Bayern Brewing Dragon's Breath Dark Heff Ale

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Bayern Brewing Dragon's Breath Dark Heff Ale.

From the Bayern Brewing website: “Hefeweizen is an unfiltered classic in Bavaria (“Hefe” means yeast, a small amount of which remains in the beer). In 2004, Bayern Brewing introducing a dark Hefeweizen, otherwise known as a Dunkelweizen (dark wheat), to the line-up: Dragon’s Breath Dark Heff.

Dragon’s Breath Dark Heff is mild in taste, unfiltered, and 6.0 % ABV (Alcohol by Volume). It is moderately hopped with Bavaria’s preeminent Hallertauer Perle hops and is cold-fermented, eliminating any harsh aftertaste.

Jürgen Knöller, Bayern Brewing’s proprietor and Brew Master, brewed this beer style at four different breweries in Bavaria in the early eighties. His Dark Hefeweizen won Gold at the prestigious German DLG (German society of Food and Drink Producers Association) annual competition consecutively from 1980 through 1985. Jürgen’s same brew, introduced at a major U.S. beer competition for the first time under the label “Dragon Breath Dark Heff”, received the Silver Medal at the North American Brewers’ Association 2008 Beer Awards. Most recently, Dragon's Breath won Gold at the 2011 US Open Beer Tasting Championship.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy copper color with an off-white head leaving lots of lacing.

Aroma: Toasted wheat bread, toffee, grassy hops and slight banana, clove and coriander scents.

Taste: Caramel, wheat bread, roasted malts, grassy hops, toffee, light coriander and banana flavors.

Overall: Flavorful and rich, Bayern Brewing Dragon's Breath Dark Heff Ale is easy drinking.  This 6% ABV offering is certainly worth a try for fans of the style. I would drink one again.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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