Hefeweizen
Richbrau Brewing Company

Looks like a watery tequila sunrise only in shades of gold and yellow. Small head, no lacing. Smell is sweet wheat bread and lemon rind. Flavors of mild banana and citric bite, but somewhat watery. Mouthfeel is thin and the body is light to medium. Easy enough to drink, but the watery mouthfeel prevents this from being satisfying.

part of sampler tray at the brew pub. Appearance is slight orange and cloudy with slight white head. Smell is slightly herbal and clovey without being overpowering. Taste is very dissapointing in that it lacks the spiciness that I enjoy in a Hefe Weizen. Mouthfeel finishes fair, but not completely satisifying. My least favorite beer from the sampler.

A hazy golden-orange body reveals streams of very tiny bubbles rising quickly beneath its foamy, bright-white cap. Unfortunately, the head retention is somewhat limited and it drops shortly to a creamy collar and some whispy surface foam. It leaves a short wall of lace with each sip, but it cannot hold, and slowly slips back into the beer. The nose offers a light citrus tang and some very nice, fresh, clove-like spice against an overall backdrop of just-ripe bananas. The very fine, effervescent carbonation gently tingles the tongue. The flavor delivers a brilliant combination of light citrus (lemon, orange), wheat malt, banana, and delicately spicey clove backed by a low-key bitterness that's just enough to balance. Very nice! It finishes dry with some lingering banana, wheat, and spice. It's very well-balanced and offers all of the standards of a Bavarian hefeweizen while maintaining some uniqueness! Certainly worth trying.

Presentation: 22oz. bomber. Seasonal brew from this Richmond-based brewery. No freshness dating (label states: "No preservatives. Keep refrigerated."

Appearance: Poured a cloudy yellow color. Initial fizzy white head quickly disappears. No lacing or even any head at the edges of the beer.

Smell: Lots of esters here. Very ripe bannnana aromas along with just a dash of spices.

Taste: What I think of when I hear "Hefeweizen". Well-balanced, without anything being too dominant. Good mix of a "wheaty" flavor, along with some fruits and spices.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and pretty carbonated. Quick finish to this one, nothing lingering on the palate.

Drinkabilty: Perfect for a hot and humid Richmond summer day. The ABV in this has to be quite low, given the lack of any sort of presence of ETOH. A tasty and thirst-quenching offering from Richbrau.