Heat Seeker Hefe'
Flyers Restaurant And Brewery

 

 

 

On tap at the brewpub in Oak Harbor. Lovely yellowish amber in the pint shaker. Quite cloudy. The foam is modest but it has an appealing spritzy mouthfeel. Overall, this is light, tangy, and slightly tart. Some lemony notes.

Lovely nose of malt and a hint of flowery hops. Fragrant German esters with mild spice and banana. It's not the strong, overbearing bubble gum fruitiness of many Hefes. This one has quite a yeasty flavor, and even leaves sediment in the bottom of the glass.

Mellow and tangy with sensational drinkability. A great quaff for the low ABV. The menu claimed it was 3.5%, but I think 4% is more likely given the satisfying body and general maltiness. I'd venture that this is about the best light-weight Hefeweizen I've had anywhere.

 

Served in straight pint glass. Poured the cloudy yellow expected of the style, with a nice fluffy white head that had decent retention and minimal lacing. Thankfully this beer was served sans lemon wedge.

The aroma was the expected banana/clove combo we've come to demand of the style. The taste was right where it needed to be as well. This is a finely crafted example of the style.

The body was full yet light. Drinkability was, of course, very good. Few styles are as easy to drink as a well made Hefe.

Overall, a very good example of the style, certainly worth your time when you see it.

Flyers calls this a Bavarian-style hefeweizen but I'd say it's more of a hybrid suggesting elements of both Bavarian and American styles. It vaguely hints at aromatic clove phenols but tastes less exotic than Bavarian yeasts usually express. This isn't a problem at all as the more Americanized elements deliver a palate-cleansing, thirst-quenching earnest dryness that's tightly focused and highly satisfying.

Heat Seeker is yellow-gray and densely opaque with low suds. Was the lack of an accompanying lemon wedge an oversight or a blessing?