Dwan Carden's MM Weiss

Got it in one. Bottle conditioned - usually - wheat beer. Widely available in a supermarket near you as an own brand - and well worth looking out for. Also the likes of Hefe Weisse (Spaten). Usually German, although the beer you mention is of Irish origin. (Dwan brewery, County Tipperary. Nice to see that they don't just brew stout and nitrocrap over there.)

Unlike us, the Germans apparently prefer the yeast to disperse and make the beer cloudy, whereas we do all we can to make sure that it remains firmly at the bottom of the bottle. (Not that Majestic have got in on the act - my local one stores Duvel cases on their sides.)

Brian

Wheat beers do tend to have a slightly different taste, (softer, frequently with a grain-cum-new mown hay/straw aroma) and are often produced to be served with the yeast in the glass (i.e. cloudy) In many bars in their home localities customers may be given the choice of how the beer is served.

The presence of the yeast is not a hard and fast thing and it may equally be crystal clear as most UK drinkers tend to expect a beer to be.

Perhaps if someone who has recently drunk the Dwan product described the specifics of the taste and aroma it might give you a clue.

BTW. You are allowed to dislike a beer. It doesn't mean it is bad or that you are wrong, just that it doesn't match your particular palate. If we all liked the same thing the world would be a boring place and we'd probably all be drinking M&B Brew XI or something equally bland.

Yes I absolutely _hate_ Orval. But nevertheless it's a classic.

Brian

I go to about 20 beer festivals a year, so get to try a large number of beers. But this one tasted so different, I didn't dislike it, but was just curious. Was hoping that the GBG may have provided a clue, but that does'nt include the southern part of Ireland. Thanks for the replies.

Dave

To me the wheat itself doesn't have a very strong flavour (maybe a soft, bready flavour & lighter in the mouth than a similar abv barley-brew would be?) in good German wheatbeer it's the flavours naturally produced by the weird ale yeast used that seems to give the strongest flavours - banana, apple, cloves, vanilla, bubblegum, etc.

I think this in part is why many UK wheats are a bit bland - they go easy on the wheat maybe 15-20% of grist; rather than the German & Belgium which is often 50%+ (wheat has a reputation for being difficult to brew with, esp when used in high proportions). In UK many drinkers see cloudy beer as 'off' & brewers are probably fearful of drinkers/landlords responses to their good but cloudy beer - though Hoegaarden & Erdinger, etc must be going some way to educate people?

Similarly, few UK brewers use German or Belgian yeasts, I suspect for various reasons - worries about contaminating their existing UK ale yeast; the hassle & expense of getting quality yeast in sufficient quantities; the unfamiliarity of the yeasts.

Some UK brewers do use the right yeasts & other ingredients tho - Meantime (no cask beer tho, some BCA) Zerodegrees (prev used Belgian & German yeasts, up to 75% wheat, raw wheat & lots of spices in the Belgie; cask beer at occas. fests & real ale from tank in brewpubs) Foxfield/Tigertops anyone know of anymore?

I think I have had it, but a long while ago, isn't it the same beer as brewed at Messrs Maguires, Dublin (hence the MM in the name) in which case it was quite a cloudy orangey coloured German-style wheatbeer, with some of the character you'd expect from the right yeast & wheat. cheers Mike McG