4th & Long Wheat Lager
Fitger's Brewhouse

Technically this isn't a Hefeweizen, it's a Wheat Lager.

A - Hazy opaque dark orange color. Faded white head settled to a quarter inch, with good retention. Lots of lacing, in thick sheets.

S - Earthy wheat stalks, semi-sweet and a skunky like pilsener smell.

T/M - Taste starts out with a carbonation bite, medium consistency. Sugary, slightly earthy wheat stalk and a green bitterness.

D - Overall a fair tasting drink. The only Wheat Lager I've ever had.

Originally reviewed on December 7, 2005. On tap at the brewpub. Thick deep orange pour, with soapy opalescent ivory head. Lemon and sage aroma, with touches of coriander and some berry sweetness. Delicious, sweet honey and bread, olive oil, with sweet lemony fruit notes. Perfect body, with lucious sugary tones and sweet lightness. Very drinkable.

Hazy, turpid, dark, opaque orange, fine froth floating atop, soon thins, though...

Aroma starts sour, turns sweet, but stays wheaty throughout...

Taste: big wheat flavor, smooth, if complicated. Full presence on the palate, but lacks the character one would normally enjoy in a true hefe weizen. No ale yeast playing around and delivering further flavors really takes the joy out of it. It's smooth, but to a fault, I think. Some banana and apple here, but they just don't sing on the palate. Feels a little dull.

Mouthfeel remains thick and cloudy at first, then thins out and evaporates, but more importantly, never delivers those wonderfully refreshing zesty flavors a regular weizen gives us.

I've got to hand it to Fitger's for experimenting, but this is one I wouldn't really enjoy returning to....as it is, I've got the remainder of a 64 ounce growler to finish off. Not a hard project to conquer, but I'm not terribly enthusiastic about it, either.

This is about as good as it gets for a Hefe Weizen, absolutely delicious. Nice cloudy appearance with a deep golden orange glow to it. The smell is not too strong, but very fresh. The taste is incredible, banana, apple, and pear to go with the summery wheat malt. There is just such a great array of fruity flavors in the aftertaste. One person I was sharing my growler with said it almost reminded him of apple cider. This is the most drinkable Hefe Weizen I have ever tried, it has a deceptively light character for being 5.7%.