Vitzen
Angel City Brewery

 

1590th Review on BA
Bottle to Weizen glass
22oz

No bottle date
Purchased at Lone Hill Liquor for $3.49

App- So not exactly the best looking Hefe in the world. A bit dark and buttery looking in the glass with only a small 1/2" head. No cling or lace on this one. A bit darker in the center as well.

Smell- Its okay for a Hefe. A bit of that wheat base and a bit of a bubblegum, just doesnt pop. Way too thick and lacks a bit of a balance. Has a bit too much thick malts behind it.

Taste- Its pretty good but just too thick. Has a nice wheat bubblegum base but over all the malts dominant on this and it becomes just kinda muddled in the middle. Supposed to quench thirst but this actually makes you thirstier.

Mouth- A solid medium with a medium carbonation and retains a bit of bubblegum and wheat. Residual hefe notes of pepper and spice as well.

Drink- Been a long time since I had one of these, be a long time before I have another.

 

Crazy big foamer. Filled the chalice with suds from a half-inch pour. But it settles down from a bubble bath to a creamy mouthful still topped by plenty of foam.

At first I wasn't willing to believe this is anything like a Hefeweizen, but some German esters do emerge. Some dishwater flavors but reasonably drinkable. As someone noted, it's not actually soured, which is worth something. Some citrus and warm malt. Aftertaste is more bitter and soapy. I'm curious to try Angel City on tap to see if they are doing anything constructive that I may have missed.

Served on-tap at the new brewery near Little Tokyo in LA, this beer was served in a pint glass. The beer is an unfiltered orange-brown coloring with a thin, off-white head. Good lacing on the glass as you drink. The nose is heavy with banana and clove aromas. Very appetizing. The flavors are creamy sweet and heavy in banana, like a cream pie or pudding. Body is rich and full, and the creaminess is more filling than most Hefs. Slightly spiced and heavy sweet aftertaste, the finish is quick, but the beer is filling. Perfect for the beer drinker with a bit of a sweet tooth.

Pours a hazy yellow-orange color, almost opaque. Looks delicious! Small white head with moderate retention and soapy lacing.

The aroma starts off with banana peel and citrus. Bready malt supports the banana, and a light spiciness adds compexity.

The taste is similar to the smell. Banana and fruity citrus on top of a bready malt backbone. It is also yeasty with a light spiciness. The aftertaste is sweet and citrusy with a very light lingering bitterness.

Medium light body with good carbonation and a sweet finish.

I was really impressed with this brew. Refreshing, yet full of flavor. I think the citrusy aspect was the clincher. I could definitely drink a lot of this.

22oz bottle.

Poured a medium and cloudy yellowish-gloden color with an averaged sized white head. Aromas of cloves, bananas, lighter wheat, and lighter yeastiness. Not a bad smelling hefe. Tastes of wheat, cloves, bananas, and some citrus. The tastes were a little bit of a let down vs the aromas - they just did not seem to work well together.

I had this one the same night as an Ayinger Brau Weisse, so my rating may be a little lower. Pours a cloudy yellow with a decent white head. Yeasty and wheaty in the aroma, with some banana. The taste is very wheaty, more than I expected. The banana and clove are there, but very mild and towards the end. A good hefe, but I'll go with the Ayinger over this any time.

Appearance-Light, slightly translucent apricot color with a 2-finger, white head. The head does have some (but not much) staying power and does leave some lacing.

Smell- Wheat, lots of citrus, a hint of bananas. No clove. Hint of bubble gum. Very crisp and refreshing smelling.

Taste- Nice, wheaty beginning. Some citrus in the middle. Very refreshing, but not as complex as I know a hefe can be.

Mouthfeel- Medium body. A tad more carbonation would be nice, but this was pretty good.

Drinkability- Not great, but not bad. At 3 bucks a bomber, it's an excellent beer tho

Poured from a 22oz bomber exhibiting no freshness date into my trusty Weihenstephaner weizen glass. Hey, this is a German-styled "vitzen", right?
Appearance: cloudy dark peach coloration, decent streams of carbonation but producing virtually no head except for a sputtery half inch of white. No towering pillowy bleached white cloud of foam..hmm. Not how I want this to start.
Smell: okay, this doesn't have the rich banana-and-clove-and bread aroma I expect from a German-styled hefe. This is much more like an American wheat ale masquerading as a true hefeweizen - soggy wheat notes, a citrus tang and not much else.
Taste and feel: argh, taste is seriously lacking on all fronts. The signature clove spiciness and banana bread flavors are absent and the feel is watery and pretty lifeless. Methinks a different yeast strain is in order here.
Drinkability: not much. I don't like to classify drinking beer as "work" but this one was. I came pretty close to just saying "screw it" and letting the kitchen sink drink half. Maybe "vitzen" means psuedo German-inspired wheat beer. Overall, nothing to crow about. Skip it if you see it.

Presentation: 22 ounce Bomber with a standard brass colored crown cap and a colorful 1930’s art-deco style label with the words Angel City Brewing. Gold lettering has the beer listed as “Angel City Vitzen – is a true German style Hefeweizen, decoction brewed with 66% wheat malt and our own proprietary German yeast strain“. No freshness date or strength listed.

Appearance: Milky light yellow body with a decent sized head to start with, but the deep frothy mass soon collapses to leave a thon broken covering which disappoints. Subsequent top-ups from my Bomber reinstate the white head but it never rises above ½” thick and goes South in a few minutes. Average carbonation levels.

Nose: Wheat, bananas and a sharp dollop of cloves in a low end peppered spicy finish. The nose is refreshing and enjoyable.

Taste: Sharp start, almost too sharp with an almost sour lemon aspect to it. Soon the wheat and cloves break in to balance the initial sourness. Peppers and spices litter the experience with a rise in Banana and Cloves in the middle. Finish is thin, sharp and short. The ingredients are all here but they don’t seem to gel together and they are low key. Lingering lemon juice in the ending after the swallow. I am not that big on this one.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation seemed average at first and reasonable given the style, but the body has a thin watery dimension in the finish. Thin and wishy-washy.

Drinkability: Nothing attractive in the long term for this one. The flavors seem muted and the thin watery Mouthfeel disappoints, not to mention the poor appearance.

Overall: Cost $2.99 during a recent raid at Hi-Times in Costa Mesa. Mixed emotions on this one, the poor looks crap and the sour lemon side seems to stray too often. It also feels a tad watery. Not one I would recommend or pick up again. Very average at best, with a blandness that is watery at worst.

on the pale side, cloudy as usual, medium and fine carbonation support a lifeless middle island. Very mellow aroma, wheat, orange, cloves.

Tastes very lively and fresh, Malts end up being an afterthought as a spicyness really kicks in. Pepper is predominant in the aftertaste. the clove fruitiness is up front then mellows to a watered middle and finishes spiced. some acidic astringent qualities to this brew.

Mouthfeel: watered
Drinkability: ehhh not one I'll pursue.

Pours from the bomber a nice golden yellow with a faint hint of orange and a bubbly white head that's light and airy. Aromas of sweet pale grains and wheat initially along with a big peppery, clove spiciness with an underlying hint of light fruit...banana. Quite enjoyable with a fresh, aromatic spicy nose.

First sip brings a grainy pale, wheaty maltiness that explodes across the tongue with lots of tiny bubbly carbonation. Peppery spiciness comes in midway through along with a hint of clove..but it seems much more muted than the nose led on. A hint of lemon zest and a light banana round this out with an astringent aftertaste. On a whole I found this quite underwhelming for the style...seems like a watered down hefeweizen that comes off more like a spicy American wheat.

Mouthfeel is smooth and slighty creamy with aggressive carbonation. It manages to go down smooth and is somewhat refreshing. Overall, just boring for a hefe and not one I will be seeking out again anytime soon. I honestly can't say I'd recommend this as there are far too many better options....choose wisely.

Very nice golden color. Let light shine through but not images. 2 finger head. Excellent hefe smell. Very nice taste, spicy and colorful. Mouthfeel was above average but little more. It felt light and smooth.

All in all, this was a good beer. I was able to quaff it down with no difficulty and would gladly do so again in the future.