Here’s a quicky sketch on beer. It’s really meant for some of you newcomers in the biz, so I’m only going to paint broad strokes. I will probably get into more specifics after the holidays.

Beer is basically divided into two categories (excluding such offshoots as mead, hybrids of ales and lagers and other specialty varieties of ales and lagers that include adjuncts like fruit and spices). Those major two varieties are lager and ales.

Lager comes from the German word “to store”. Lager beer is “laid down” for a longer time than an ale is. It’s also stored at a much cooler temperature. The type of yeast used for lagers is a bottom-fermenting yeast. It ferments at the bottom of the tank and requires a lower temperature than a top-fermenting yeast does.

Most of the time, you’re going to see American lagers (unless you work in a restaurant or brewpub that is known for their beer selection). These are your Budweisers, Miller Lites, etc. They are known for their light flavor, light body and lack of complex flavor profiles (which brewers have spun into “drinkability”).

Then you have your pilsners (or pils for short). These are your German style “light” lagers (light in color). They are your Beck’s, St. Pauli Girl (brewed only for export by Beck’s), Heineken, Pilsner Urquell, et. al. These are distinguished by a crisp, slightly bitter, bracing flavor. Still not as complex as ales (we’ll get to that shortly), these have more interesting flavors than American lagers for the most part, although they seemingly have too much character for many americans who are used to a blander beer. 

Then you have your bocks, dark lagers that are a little closer to ales in terms of flavor. Shiner Bock is the most common domestic bock. Quite a few microbreweries brew them, and Sam Adams has a bock as well (including a doublebock as well), but Shiner bock is about the only one that you find in “normal restaurants” nationwide, although you’ll find other regional favorites. Bock is noted for its slightly sweeter, maltier, round flavor. Chocolate is a common flavor profile. there are some subcategories in the bock segment but we’ll avoid them since you really won’t see them in most American restaurants. 

A variation of this is doublebock (Doppelbock in Germany). Despite what the name implies, the beer isn’t “double strength”, although it is generally stronger (up to 10% alcohol). Most German Doppelbocks are brewed in Bavaria and have a “-ator” suffix. Famous ones are Salvator and Optimator, both brewed in Munich. They probably resemble ales the most of any lager in terms of flavor profile. Sam Adams even brewed a famous triple bock  for three years. It had over 17% alcohol and was very very thick, sweet and obviously strong. Some argue that it was only barely a beer. There is also Maibock, which is found around May-June. If you can find Einbeck Maibock or Ur-Alt (Ur meaning original, primitive, forefather in German), you should try them. They have a great flavor.

Other varieties that you are unlikely to see are Märzen, Helles, Dunkles, Export (a specialty of Dortmund, Germany), Schwartzbier (literally “black beer), Rauchbier (smoked beer), and a few others. We won’t talk about them in this primer since you rarely find them in US restaurants. Perhaps we’ll get into more detail later.  Meanwhile, if you are interested in beer, you might do some research on your own, both on the Internet and in your local specialty liquor store or beer-based restaurant. the latter is far more fun and informative.

Now we come to ales. 

Ales are brewed with top-fermenting yeast. These yeasts operate best at higher temperatures. Ales are more dependent on a stronger malt character than lagers (in general). They are sweeter and more “floral” than lagers. You might consider them more ‘breadlike” in character.

The lighter of the ales is the American pale ale (think Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or Sam Adams Pale Ale, the two varieties that you are most likely to see) . These are sort of the alternative to the lager. They are light and have a more  limited malt character than other, more robust, beers. Then you have Indian Pale Ale, often abbreviated as IPA. They get their name from beers that were shipped from England to India during colonial times. In order to prevent spoilage during the long ocean voyage, they were heavy hopped (hops help depress bacteria due to their astringent properties). This gives them a very strong “piney” flavor. Some people prize the more piney of the varieties. Personally, I prefer a slightly less hopped IPA, but that’s a matter of personal taste. You also have the British bitter, which isn’t bitter at all and is similar to an American Pale Ale. But you rarely see bitter here.

You also have red ale, most commonly represented by Killian’s Irish Red. Obviously, the name refers to the color. Moderately malty, this is sort of bridge between heavy ales and lighter lagers.

Then you have porter and stout. They are kindred spirits, with porter being a bit lighter than stout. Both are very dark beers and have a bready, “staff of life” body. Flavors like chocolate and coffee are often found. Guinness is the most available stout in the US.

Brown ale is a medium dark ale. Newcastle Ale is the most likely version that you are likely to see. It has a good malty/sweet flavor and is a good variety to recommend to someone looking for something with more character than your typical American lager or even American ‘brown ales” like “ambers”, which are similar but don’t offer the same flavor delivery. You also find “nut brown ales” like Smith’s, but you rarely find them in “normal restaurants”.

Alts are German ales that you might come across. They are medium dark, malty beers which go well with hearty meals. But, once again, you’re likely to only run across them in specialty beer restaurants.

Hefeweizen (yeast wheat beer) and Weizen (wheat beer)  are probably the lightest of the ales. They  are the only beers brewed in Germany that are allowed to be brewed from something other than barley, yeast and water. Weizen refers to wheat and Hefe is the German word for yeast. so a Weizen is a straight wheat beer with much of the yeast filtered out, while a Hefeweizen leaves the yeast in, causing a cloudy, more ‘bready” flavor. A variation of this is Weissen, which literally means white in German. You don’t see this very often in the US and it refers to mixing wheat and barley. In Germany, wheat beers are traditionally only served in the summer, as they are light and refreshing, but are really too light to enjoy in colder weather. they are often served with a slice of lemon or orange and are sometimes flavored with orange. A very popular wheat beer in the US right now is Blue Moon, which is traditionally served with a slice of orange. You might see this served year-round, since Americans seem to like lighter beers, even when the temperature drops into single digits. In Germany though, it’s gone by August – October.

And then we come to my favorite of all beers, the Belgian ale, specifically Trappist ales. These beers have a creamy head, a delightful full, balanced flavor and a “drinkability” that put American beers to shame. The two most famous examples are my favorite, Orval, and Chimay. A variation on these beers are Lambics. These are beers brewed using the natural yeasts that occur in the air (the bread corollary is sourdough). These beers have a very strong, pronounced flavor that is prized by beer aficionados. They are also like wine in that they age in the bottle when they are bottled for export. They can also be flavored with fruit (Framboise being a famous variety. 

The Belgians have a nice variety of beers that we won’t get into here. Some of the styles are sour ales, pilsners, saisons, brown ales, red ales, abbeys etc. Trappist ales also have subdivisions as well (dubble and tripel being the best known).

Now, how do you put this info into practice? If someone orders a lager, you won’t bring them a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or a Sam Adams Pale Ale, even though many Americans won’t know or recognize the difference. If they order an ale (which is rarer), you don’t want to bring them a pilsner.

If someone asks you what the difference between a pilsner/lager and an ale, the short answer is, an ale is generally sweeter and more full-bodied, while a pilsner is lighter and more “tart” (this is of course only the “short answer”).

Knowing the difference in beer styles can pay off in the ability to move someone from a safe, conventional choice to a nicer, more interesting beer. But you have to be careful with this. If someone is used to Budweiser, they probably won’t like an IPA. By learning about the various flavor profiles, you can add to the guest’s dining experience and broaden their horizons.

Aside from rivers (or any naturally occurring body of water, for that matter) and my friends, the thing I miss most about home is the beer culture – an enthusiasm for microbrews you can taste (pun intended).  I know there are breweries down here in SoCal and I’ve even been to a brewpub in Big Bear (the stout? porter? oh, right…doppel bock I had was quite good, but obviously not memorable. In any case, that’s a story for another time.), but the brew-tmosphere that pervaded my social life in Portland keeps duckin’ me in LA.  Beer takes a backseat to higher conversation, such as who’s cheatin’ who (who’s bein’ true…and who don’t even care anymore), how Angelenos are SO over Ed Hardy, or the latest stupid Glenn Beck stunt.

Working in the San Bernardinos does make it a bit difficult to procure a decent micro, if only because my favorite dives hardly even have taps – let alone microbrews on tap.  None of my coworkers had even heard of Drop Top.  Sigh.

This brings me to the two most uplifting episodes/anecdotes in my beer diaspora so far: the Beer Angel at a gas station in Burbank and the Hefeweizen Fairy at Tony Roma’s in Universal CityWalk.

Chronologically first, the Beer Angel was gassin’ up behind me at a Costco (SO economical – read: cheap. Yesssssss!).  He eyed my Oregon plates a while, doubtless pondering which stereORtype to pursue for a quick yet fulfilling gas station exchange.  To my lingering joy, he struck out with a quick “Hey, next time you’re in Portland will you pick up a bunch of microbrews for me?  Yeah, just stop over at the Kennedy School and maybe get some Widmer, too.”  Oh man – I almost burst, I was so happy!  I kindly let him know that I’d try, but could make no guarantees the goods would survive me before they were delivered.  He understood both my voracity for Portland beer and my frustration with the lack of accessibility on par with home’s offerings.  Refreshed, I went off to work; coincidentally (or was it?!),  it was my Civil War game GO DUCKS spirit week at work – great timing, gas station Beer Angel.

Most recently, though, I discovered a somewhat reliable non-LA-bar source for a Portland Beer fix: LA chain restaurants!  Much better, I know.    My best friend flew in on her way to visit her dad in Texas, so her brother and I have been showing her the sights/malls.  CityWalk was on our agenda for the big ol’ Universal globe, so we decided to see Avatar while we were there.  The showing we wanted was sold out, so we caught dinner at Tony Roma’s after we bought tickets to the next available showing.  I’d been avoiding eating out because a) I’m trying to pay off my student loans and b) I don’t make that much money in the first place. (Too tired right now…more to come)

Pinkies up, ladies!

First off, I don’t really care for hefeweizens to begin with. This is a little lacking in its wheat flavor and it is much to light for my taste. Goes well with a lemon wedge. – s

Stefan:

Pyramid Hefeweizen is an American-Style Hef (a.k.a. a wheat beer) with a 5.2% ABV. This beer is now known as Haywire Hefeweizen.

The standard by which all other wheat beers are judged. Our deliciously deranged American-Style Hefeweizen is an award winning take on this Bavarian classic. This refreshingly unfiltered wheat ale delivers a distinctively smooth flavor worth sharing with friends.

Pyramid Hef pours a beautiful orangeish-copper color, with a one finger head.  The head quickly dissipates and leaves practically no lacing.  Carbonation and sediments can barely be seen when held to the light.

The nose of this beer is very mild, like a light wheat beer.   The usual flavors are present: orange, citrus, etc. but they are extremely weak.

Pyramid Hefeweizen is a rather unimpressive wheat beer.  The flavor is just what you would expect from the nose: mild and rather uneventful.    The mouthfeel is a little sticky and has some bite to it.   Weird.

Overall, I’m not that impressed with Pyramid Hefeweizen.  With so many other great hefs and wheat beers on the market, I find it hard to imagine that I’ll pick this one up again.

Overall: 4 out of 10

As a WHEAT BEER: 3.5 out of 10

Hefeweizen, Charleston Brewing Co, SC

Much like on previous trips to my parents house, one of the first things I did was raiding the isles of Total Wine while them in Upstate South Carolina. There were so many inviting choices that it was hard to choose just a few, in the end I bought two bottles from New Belgium, one from Charleston Brewery and another one with a name I liked.
The label of Half Moon caught my eyes as I was scanning the shelves, it’s a blue label with a smiling half-moon and a frog sitting on it fishing from the sky. The style of the illustration is soft and somewhat retro looking like labels from the 20s and 30s. In the end I chose it because it was local, well technically regional and from a brewery I had not tried before. Looking at the label I also noticed the brewery’s clever logo, a crane or stork in aviator’s hat and goggles. Charleston has a good amount of marshland with plenty of birds, so I thought the label was fitting.
Unlike the beer I had from another South Carolina brewery, Half Moon was not only dead on to the style but also very tasty. It pours with a huge pillowy head that sits for a short while above the bright yellow/straw liquid. The flavor is pleasantly sweet and citrusy, mostly lemon with hints of cloves and only the slightest hint of bananas. The carbonation is prominent but has a character of softer bubbles. After a long day of searching the town for Christmas present ideas, sitting down and enjoying a nice tall glass of hefe really hit the spot ! I was very pleased with the find, and hope to try other brews from the Charleston Brewing Co.

Aventinus … it almost sounds like a character from Greek mythology, doesn’t it? Well, it is. But G. Schneider & Sohn apparently chose the name to honor Johannes Aventinus, a Bavarian historian and philologist who wrote an influential German history book. Will this info make the beer taste better? Only if, like me, you enjoy watching people’s eyes glaze over as you drop stun grenades of trivia at their feet.

The label says “wheat doppelbock,” which sounds suspiciously similar to a weizenbock to me. As its pours, the beer initially exhibits a dark brown hue, but then a touch of light makes it glow like rubies encased in glass. The soapy white head provides a nice contrast, and a layer of foam lurks at the top for the duration.

I lift the glass to my nose and inhale nothing but fruit. Sweet, ripe blackberries with raisins and caramelized bananas. The beer hits my palate screaming. Intense fruit flavors mask the 8.2% ABV, which leaves only a tingling warmth on the tongue. I also detect some chocolate and spice — almost like spiced rum! The syrupy, full body strikes a pact with the creamy foam and the crisp carbonation, and the resulting textures make my mouth rejoice. And, because this ale only comes in pint bottles, the rest of my body soon joins the festivities by falling down a lot.

Aventinus is one of my favorite German beers. No — it’s one of my favorite beers, period! It blends the best of hefeweizens with the best of doppelbocks. Truly a wheat doppel if I’ve ever drunk one. And you should definitely drink one, too.

Monday: Do pretty labels mean good beer?

I am back after Thanksgiving break! I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends and I hope that you did too! Now that I am back from my blog break I am going to start off with something a little bit different: a review of a beer tasting.

I went home to Vermont (yes, Vermont) for Thanksgiving and one of the many things that I miss living in CA is the beer, mainly Magic Hat. Quite honestly, Magic Hat brews the best Hefeweizen I have ever tasted and I miss it when I am not on the East Coast. So, one of my closest friends, Jess, came to have Thanksgiving with our Vermont clan and she is a huge beer lover like I am and I wanted to take her to the Magic Hat Factory where one can participate in a beer tasting. It is crazy fun. Plus, her husband has the worst taste in beer and wine and believes that Widmer Hefeweizen is the pinnacle of human brewing, gross, and I had to open up some eyes.

Jess, my mother, and myself all went to the “Artifactory” at Magic Hat in South Burlington, VT. It is right off of Route 7 for anyone who would like to venture over there (I definitely recommend it). We went to the Brewery and though there were no official tours going on that Day (those are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, I believe) we still walked around and watched the bottling, smelled the hops, etc. Then it was time to taste and wander around the store while we did it. There are normally 8 beers to taste, that day there happened to be 9, and the tasting is free. The tasting is done in the most adorable little glasses that you can buy later for 2.50 if you would like (Jess did, I got big beer glasses). We were served 9 beers, from light to dark, and they were: Single Chair Ale, Circus Boy, #9, Odd Notion Sour Ale, Jinx, Roxy Rolles, Lucky Cat, Howl, and Night of the Living Dead Odd Notion.

Some of these beers are Magic Hat classics (Single Chair, Circus Boy, #9, Jinx, Lucky Cat) and some were seasonal (Howl, Roxy Rolles) and some were the odd notions (Night of the Living Dead, Sour Ale)– Odd Notions are interesting one-off batches that Magic Hat makes which are really delicious, especially the Sour Ale!

Single Chair: This is the Pilsner that is brewed by Magic hat and it is a Single Chair from Mad River Glenn (the slogan is “Ski it if you can”). This is everything that a Pilsner should be. Crisp and refreshing but with more body than the average Pilsner.

Circus Boy: The Magic Hat Hef. I love this beer, I have always loved this beer. This is unfiltered with wonderful body and the fantastic citrus aromas that come from a great Hef. Delicious.

#9: This is Magic Hat’s signature beer. It is called a “not quite pale ale”. After tasting it from the tap I can definitely recommend you pour it into a class before serving. It allows the wonderful apricot aromas and taste to come through.

Odd Notion Sour Ale: I loved this. It had a mouth puckering ending and tons of grapefruit running through this beer. It was truly delicious.

Jinx: Jinx is only available at the factory and is a Scotch Ale. The first thing that will hit the senses is a campfire. This beer has a lot of the smokey notes to it. Not as intense as most Scotch Ale, which makes it easy to drink.

Roxy Rolles: This is this year’s autumnal seasonal. I really think that this beer should be served in a glass rimmed with cinnamon and sugar, I bet it would be excellent. This is an Amber Ale that is full of malted, vaguely sweet flavors.

Lucky Cat: This is the I.P.A. Now, as a disclaimer, I am not a fan of I.P.A.s, never have been. This had that classic bitter black tea note that I associate with I.P.A.s. This could be a good one, I just don’t know.

Howl: This is apparently a black lager, but in taste I would say it is more like a porter or a stout. This was very nice, nice body, great flavor and can easily be summed up: if you like coffee you will love this.

Night of the Living Dead: This is a Chocolate Belgian Stout with very developed flavors and body. This is smokey with hints of unsweetened coco. Definitely an intense beer.

I love Magic Hat and I hope that everyone tries some. There is a beer for all tastes. And if you have a question about which one you might like, feel free to shoot me an e-mail.

I have realized what I miss most about Vermont: You can get a Growler (a half-gallon jug) filled up with your favorite beer from the Magic Hat Factory uber fresh taps for only 7$. I miss VT.

The armchair tour of Flying Dog Brewery’s offerings continues.  A tough job but someones got to do it.  Up this time is the Flying Dog In Heat Wheat Hefeweizen.  Hefeweizen is a German style of wheat beer which typically uses at least 50% wheat in the brewing process and is usually cloudy in appearance due to the yeast (Hefe) remaining in the beer.

As anticipated the beer was, in fact, a cloudy yellow in appearance and had a nice thick white head.  Strong nose of citrus and cloves and it tasted exactly like it smelled.  This was my least favorite of all the ones I have sampled so far.  I found the taste of cloves predominated over everything and unfortunately cloves are not one of my favorite flavors to begin with.  Light bodied and 4.7% alcohol.

Other reviews in the series are:  Old Scratch Amber Lager; Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale, Road Dog Porter and Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA.

Lionel hand modeling

Charles: Ah… Samuel Adams Hefeweizen… We meet again… How’s your mother? I remember when we met, I thought you were a nice light and tasty brew. You refreshed me with your simple subtle hoppy medley. Erm… This is hard to imagine how I got this sense. I felt that if I drank you, there wouldn’t be an overbearing aftertaste, and you would go down clean. I should stop personifying beer… If I continue this way, I’m going to lose all my friends, and drink my other ones.

Lionel: HEFEWEIZEN!!! Goes down pretty smooth, and it has a crisp taste to it! (Ed. Note: Descriptive, isn’t he?)

Andriis: I like wheat beers. Especially of the unfiltered variety. There’s something pure about it. What you get here is pure flavor. And cold is the way to go with this brew. But then again, I do this with all beers, from lagers to stouts. I think if you really wanna enjoy this beer, have it after a heavy meal. Steak and potatoes followed by Sam Adams Hefewizen. You win, dude. You win.

Price: $8.99

ABV: 5.4%

Enjoying the Hefeweizen

Hoy, desde un sábado lleno de luz y música sonriente, pienso en la noche del viernes y en esos bares donde acumulamos el tiempo y la nicotina ambiental.

Me permitirán que vuelva a hablar del Fire Bar.

Un amigo, sofás, cerveza de trigo. Entrar a las 8′30 y salir a las 12 de la noche. Quedé allí con Juan. Juan es un Virgo como yo, que se ha aplicado a fumar en pipa tras mi proselitismo incontrolable, como buen Virgo, con una notable tenacidad. El Fire será un local que pasará a la asepsia, si la lógica no lo remedia, el 1 de Enero de 2010. Su principal negocio es que todavía vive en el periodo de moratoria tabáquica: no aplicará la ley hasta que sea delito no hacerlo. Y medio Mitte se reúne allí para poder regresar a ese pasado hermoso en el cual la gente bebía fumaba reía en voz alta y se hacía confidencias a gritos, que es la única manera sana de hacerse confidencias.

Nos apropiamos del sofá de cuero, y casi antes de empezar a contarnos la vida, sacamos los aparejos de pescar flores de humo. Juan sacó su nueva adquisición: en realidad, su primera adquisición, su segunda pipa (la primera se la regalé yo, una rhodesian Butz Choquin arenada que compré en La Haya): una hermosísima liverpool Stanwell arenada.

[Paréntesis: hay pocas cosas más gratificantes que aconsejar a un amigo con la adquisición de una pipa: visitar el estanco con la confianza y la paciencia infinita que requiere tamaña empresa, tocarlas, sopesarlas, revisar la corrección del tiro, la anchura del pisadientes, y salir con una nueva criatura en el bolsillo de la chaqueta que nos va a acompañar durante alguna década que otra, observándonos envejecer desde la atalaya de nuestra boca.]

Cargó el hornillo con el mejor aromático que se vende en Alemania, el W.Ø.Larsen #50 sweet mixture; yo me decanté por uno de mis tabacos favoritos, el Samuel Gawith Sam’s Flake, cargada en la Martín 58#07, a la que llamo, con todo el cariño del mundo, la “Popeye“. Cargar el flake haciendo el hatillo en U invertida, desbrozar un poco de tabaco en el tope de la cazoleta para prender mejor, y a inundar el salón de humo.

[nuevo paréntesis, para los no-especialistas: el tabaco en flake es un tabaco de pipa que en vez de venir en el formato común de corte, es decir, hebras cortadas y desmenuzadas, viene en láminas, de longitud y grosor variables. Originalmente, este tipo de corte de tabaco de pipa proviene del siglo XVIII, cuando los marineros, que debían embarcarse durante meses y meses, compraban el tabaco en bloques -plugs- de forma parecida a un ladrillo, y cuando el capitán les daba permiso para tomarse una pausa y fumar en la popa, cogían la navaja y cortaban una tira, como se corta el chorizo en las charcuterías, lo doblaban, lo metían en el hornillo de su pipa y lo prendían. Hay innumerables maneras de fumarlo, una por cada fumador, casi: yo, como otros muchos, tomo la lámina, la doblo sobre sí misma a lo largo y luego a lo ancho, formando una especie de U, y la meto tal cual en la cazoleta dándole la vuelta, de tal manera que queda hacia arriba la parte de abajo de U, y desmenuzo un poquito de otra lámina por encima para ayudar al prendido.]

Empezamos soltando la miseria laboral de esta semana, hasta que la nicotina empezó a calmar el espíritu y pasamos a los temas importantes. Hablamos de proyectos de cine, de una novela que tengo dormida en un cajón, de los hijos que estaban por venir.

Y volví a salir de allí convencido de que el universo no puede ser un lugar mejor en cuanto no podamos hacer el repaso al mundo acompañados de nuestras pipas, del humo que no deja de ascender y conforma la lenta ascensión de las preocupaciones que desaparecen.

Banda sonora del post: Manel, Els millors professors europeus

The Hefeweizen!

In this post I preview some of the brews showcased at the North by Northwest restaurant/brewery located in north Austin, TX. My girlfriend and I boldly traveled there with notebook and camera in hand ready to give Austin Brew readers a taste of what the brewery has to offer. So, here it is, a break-down of the NXNW brew sampler.

Northern Light

This brew had a light straw coloration and the taste reminded me of some more popular lagers made by macro-companies like Miller. To be fair, I had a few sips of this with my shrimp plate and it was a nice complement. Overall though this beer was boring to say the least. I give it a 5.5/10.

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Duckabish Amber

The color of this brew is indeed in the name with its reddish amber appearance. The initial taste was that of malt with a thin body feel. The overall taste kind of reminded me of a bock from the Shiner brewery. The Amber gets a 6.5/10.

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Pumpkin Seasonal Ale

I was in luck with this seasonal brew because they had just tapped the first kegs of it the day I arrived. This brew has a reddish coloration similar to the Duckish Amber. The taste was smooth and light and had hints of cinnamon and clove. I give this one a 7/10.

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Pyjingo Pale Ale

This brew had a golden orange color to it. The taste was an initial hit of malt that was immediately followed by a burst of hops and a hint of citrus. I have tried many Pale Ale’s and this one was slightly above average. I give it a 7.5/10.

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Bavarian Hefeweizen

The Hefe had a cloudy yellow straw coloration. The flavor had hints of grapefruit and clove. As a fan of hefeweizens I’d have to say that this one was average with a score of 7/10.

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Okanogan Black Ale

I’m not too familiar with these darker beers but I think I’m getting there. This ale was not really black in coloration but more of a really dark red. It had a rich flavor that whispered chocolate. It kind of reminded me of some of the christmas beers, possible post?, that are beginning to emerge on store shelves. Overall score of 7/10 for the black ale.

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Image Credits:

All black & white brew images: http://nxnwbrew.com/beer.php

pumpkin image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39242181@N00/113481892/

Remember that photo of me in Exploring the World of Beer? If not … go look at it. Back? All right, as you saw, I felt the urge to be holding a beer in the shot (security blanket?), so I excavated this Kirkland Signature Hefeweizen from a nearby family fridge. Kirkland is essentially Costco-brand beer (although it’s actually made by Gordon Biersch), so to be honest I wasn’t prepping a combo of the words “mind” and “blowing” for this review.

It pours hazy orange with a sticky inch of head that recedes quickly into nothing. Be gentle when opening and pouring this one or you’ll end up staring at a glass full of white sediment floaties. (Don’t worry; the presence of sediment is typical for the style.) My bottle had been stored on its side, so I let ‘em sink before drinking.

Brew smells fine. Bananas, cloves, a hint of citrus—all typical hefe stuff, but pleasant. Enticed by the nose, I take a swig. And … fish?! The fruit is still prominent but tastes a little tainted, as if one of the bananas, in a bizarre stocking mishap, was accidentally stored with the mackerel.

These less desirable undertones subside as it warms, and you start to taste more of the hefe flavors—but there’s still not a lot to taste. If you want a simple, straightforward hefeweizen on the cheap, Kirkland’s will get the job done, but you can also do a lot better. My advice? Go with a German classic from Weihenstephan or Franziskaner instead.

The Great American Beer Festival from Brewers Association on Vimeo.

Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen, which opened in 2008, claimed the title as the 2009 Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year, winning 4 medals out of the 13 awarded to Washington breweries: two gold (Chuckanut Dunkel and Vienna Lager) and two silver (German Pilsner and Chuckanut Schwartzbier), at the 28th Annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colo. Chuckanut Brewery is the first brewery in the history of the Great American Beer Festival competition to win a Small Brewpub of the Year award with all Lager-style beers.

Breweries are awarded points based on medals won, and these points are tabulated for the results of the 2009 GABF Brewery of the Year Awards. The GABF judges awarded Chuckanut Brewery the 2009 Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year based upon the medals won.

Other Washington brewing medals went to: Pyramid Brewery (Haywire Hefeweizen and Mactarnahan’s Amber), Redhook Ales (ESB and Treblehook), Silver City Brewery (Old Scrooge ‘98, Ridgetop Red, and Gold Mountain Pilsner), Snipes Mountain Brewing Inc. (Coyote Moon), and Ram Restaurant & Brewery (Clearwater Kolsch).

The Great American Beer Festival is the largest and most prestigious competition for American craft beers. This year’s competition featured 3,308 beers from 495 breweries, a panel of 132 judges from 10 countries, 78 beer categories, and 51 first time breweries at the competition.

Brewery Name and Location: Widmer Brothers Brewing Company of Portland, Oregon, USA.

Name of Brew: Widmer Hefeweizen

Style of Brew: Hefeweizen

Purchase Info: $5.99 for 6* 12oz bottles.

ABV: 4.7%

Ingredient Info:

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: Glass Mug

Aroma/Olfactory: Orange, lemon, zest and metallic nose.

Visuals/Appearance: Cloudy yellow orange with fluffy white head.

Taste/Flavor: Citrus and wheat notes and slightly sour. Does not have the complexity of other hefeweizens.

Palate/Tactile: Light and smooth.

Tasting Backstory: About 90% of the bars that I have been to that have a hefeweizen on tap has this one. Widmer does a great job with distribution. And most of the places that serve this put a slice of lemon or orange in it. That covers up the lack of nuance in the flavor. The fruit in conjunction with the drinkability make this a go to for the unseasoned beer drinker. I admit I have had plenty of these. However, when compared to all the other hefeweizens out there, this brew cannot stand up. Check out the honor role page in the right hand column to see some of the greats.

Rating: 4/10

Value Rating: 5.5/10

This is one of my favorite breweries in Europe. They have an awesome hefeweizen but their beers aren’t super distributed even in Germany. One day, I hope they will make it here. Even a little would be welcome.

Brewery Name and Location: Hofbräu München of Munich, Germany

Name of Brew: Hofbrau Hefe Weizen

Style of Brew: Hefeweizen

Purchase Info: $2.39 for 16.9 oz bottle.

ABV: 5.4%

Ingredient Info:

Nutritional Info:

Vessel Used for Tasting: Glass Mug

Aroma/Olfactory: Orange citrus, wheat and Euro yeast nose.

Visuals/Appearance: Slightly hazy golden with prolific white head.

Taste/Flavor: A sour citrus with notes of bubblegum and clove. Understated.

Palate/Tactile: Clean, crisp and wet finishing. Quenching.

Tasting Backstory: Hefeweizen is a style that I enjoy because it is easy drinking and not too strong. This is certainly a quality hefeweizen but not the best I’ve had.

Rating: 7/10

Value Rating: 7/10

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen, a hazy golden beer brewed using the traditional Bavarian open fermentation to give is unique flavors. With a nice 4.8% ABV with hints of banana and clove. A good beer that you could drink in the spring and the fall, it’s no wonder Sierra Nevada included this beer as part of their year round collections. Now, before you crack open this bottle and start sipping from the bottle you have to drink this beer correctly and here is how you do it. First, get yourself a nice clean glass. Next, open the bottle and pour about two-thirds of the bottle into the glass. Finally, take the bottle and swirl the remains and pour the rest and enjoy! This beer can be found just about any grocery or beer store. Worth a try!

Cheers

Bananas?

Type: Bavarian style weissbier
Brewery: Victory
Alcohol Volume: 5.7%
Similar to: Whirlwind Witbier

Verdict:Absolutely delicious. This was a crisp light beer with flavor and a crispy citrus aftertaste. This beer is great if you’re looking for something refreshing. A little sweeter than your regular Hefeweizen, Sunrise was a good call.

Germany is known to some as the mecca of beer; many people envision an entire country full of big breasted blondes and lagers that flow like water (I’m one of them). This beer is a testament to that belief.

It’s a traditional Hefeweizen meaning it hasn’t undergone fermentation or filtration. Filtered beer has had all the yeast removed but with Hefeweizen’s this isn’t necessary since the wheat is what gives the beer so much of it’s flavor. Fermentation is the process where the carbonation first occurs ands beer gains it’s alcohol content. I’ll be honest that I don’t know how this beer is possibly unfermented like it says on the label, but it definitely had alcohol and carbonation, although not an exorbitant amount. I’ve read of unfermented beer (wort) being added to fermented beer and that might be what they’ve done here.

A lighter body than any Hefe I have had before, although the coloring and flavor was still the same. The aroma actually reminded me of vienna sausage and it turned me off to the whole experience. I enjoyed it but was looking for a heavier flavor since it was from Germany, it wasn’t what I was expecting, however I could see myself drinking lots and lots of this beer because it didn’t fill me up like most American brews. I don’t know if I’d try it again unless I wanted to change my opinion, I’d love to have it next to a Spaten and compare the two. It gets a strong 5/10.

This is my first beer review, and it’s an incredible German Hefeweizen. I’ve been drinking it once or twice a week or so for a month now in an attempt to identify all the subtle nuances – this beer is simple yet clever at the same time. It’s immediately enjoyable but ultimately worth investing some time discovering its flavor and aroma. I have three other varieties from this brewery in the refrigerator right now, so I’ll be getting to know them in the coming week and reviewing them in the near future.

Beer: Wiesen Edel-Weisse

Brewery: Private Weissbierbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH

Country: Germany

Style: Hefeweizen

ABV: 6.20%

Other: Organic

Appearance – Beautiful initial pour. I’m reviewing a 500ml bottle, so I poured into a wide mouth mason jar instead of a hefe glass so I could get all of the beer in and let the head develop. And man, did it develop. Maybe it’s some strange property of an organic beer or something – I had read many reviews disappointed with the pour of this beer – there was a full, rich head in my pour. It was a rich white with really large bubbles, but shades of caramel permeated; maybe a result of the giant bubbles in the head letting through shades of the beer, which was caramel itself, a deep, intense caramel. The beer itself looks like Grandpa’s caramel candies. Despite my best effort to get all of the yeast and sediment from the bottle, the beer itself was still rather clear, which allowed many different caramel shades to shine through the beer. Definitely lacking the typical hefeweizen. Unfortunately, the beautiful head reduced fast, but didn’t fade any farther after a few minutes. Tiny streams of bubbles laced the beer throughout the drinking up until the end. Did I mention the head was full of giant, gorgeous bubbles?

Smell – A very distinct hefe smell, but… it isn’t any less hefeweizen smelling, it’s just more smooth, with more buttery banana bread character and less banana extract brashness that hefeweizens sometimes exhibit. To that end, there is a banana bread aroma, but I had to dig for it. No bubble gum aroma, but instead a deeper vinegar smell that betrays an alkaline taste. After waiting the banana bread does indeed shift to an extract flavor, less smooth as the beer broke around 50 degrees. Finally, there’s a steady clove scent that is obvious without being overpowering, easily the backbone of this beer’s scent.

Taste and Mouthfeel – Well, troubling, but in a good way. All the characteristics of the aroma seem present yet fleeting as well, and it’s been really hard describing the flavor of this beer. The first flavor that hit me was a soft (but not sweet) lemon that hit the tip of my tongue but then faded to the sides, fizzing with the carbonation. The carbonation in this beer is less than I would expect from the appearance, but that isn’t to say this beer is lacking; rather, such is testament to the strong bubbling flowing up the beer throughout the tasting. Despite that, the carbonation never interferes with the flavor of the beer at all (the way a cheap American beer – and hey, I like Coors Light just as much as the next guy – might interfere with the flavor if said beer had flavor). At some point while the initial lemon on the tip of the tongue moved to the side of the mouth, a soft floral taste hit the back of my tongue. No banana tastes of any sort at first, but they started to appear as the beer warmed. Finally, after the beer had come far up in temperature, a very slight hoppy bitterness developed, while the once soft and smooth flavors became more sharp, tasting more like the typical hefeweizen.

Drinkability – I could drink this beer all day. I think I wrote in my notes “drinkability? …. !!!!!!!!!!!” My greatest attraction to this beer is its drinkability, a function of this beer’s great taste and aroma. Not much of an aftertaste, except maybe a little lemon candy on the back sides of the mouth. I’d say the general characterization of this beer is “hefeweizen light,” but there isn’t anything “light” about it, per se, but rather a more mature and mellow representation of a classic style. A session beer if it weren’t so high in alcohol content and sold in larger bottles. Really, I could drink this beer forever, and in fact I had intended to review this beer many times before but instead consumed two or three bottles and lost track of my thoughts. I think the best descriptor is the word I found written down again and again in my notes: smooth.

Over the years many American breweries have brewed the different styles of wheat beer (American Pale Wheat ale, Witbier, Hefeweizen, Weizenbock etc.) and at times fell short of true complexity. Especially in the case of trying to emulate the complexity of a German made Hefeweizen. Sierra Nevada Kellerweis is an exception to that trend. With its balanced banana, clove, yeasty breadyness, and citrus notes; it both refreshes the drinker and excites the palate like the German Hefs do. A must try wheat beer!

Appearance: Pours a hazy golden color. A medium-sized fizzy head dissipates pretty slowly leaving a moderate amount of lacing. “style matching points”

Smell: Wheaty, with hints of citrus fruits such as lemon, fair amount of clove, and some banana. Smells very close to a german hefeweizen.

Taste: Has that typical hefeweizen wheaty and spicy taste. It also has banana, restrained cloves, bubblegum, lemon zest taste. Nicely Balanced.

Mouthfeel: medium-bodied and smooth. A bit of a carbonation bite, which is nice.

Drinkability/Overall: A great American hefeweizen and another great beer from Sierra Nevada. German hefeweizens are a particular favorite for me, so I’m usually pretty picky when it comes to American wheat beers. Nevertheless, Sierra Nevada has really impressed me with this one. 9/10

When I first got into craft beer, I first explored wheat beers and this fine brew was my first authentic German hefeweizen. Although I enjoy it every time I have it, it is no longer my absolute favorite. However, I always recommend it to those who love wheat beers or who want to ease their way into craft beer.

Appearance: Pours a clouly, surprisingly dark color for a hefeweizen that is a blend of amber and light brown (closer  to a dunkel weizen); Nice head but did not last as long as I would have expected from the style, but it does leave some splashes of lace behind

Aroma: More clove than banana, which was also a surprise, with a real wheat bread and bubble gum backbone with some toasted grain notes.

Taste: Starts out with a banana bread and toasty grain flavor, with the clove building and then fading with at the end of each. Some citrus and bubblegum notes add a deep complexity to this brew. The finish is sweet with some bitter citrus. The added toasty component is hit and miss for wowing my palate. At times I love it and at times it makes me drink slower.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with medium effervescent carbonation typical for a well done hefeweizen.

Drinkability: Among the top tier of hefes, this sure is close and is an interesting contrast to some of the others that are more conforming to American expectations of a wheat beer. 8/10