Twisted Creek Wheat
Crabtree Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A - Light yellow, good clarity. Thin soapy head that disappears quickly, tries to leave lacing but fails for the most part.

S - Smelled of bright citrus, soap and some spice. A little funk to it.

T - Really big lemon and dish soap, tasted artificial to an extent. Had an off aftertaste that took a while to wash away.

M - Crisp and clean. Light-Medium body, true to the style.

O - Something about this just didn't sit right with me, came off a little artificial and overly astringent. I would be hard pressed to drink any more than the sample 4oz I had.

Pours a clear, straw color. One inch head of a white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of sweet malt, slight yeast, citrus hops, lemon, wheat, and slight pale malt. Fits the style of a Hefeweizen. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Tastes of slight sweet malt, wheat, hint of pale malt, hint of lemon, and a hint of citrus hops. Overall, good aroma and appearance, but the body is lacking.

 

 

 

Pours a grainy yellow hue, slightly golden and a bit less sediment and more clarity than your average hefewiesen. Nice solid white head, a good finger high and leaves incredible lacing especially for the style, thick rings.

Belgian yeast banana esters waft lightly from this one coupled with a good wheat twang and slightly grainy backing. Some hints of clove, a bit of new car smell too, pretty good.

A little more like a witbeer than a hefewiesen in style, more orange peel and clove flavors than banana. Not peppery but consistent wheat twang and solid toasted grain malt base. Dries well leaving a grainy flavor in the mouth.

Medium body for a wheat beer but active carbonation fades as the beer warms, loses some of it's crisp feel after that.

Redemption in my books for Crabtree Brewing, this beer may not be up to style but it doesn't prevent it from being enjoyable and an especially good beer for the start of summer. If only they could be consistent across the board.

"When a twig grows hard it is difficult to twist. Every beginning is weak."

--Irish proverb

Furious rivers of bubbles boil off the bottom of the glass, race upward through amber colored liquid, and slam into the underside of a massive crown of beige froth that develops a gentle rockiness as it melts. Lace is underwhelming.

The nose is more clove spicy than banana fruity. Otherwise, a mild tang of wheat malt combines with pale malt that smells untoasted. Not a bad aroma for the style, but it's nothing special either.

Twisted Creek Wheat is fair-to-middlin' beer if you're in the mood for an American-brewed hefe that can't hold a candle to the German classics. No major faults and no major bright spots sums things up nicely. The scores will most likely be average from here on out.

The pale and wheat malt base is on the skimpy side, but isn't bad, all things considered. Tartness is right where it should be and is balanced acceptably well with sweetness and bitterness. Clove still outpaces banana... which will be granted a hefeweizen banan-o-meter score of 2.0/5.0.

The mouthfeel isn't as crazily bubbled as feared. It seemed fine in the first few ounces and is now beginning to lose its mojo, which leads to rapid deflation on contact. Not exactly a sensory blockbuster.

After several good brews (Ginger Bee Beer and Golden 8), Twisted Creek Wheat brings my impressions of Crabtree down another peg. They should strive for consistency throughout their entire lineup, which is a hallmark of the best craft breweries.

Poured into a Weizen glass.

A: Appropriately cloudy and mildly carbonated apricot. A fluffy white head slowly withdraws to a thin film. Leaves spots of lace.

S: Very fruity. Lemon and orange dominate. A hint of cloves and sourdough bread provide balance. The distinctive banana aroma associated with the Hefe style listed on the label is sadly absent.

T: Mild but balanced. A light biscuit flavor is followed by a clove bitterness. Orange joins in at the mid way point. Finishes with a lingering biscuit quality.

M: The fine carbonation has just enough vigor. The body is light and slightly grainy.

D: The light body and low ABV make for an easy session. It's not the best local wheat out there, but matched well with the warm night I drank it on.

A - Poured out a clear, fizzy, pale, golden-yellow color with a white, bubbly, one-finger head. It left little to no lace.

S - It smelled of lemon, wheat and clove.

T - It had a nice blend of sweet wheat and caramel malt flavors, slightly bready. It had a good spicy clove bite.

M - It was crisp and very sharp with a somewhat dry finish. A light-bodied, sessionable wheat ale.

D - I liked this wheat beer. It claims to be brew like a hefeweizen but it definately is an American Pale Wheat Ale. It lacks the banana flavors of a true hefe.

A: Clear yellow/gold color. Poured a 1 finger white head that dissipated to a skim. Laced in thin sheets. Decanted continually.

S: Lemon citrus and cloves. With warming, the wheat malt was more prominent.

T: Citrus zest, grapefruit and green apple up front. Light fruit and wheat malt in the middle. Citrus hops and crisp fruit in the finish.

M: Light side of medium body. Ample carbonation. Crisp and refreshing.

D: Very easy to drink. Nice flavors and good balance.

12 oz bottle

A - Pours a dark and hazy golden color. Head is light white and fairly thick. Slow it dissipate. There is a lot of yeast floating around inside from the bottle conditioning.

S - A spicy yeast smell dominates the nose - with some esters related to more of a german wheat. Little malt scent.

T - Starts off with a light spiced flavor. Develops some sweetness as it goes midstream. Finishes with a clove/banana yeast flavor. Must be fermented with a healthy hefeweizen strain. Something akin to coriander on the aftertaste.

M - More thick bodied than some of the other american wheats. Creamy. Doesn't leave much for a film on the tongue.

D - Very easy to drink. Refreshing. By far would be an excellent summer outdoors beer. ABV is 5.0, so that is easy enough.

Great beer. Will have to try more from this brewery.

Pours a hazed straw color with 3 fingers of ivory colored head. Very good lacing & above average head retention

S: Cloves, lemony hops

T: Cloves, grassy & lemony hops, appleskins, & grapefruitty hops up front. Jammy apples & apricots follow as this warms. Finishes fruitty with nice citrus hops, almost pulled a 4.5

MF: Juicy with medium body & low carbonation

Drinks pretty easy, I thought this was a good stab at the style & could even pass itself as a hefe. So far I'm fairly impressed with this brewery's offerings!