big fan of Mondays, especially after the weekend I had. Chris is off from work today and I got stuck going (don’t get me wrong, she, out of anyone I know, totally deserves a day off, but I still can be jealous). I start school again tomorrow, but at least I’m only taking 2 classes and it’s my last first day of school. So, to celebrate, I pulled out the growler of Ramstein Winter Wheat that I picked up last time I made a beer run.

ABV: 9.5%

Style: Weizenbock

Trivia: According to BeerAdvocate, a weizenbock is “A more powerful Dunkel Weizen (of ‘bock strength’), with a pronounced estery alcohol character, perhaps some spiciness from this, and bolder and more complex malt characters of dark fruits.”

Random: Another New Jersey brew…I’ve only had one or two other Ramstein beers and I thought they were pretty good. I’ve heard amazing things about this brew…

This brew poured with a barely there tan-colored head. The body is a deep brown color that you can’t see through, so I couldn’t tell if there was any carbonation on the brew. On the nose, I got definite banana and spice notes with some clove and then roasted caramel malts. Very interesting nose, definitely a lot going on. On the taste, there was definitely a roasted characteristic with some chocolate and then a hint of banana with some spice. There was a lot of malt on this. The finish was definitely sweet with a lot of the flavors in the first sip and lingers. The alcohol is really well hidden on this brew. I really like this one a lot. I would definitely have this again. I can see why this is a great winter beer and gets an A+ on BeerAdvocate.

Untappd Rating: 5.0/5.0

Ramstein Blonde Wheat Beer

Another day…I finally got home from the gym. I slept like absolute crap last night, so my workout was pretty pathetic, but at least I got a workout in. I also just ordered some sushi for dinner (my favorite!) and am finishing the end of Watchmen. What goes better with dinner and a movie than a brew, and a Jersey brew at that.

(The DFH glass was a birthday gift from Lisa. I’m finally breaking it in)

ABV: 5.5%

Style: Hefeweizen

Trivia: According to wikipedia, “Ramstein Air Base (IATA:RMS, ICAO: ETAR) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) installation. Ramstein is located near the town of Ramstein, in the rural district of Kaiserslautern, Germany.”

Random: I first had a Ramstein beer at Stuff Yer Face and Nicole really liked it. This was a left over from a six-pack I bought her a while back.

This beer poured a cloudy yellow color with some visible carbonation and sediment throughout. The head dissipated almost instantly, even before I took the picture. When it was first poured, it was less than a finger of white head. On the nose, it smells like a typical hefe, some banana and spice come to the front. On first sip, there’s a lot of refreshing carbonation and then the banana, citrus and spice flavors come out. The citrus is mostly lemon and orange. This is a hefe where I can really taste the banana. The spice isn’t as apparent as in other hefes, but it’s pleasant and it works for the brew. The finish is quick and unremarkable. My only complaints about the beer is that it could be a touch thicker. It’s bordering on watery. But, a nice summer brew that would go down easy at a barbecue.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0