Schneider Aventinus Weizen Eisbock | Chad'z Beer Reviews #544

[sammy14210]

Hey Chad, Just had the wheat-doppelbock. Very dark fruit and chocolate-coffee taste. The finish is alcohol and carbonation. I would give it an eight. I'll try the Eisonbock. Good review. I like watching your reviews. Keep up the good work.

[RequiemVortex]

I remember drinking this on new years 2010. Happy days. To me it always tasted like Christmas Pudding. Haven't seen any last year but I think my local may have a few bottles this winter. How do you think it compares to the ordinary Aventinus?

[Bruguru]

before you call me a beer Sith snob, I will add that there is always room for variation in style, and new styles can emerge as well. You seem to think style is a prison rather than a playground.

[Bruguru]

@chad I disagree. While opinion is certainly a component of any review, there has to be some basis in style. How can you say this is a good weizen eisbock (it is by the way) if you have no clue what a weizen eisbock is? I have said before that I respect your enthusiasm for beer. You do your viewers a disservice, however, by failing to do your homework before you review a beer.

[ChadzBeerReviews]

@Bruguru ugh, another style nazi? are you certified BJCP and/or cicerone? If not, I don't want to hear the argument that there's a correct or incorrect way that a beer must be brewed to style. And even if you are, I still don't want to hear it. Styles are just guidelines. What matters is if the beer is any good or not - regardless of whether it's a malt liquor or an imperial IPA.

I made this video based on that attitude, please check it out: /watch?v=rIIkjYcdvvk

[Bruguru]

@ChadzBeerReviews How do you know if the beer is good or not if you don't know what it is? Certainly, a beer can be a bad example of it's style but still be a good beer. That's more subjective though, and just because Chad says it is a good beer (or me or anybody else for that matter) does not make it so. Or if Chad doesn't like it, that doesn't mean it's a bad beer.

[Bruguru]

If, however, you say "this is a great example of a Vienna Lager" and I'm a viewer that happens to love Vienna Lagers, well you've told me something useful. The point is moot, however, as you're simply too lazy to research style. You're like the Anti-Michael Jackson, and it's a shame you're trying to undo all the work he did with beer styles. You should read his books, it would help you. Since you won't, though, your reviews will continue to be questionable at best.

[ChadzBeerReviews]

@Bruguru I actually find it flattering that you think I'm big enough of an influence in the beer world that I might actually be a threat to "undo all the work he did". Wow.

You should talk to some actual brewers - they care little for style. Most tell me styles are for homebrew judges and beer nerds. If someone likes your product and plunks down more money for another that's all you have to worry about. All styles do is create more categories for awards at beer fests.

[ChadzBeerReviews]

@Bruguru you're the epitome of a beer snob. "Just because Chad says it is a good beer does not make it so." That assumes that beer "quality" is a matter of fact, not opinion. If beer "quality" is fact, then all we need is a mathematical formula and plug in the numbers. We don't even need to taste the beer.

I think you miss the entire point of this show - it's all about how much I like or dislike a beer. I'm not saying my opinions are factual - just how these beers match up to my personal taste

[Bruguru]

@ChadzBeerReviews and you miss my point as well. Style is the common denominator we can all relate to. Everyone has a different palate, so your taste has little value. But if you say "that's a great double bock" then tell me why, you're providing useful information. Can't say I believe you about brewers dismissing style, either. They live by it. Or did Schneider just toss some barley, wheat, and hops into the brewkettle and come up with this beer? Of course not. They brewed it by style.

[Bruguru]

@mcm his reviews suffer for it though. You can go to the brewery website and getvthe facts without bias, I think.

[ChadzBeerReviews]

@Bruguru The whole point of a REVIEW is OPINION. If someone wanted to research a beer they'd most likely go to the brewer's website, RateBeer or BeerAdvocate. If they wanted someone's OPINION on whether or not it's any good they'd watch or read a REVIEW. Ok, so I got a detail wrong. The yeast is top-fermenting rather than bottom-fermenting - clearly this makes a HUGE difference in the viewer's mind. Beer Nazi snobs like you do more to hurt the image of craft beer than help it.

[ChadzBeerReviews]

@MCMCsimulation That's true. In this instance it's the brewery technically misusing the term "Eisbock" since an Eisbock, by definition, is a doppelbock which has been frozen and the beer drained to up the ABV. But this beer is technically their "Weizenbock" (imperial wheat) that was frozen. So @bruguru is right - this is an ale. You can see why it could be confusing, though.

[Bruguru]

Chad, this is an ale. That information is readily available on the web. Your reviews would improve if you did some research on the beers you review.

[Raeppl]

your german is getting better and better :D

[StephenDickerman]

I did really enjoy this beer. the first eisbock I had wasn't very good, but this one certainly was.

[the1ll3st]

I've had the Aventinus dopplebock and i thought it was ok. Def overrated on beer advocate IMO, but a solid 7/10 beer

[tlazaroff]

The Schnider that I know is their Weizenbock, and it's fantastic! I'll have to look for the eisbock, I didn't know they made one.

[DenisLD]

So it seems like the "booziness" mellows out with time, and that's always good. When I had it fresh, it was very complex and fruity, yet the alcohol was not masked much. Cheers!

[DenisLD]

THANK YOU! No, I mean it! +) I've been buying a 0.5 L bottle of this beer, each year, for 3 years now. I'm eventually going to do a vertical tasting, but I've always been curious what a slightly aged bottle would taste like!

[Irishbaybee44]

Cluess

[ChadzBeerReviews]

@Irishbaybee44 Blue's Clues?

[rnt77]

Where did you get that Orval bottle opener that mark now has? Like your vids!

[ChadzBeerReviews]

@rnt77 from a friend in Europe

[realaleguide]

Looks a good beer this, I am very interested, cheers Chad

[maddmaxstar]

Weizen-Eisbock is itself a 'Eis' version of a Weizenbock, a Bock strength Dunkelweiss - a Wheat Ale. Normal Aventinus is also made with Top Fermenting yeast(Ale) according to their website. Not to mention that Reinheitsgebot decreed that all Bavarian wheat beers be brewed as Ale. So it's not a lager.

Other than that, good review! And thanks for reviewing my request!

[ChadzBeerReviews]

@maddmaxstar yeah "Eisbock" has a double meaning of a beer style and a brewing technique. You could call Brewdog's Tactical Nuclear Penguin an eisbock too because it involves freezing the beer to up the ABV.

Both BeerAdvocate and RateBeer describe this as an Eisbock (by definition a lager) rather than a Wiezenbock (which is what it really is). So technically, I still havent had an eisbock yet since I havent had a true lager eisbock (Molson Ice doesn't count).