Eleanor Morton’s guide character remains an all-time classic to me. I still haven’t found a chance to see her live, sadly.
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Wine and Beer Enthusiasts
- Thread starter albertfallickwa
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Eleanor Morton’s guide character remains an all-time classic to me. I still haven’t found a chance to see her live, sadly.
It is surprisingly easy to get Weihenstephaner everywhere but here, it seems. 😂
I love wheat beers and dark beers and was unaware of the existence of dark wheat beers until I stumbled upon your post!
I expected a malty, molasses-inspired beer but was treated to something more complex, refreshing and enjoyable. The unique flavors, texture and finish grabbed my attention and paired really well with reeces peanut butter cup and Thai curry! 😋
Thanks for introducing me to this brewer! How do you usually enjoy it?
Delighted to learn that you enjoyed it; this is one of my favourite beers.
To my mind, this is a beer that will go very well with crisps (chips to Our Transatlantic Cousins), when sipping, relaxed, in the evening, or, when served with a cheese board, (one that will include a hard cheese or two from northern Europe - perhaps an aged Gouda, among others), and will also pair well with any sort of dish that includes beer - there is a French dish of fowl with juniper berries and beer, and, of course, then, there are those Belgian beer casseroles - sometimes with chicken, sometimes beef; this beer would pair exceptionally well with those.
August is upon us; thus, today, I purchased some beer (mostly Weihenstephaner, naturally enough), plus a local ale, and some Foreign Export Guinness.
As far as I know, some of the beers that Guinness brewed for a 'foreign', or 'export' market were considerably stronger (their stout brewed in Africa was a sort of legendary holy grail when I was a student, - I wasn't even sure that it really existed - and I didn't actually come across it until I visited a UN compound in Nairobi) than the porters and stouts available in the domestic UK and Irish markets.
Today's purchase (yet to be delivered) clocks in at 6% abv (there is a 7.5% version), rather than the more usual 4.3-4.4% you will find on sale here.
Sipping a Friday night beer - my first beer in a week - which happens to be a Weihenstephaner, the Weihenstephaner Original Helles.
Bliss.
Bliss.
Wonderful.
Delighted that you enjoyed it.
It is an incredible beer, isn't it?
I must say that I absolutely love it.
It is incredible. The flavor is artfully balanced with hints of so many things I enjoy — nuts, chocolate, dates — without any one subduing the others. The light malty and slightly sweet aroma is perfectly calibrated to my preferences. The finish lingers long enough to be savored then completely disappears, leaving only a pleasant memory. I deliberately chose the word inspired to describe the beer because I can’t imagine a formulaic approach to crafting such a rich and unexpected experience. I’m sure I’ll discover more the next time I imbibe, but Korbinian became my favorite beer after the first sip, and again with every subsequent sip. 😋 Thanks again. 🙏🏽
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My pleasure.
I am delighted that you enjoyed it.
While I like (nay, love) many, if not all, of the beers brewed by Weihenstephaner, I must admit that Korbinian is my personal favourite; to my palate, it is a rich, luscious, perfectly balanced yet gloriously complex beer, one that is an exquisite, and supremely delicious delight to sip, sample, and savour.
Time for a barrel-aged porter. Sherry, cognac and Islay whisky barrels were used. Tasting notes (mine): Woody with black bread, but also red grapes, caramel and cognac. The beer is framed by a good amount of coffee and dark chocolate, especially on the nose and then again on the palate. Slightly smoky on the finish.
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Moreover, I will say - add to that - that the beers I purchased yesterday (including 24 from Weihenstephaner, six each of Helles, Hefeweissbier, Hefeweissbier Dunkel, and, of course, Korbinian) were delivered this evening.
Thus, I have just now opened a bottle of the quite superb, and utterly splendid Korbinian.
Enjoy! Please share what you are pairing it with. 😊 🙏🏽
Actually, this evening, as I had earlier dined on fish and chips (fries to Our Transatlantic Cousins) - with a tomato salad, a cucumber salad and homemade aioli - I simply sipped (and greatly enjoyed, relished, savoured) my Korbinian without any accompaniment whatsoever.
However, usually, I would pair it with something such as a small dish of salted nuts, salted pretzels, or crisps (chips to Our Transatlantic Cousins); sometimes, I will even treat myself to a small bowl of mixed cheese cubes (as I almost always have a supply of excellent cheese in stock) - perhaps a Comte, and/or a Gouda, and very often also served with some cubes of a blue cheese, depending on what I have to hand - some Roquefort, or Stilton, or Bleu d'Auvergne - this pairs exceptionally well with a beer such as Korbinian.
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Thanks for the suggestions. I enjoyed my first Korbinian by itself as well (since I didn't have to chill it and was too curious to wait until dinner!) and it was superb. Next time I’ll pair it with cheese, nuts and crisps as you suggested. 😋
In my experience, this is a beer that will readily stand up to being paired with a platter, or a dish, of robust cheeses (in a way that a mild, inoffensive, lager never will).
Thus, it is perfect when served not just with a dish of cubed cheese, but when served with an actual cheeseboard, - not all beers allow for this, but Korbinian, and the Belgian Trappist beers most certainly do - (along with good quality artisan, or French, bread), in the way one would serve a glass, or a bottle, of wine with cheese.
An aged Gouda (cow's milk, or goat's milk), and/or an aged Comte, plus some blue cheese will (for example, Roquefort, or Bleu d'Auvergne are neither of them shrinking violets in the world of cheese) will all work very well; you could even add in a few cubes of a tasty washed rind cheese to that (actually, Chimay cheese comes complete with a beer washed rind), - and the Korbinian will not remotely run the risk of being over-whelmed.
Thanks @Scepticalscribe, you’ve just given me a formula for a fun get together with friends — themed as an introduction to my dear new friend named Korbinian! 😎
Hmm. I’ll have to see if my local Albert Heijn stocks Weihenstephaner Korbinian, they usually have the normal one and the dunkel which are some of my favourite beers.
If you like the standard Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, and also like the Hefeweissbier Dunkel (they also brew another dark beer, the "Traditional Bayerisch Dunkel", which I quite like - actually, they don't brew a beer I dislike - but personally, I do prefer the Hefeweissbier Dunkel), I can almost guarantee that you will love the Korbinian.
Just opened a bottle of Guinness, a bottle of Guinness West Indies Porter, to be precise, which is one of those 'export' versions of Guinness that represented a sort of Nirvana, or Shangri-La, or El Dorado - an unattainable and idealised dream - in the world of alcoholic beverages when I was a student.
The normal Guinness is a surprisingly bland stout, given its popularity. It is nice to know that they probably have interesting bottlings as well. 
Agree completely.The normal Guinness is a surprisingly bland stout, given its popularity. It is nice to know that they probably have interesting bottlings as well.
Their "export" categories - such as the porter I consumed this evening, Guinness West Indies Porter (which clocks in at 6% abv) and its sibling, Guinness Foreign Extra (which comes complete with an abv of 7.5%) are both far better, to my mind, than the original.
Reviews also speak (write?) warmly of both beverages.
Re standard - or 'normal' - stouts (or porters) in Ireland, personally, I far prefer both Murphy's (sadly, it can be difficult to find outside of its native Cork) or Beamish, but, unfortunately, neither of them are anywhere nearly as widely available - nor as well known - as Guinness.
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