478. Weihenstephaner Kristall Weissbier

We’re rolling up on that Weihenstephaner. This one is a filtered hefeweizen, and damn is is clear. I read Gordon Strong’s new book, Brewing Better Beer, through mine while I was drinking it. No, I’m just kidding. But I could have. Seriously. Although technically, I should have been reading Stan Hieronymus’s Brewing With Wheat. Get it? Because this is, like, a wheat beer, or something. I’m so tired of having to explain my jokes to you, Jeffrey. Anyway, this is our fourth beer from Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, including Korbinian, Hefe Weissbier and Dr. Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse.

Unsurprisingly, Kristall pours a crystal clear straw color, with a prodigious white head. Since the beer is so clear, the profusion of small tiny streaming bubbles is a nice treat, which gives the beer an effervescent visual quality that at least partially follows through in the mouthfeel. The nose is a creamy banana clove combination that is reminiscent of banana cream pie—it is creamier and smoother than the traditional Hefe Weisse, but very much in line with the original. Kristall opens creamy and soft on the palate—there is a bit of a carbonation bite towards the finish, but the front is gentle and delicate. Flavors are creamy banana followed by a slight wheat gumminess in the middle and finishing with clove and light vanilla flavors that linger and dance on the back of the tongue. While the carbonation is gentle, it is also bubbly and delightful—the combination of creaminess and carbonation creates a gentle soothing effect that is one of the highlights of this beer. A softer, gentler, and more delicate version of their traditional Hefe Weiss, Kristall allows the perfume-y components of the beer to parade across the palate, leaving drinkers with a different yet eminently enjoyable beer. Surprisingly complex and gentle—this beer was a pleasant surprise.

ABV: 5.4%

(5/11/2011)

469. Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier

Spring is finally here! And I mean this in terms of weather in addition to merely the marking on the calendar. This is our second beer from Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan in Freising, Germany—the last one was Weihenstephan Dr. Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse, a collabo with Doemens Institute. Oh, yeah, and I forgot: world’s oldest brewery. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Mr. Clever.

Young Fresh Ferns...

Let’s just start by noting that Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier pretty much sums up the style. Bells are ringing, school is in session, and bit-players are getting handed their marks. Don’t come back knocking on that door, y’hear? Word. Now that we’ve cleared that up, Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier pours a hazy dull straw/gold with a luscious creamy white head; in addition to the excellent head retention, there is pretty substantive lacing left behind on the glass. The head was thick enough initially to leave nice ridges behind on the opposite side of the glass after the first several sips. Aromas include a soft candy wheat malt sweetness mixed with banana and clove and some additional mild fruitiness. In this particular bottle, the clove slightly trumps the banana, and this continues on into the flavor profile as well. The beer opens with sweet wheat gumminess that is quickly followed by clove and banana flavors; the middle is slightly drier, with the carbonation whisking away the sweetness and emphasizing the wheat character. In the finish, there is a slight bubblegum flavor followed by a return of sweetness and a light lingering clove citrus fruitiness. The body is medium but dry—it tastes like it should be lighter, but maybe the cloudy yeast is enhancing the body—and the mouthfeel is both creamy and crisp. In other words, this beer is god-damn delicious. It drinks easy, goes down smooth, and is simultaneously light, refreshing, and yet suitably complex. It’s like Mike Tyson versus Michael Spinks. And Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier is Mike Tyson.

ABV: 5.4%

(4/14/2011)

405. Jeffrey McElfresh Hefeweizen

I am officially declaring this Jeffrey McElfresh Homebrew Drinking Week. You couldn’t stop me if you tried. Although I don’t think anyone is really trying to stop me. Which is tragic, as it makes my ranting seem only that much more desperate. Anyway, you all remember Jeffrey from our session of playing Brewmaster, right? Well, Jeffrey is also a damn fine brewer in his own right, board game brewing master or not. And since he recently dropped me off a package ’o brews, I’m throwing him into the mix and under the bus in one quick fell swoop.

Jeffrey’s Hefeweizen pours a soft cloudy straw with a fluffy white head—it even looks soft and pillow-y in the glass, which is saying something. The nose is zesty and estery—there is breadiness from the malt, banana, and just a touch of clove in the background. The banana and malt aromas combine to create a banana bread smell that is dee-licious, fresh, and clean smelling. Flavors start lightly sweet and fruity—mostly banana, but also some fleshy fruit hints—in the front, combining to offer the banana bread flavors promised by the nose in the middle of the beer. There is a touch of graininess to the middle, and clove traces start in the middle as well, rising in the final third, along with a slight pepperiness that I thought added nicely to the beer. There is also a return of some of the sweetness of the front in the final third. The clove flavor lingers lightly in the back of the mouth, as does a slight mineral flavor and feel, finishing with just a touch of banana to close things out. Starting with a soft, gentle mouthfeel, the beer gets brighter as it sits on the palate; there is a nice bite from the carbonation as the beer heads into the final third, ending with a light clove tang on the sides and front of the tongue. A light and refreshing beer—I could drink a whole lotta this stuff. Nice job on this one, Jeffrey.

P.S. I think we should make Jeffrey McElfresh Homebrew Drinking Week an official national holiday. Who is with me?

(8/30/2010)

256. The Summer Beer Leftover Trifecta

In one of our periodic cleaning-out-of-the-basement stints, we came across these beers tucked away in a box. Why did I stick them in the basement? Who the hell knows? All I know is that we've got three “seasonally challenged” beers. So what do you do when that happens? There’s really only one logical and correct answer: Summer Beer Leftover Trifecta.

Saranac Summer Brew:
Described on the label as a mix of lager and lemonade, Saranac Summer Brew has a grainy and lemony nose with a crystal clear straw color. Starting lemony sugar sweet, Summer Brew moves into a tart even middle and finishes grainy and slightly stale. Light-bodied and crisp; the carbonation is light but sharp and bright. Overall, a bit too sticky sweet for us—none of the tart bite of the lemonade has survived; it tastes too much like a cooler and not a beer, even taking into consideration the shandy background of this beer—we’ve had better shandies. This one’s so bad, we’re making it a Top 10 Worst contender.

From the Saranac website: “For nearly 100 years, Europeans have mixed lemonade and beer as a refreshing beverage during the summer months. We continue this tradition with Saranac Summer Brew – a refreshing blend of lemonade and lager. Kick back, relax, and enjoy!”

ABV: 3.5%

Goose Island Summertime:
Summertime has a malty, papery nose with a bit of residual sweetness, a clear gold color, and a thin white head. Beginning with a mix of malt sweetness and dryness combined with small amounts of grainy and paper flavors, Summertime’s middle mostly fades into the finish, which is dry and lightly tart—the refreshing Kölsch tang that marks the style—and generally clean with a low amount of bitterness rounding out the beer. Medium to light bodied with a soft profile and a crisp bite from the carbonation at the end. Clean, fresh, and enjoyable, and a pleasant surprise in our current line up.

From the Goose Island website: “The color of sunshine, with a light fruity aroma and a hint of fruity acidity, Goose Island Summertime is the perfect summer session ale. A Kölsch beer brewed in the traditional German fashion, you’ll find yourself enjoying and savoring each sip of summertime as much as you do those hot summer days and cool summer nights.”

ABV: 4.7%

IBU: 20

Malt: 2-row and Wheat

Hops: Mt. Hood and Saaz

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis:
Kellerweis has a banana clove nose with a decent amount of malt sweetness to back up the yeast ester and phenol aromas; pouring a hazy gold, it has a white head. Opening malty and citrusy with low level of spiciness—the banana and clove are a bit overpowering—Kellerweis hits more yeast ester flavors in the middle, rising into an estery sweet citrus finish that lingers with the bitterness at the end. Kellerweis is medium bodied with good carbonation and a rounded flavor that is dominated by the yeast ester and phenol characteristics, although it is a bit sticky in the mouthfeel. Good beer, but not working too well on a cold wet night—this one does seem to be better for summer drinking.

From the Sierra Nevada website: “Kellerweis is one of the only American Hefeweizens made using the traditional Bavarian style of open fermentation. This difficult and labor-intensive technique adds uncommon depth and flavor complexity. Our hazy-golden hefeweizen is deeply flavorful, refreshing and perfect for a sunny day. To serve, pour two-thirds into a glass, swirl and pour the rest.”

ABV: 4.8%

IBU: 15

OG: 12.3° P

FG: 3.5° P

Malt: 2-row, Wheat, and Munich

Hops: Perle or Sterling

Overall:
Gold Medal: Goose Island Summertime
Silver Medal: Sierra Nevada Kellerweis
Bronze Medal: Saranac Summer Brew

We both agree that we’d never drink Saranac Summer Brew ever again if we could help it; with the other two, we’d be willing to give them a second shot: we’d accept Sierra Nevada Kellerweis as a suitable free beer at a party, and we’d even go so far as to order Goose Island Summertime at a baseball game, or even possibly buy a 6-pack this coming summer to see how it stacks up on a hot summer afternoon.

Summer Beer Leftover Trifecta Suicide:
Since we had leftovers of all three, we decided to combine them and see what happened. Elli finds the combination “moderately O.K.” She might even prefer the mix to any one of the three beers—for her, it cuts down the sickly sweetness of Summer Brew and Kellerweis, and balances out the banana and clove of Kellerweis. While it is still “a bit too Sprite-like” in the finish, she still likes the net result of combining the three beers. I would agree for the most part—we’ve lost the sickly cooler flavor of Summer Brew, and the banana and clove has been brought into check, but the sugary-sweet ending limits the success of the combination—I’d still take Goose Island Summertime over the Summer Beer Leftover Trifecta Suicide combination.

(3/13/2010)

241. Heinnieweisse Weissebier

“Terrible in a can.”

Brewed by Butternuts Beer & Ale in Garrattsville, NY. Heinnieweisse has a spicy and fruity nose—it smells a bit overripe and perfume-y, but nothing is specifically identifiable, except the low levels of funkiness or mustiness that run along the edges of the beer and the DMS and corn aromas that accompany them. The flavor begins sweet, spicy, and slightly corny with some dry malt flavor—there is none of the fruit of the nose—before moving into some musty flavors in the middle along with a decent dose of unfinished graininess, and finishing with a return of the corn flavors—it ends slightly cider-y. Mouthfeel is dry, but there is almost no carbonation, so the resulting effect is a pronounced flatness; combined with the thin body, there is not a lot to work with here. We’re guessing something went horribly horribly wrong with this beer, as it tastes like some of my personal homebrewing disasters, or the corn beer I made with no barley or wheat malt, but maybe—just maybe—this is what they intended. We’ve got another one in the fridge that I’ll try for comparison’s sake, but as for now, we’ll chock this one up to brewer error, and call this one a Top 10 Worst contender.

From the Butternuts Beer & Ale website: “Traditional Hefeweizen from Germany usually taste like cardboard because by the time you drink them, they’re not fresh anymore. Chuck brews Heinnieweisse with Bavarian yeast and a 67% wheat grist approximately 5000 miles closer to your mouth than Germany giving it a rich, fully fresh palate. Pour it and see the wheat cloudiness, smell the notes of estery aroma. At 4.9 % abv you’ll taste the effervescent, sweet yet tart freshness that no farty old German can boast. And what does an Alien have to do with any of this? Ever notice how a hop looks like an Alien’s head? Look again.”

ABV: 4.9%

(2/26/2010)

P.S. He may be closer, but that ain’t helping. The second one wasn’t any better, and was another dose of pure terribleness...

8. Stoudt's Heifer-in-Wheat Hefeweizen

Stoudt's Brewery, brewers of this Bavarian-style hefeweizen, is located in Adamstown, PA.

Classic banana-clove hefeweizen; perfectly balanced between esters and yeast flavors to create an eminently drinkable beer. Heifer-in-Wheat has a lacy white head, and the nose is distinctly banana-clove with light wheat malt notes. The sharp carbonation adds to the refreshing and thirst quenching dimensions of the beer, and it has a silky smooth and at times velvety mouthfeel. The beer starts fresh, with slightly grainy or cereal malt flavors that balanced well with the wheat malt before moving into the banana-clove flavors, and finishing smooth and crisp. Yeast flavors hang pleasantly in the background; while noticeable, they merely accentuate and do not impede. Heifer-in-Wheat is slightly cloudy, especially if you swirl up yeast with the bottom third of the bottle and then finish pouring it into your glass. Overall, a solid beer from start to finish, and an excellent beer for summer drinking—just the thing for quaffing after heavy yard work—the delightfully refreshing and crisp flavors will satisfy your thirst. This is probably my favorite beer discovery of the summer, not only because of my love of a good wheat beer, but because it is a perfect beer for warm summer weather.

From Stoudt’s website: “This Bavarian-style unfiltered wheat beer is brewed with 50% malted barley & 50% malted wheat. Our signature blend of German yeast strains imparts a flavor and aroma reminiscent of bananas, cloves, and bubblegum. Traditionally, weizen beers feature a medium body and high levels of spritzy carbonation, and are served as a thirst quencher or sometimes breakfast beer in the summer.”

ABV: 5%
IBU: 12
Bittering Hops: Hallertau
Malts: Two-row and Wheat

(7/8/2009)